Oberlin College

Date: Feb 22 2006
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
In high school, I thought I was all that, liberal, involved, kooky, ad nauseum ad infinitum…Until I got to Oberlin. When I first got there, I was a science major. Junior year I was an English major. That's when (through class discussions) I realized that I was still pretty liberal, but much closer to the conservative end of the spectrum than I'd fancied. OH, and I realized after the first full month freshman year…high school? I was big fish in small pond. Moby Dick. in a puddle. At Oberlin, I felt like plankton.

However, a substantially bruised ego and self-esteem notwithstanding, I couldn't imagine having gone anywhere else. Utopia doesn't exist, and no one is claiming Oberlin to be one. But if you want to learn, and not just books and theory—if you want to just be surrounded by dynamic thought, strong opinions, conviction, passion…there's plenty of that kind of learning too. I went from being the opinionated big-mouthed girl to a good listener. And the plus side? I learned a lot. (I felt a bit selfish for not contributing, but that's another story altogether)

The highlights:

Parties? There were enough to take my attention away from school long enough to get into a few tight spots.

Interesting Things to do? Concerts, operas, plays, seminars, and speeches! True, not enough in the non-classical vein, but still. Where else can you go to a free jazz recital performed by someone who could be big and play "expensive-ticket" concerts in ten years? And go to concerts by the likes of Dawn Upshaw, Denyce Graves, Dave Brubeck for next to nothing?

Town: yes, i've heard the speech. small, boring, quiet, dead, etc. but you know what? you'll have just enough time outside studying and attending shows to poke around town and realize there's quite a few interesting things to do for fun. (or procrastinate) plus, there's a bike trail, which is gorgeous in fall. Besides, there's always someone who knows someone who has a car. everyone does. it's just a matter of degrees of kevin bacon.

Workload: it's gonna be a lot of work. I was a dedicated

do just enough to get a basic 'A' student

in high school. and I really didn't work in high school at all. But oberlin? that's gonna change the kind of student you are.

Final words: yes, it's true. like the Cleveland plain dealer said: "Oberlin is a 4-year geek fantasy camp." Yes, we're geeks. that's just another moniker given to smart people who value education and studying and grades by those who don't. And yes, there are gay people. last i checked, they too, have the basic features used to classify homosapiens. oh, and there are black, brown, yellow, white, eccentric people too. (i'm at least two of those things.) actually, though, around drag ball time don't be surprised to see "skittle-toned" people. you never know with us obies. but if you're going to go to college, i'd suggest a change of attitude, wherever you go. Even if it's not oberlin, you're just wasting time, energy and money (not only your own) with the "oh mah gawd. what's with these weird people" attitude. you don't need a college education to maintain that perspective. I've met some of the most interesting people and characters ever. And made some awesome friends.

Final Final Words: No Frats and No Sororities! Oberlin rocks!