<p>Hey, I’m an Oberlin supporter. My D picked it over Dickinson. But let’s not assume the schools/cities/states/countries we favor are better at everything than anyplace else. </p>
<p>All I said was the one thing that Dickinson does way better than Oberllin is study abroad. In fact, it’s a selling point for them like the 4-1-4 or the musical culture are selling points for Oberlin. Most schools tap into study abroad programs run by others or send a kid on their way to find their own. Dickinson is fanatical about study abroad, to the extent that they actually run 13 different programs, and run them like a Swiss watch, throwing gobs of money into it. An analogy might be trying to get an internship on Wall Street if you’re a Wharton student vs. being an Oberlin student. One school has the passkey and the relationships and the skids greased, and we know which one that is, while the other sends kids out to find those kinds of internships on their own. No college is perfect or great at everything.</p>
<p>My D doesn’t care about study abroad. If she did, she would’ve picked a different college. It doesn’t diminish Oberlin to concede the college is not a national leader in something like study abroad or getting internships on Wall Street. All but the poorest colleges talk about study abroad opportunities. You almost have to mention it in today’s world if you want to attract top students. But saying you’ve got it and being fanatical about it are two different things.</p>