(Oberlin) First I should put it out there that Oberlin

How this student rated the school

Educational Quality	A	Faculty Accessibility	A
Useful Schoolwork	B	Excess Competition	A
Academic Success	B	Creativity/ Innovation	A
Individual Value	A-	University Resource Use	B-
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty	A	Friendliness	A
Campus Maintenance	B+	Social Life	B+
Surrounding City	B-	Extra Curriculars	A+
Safety	A+

Describes the student body as: Friendly, Approachable Describes the faculty as: Friendly, Helpful

Female

SAT1390

Quite Bright

Lowest Rating University Resource Use	B-

Highest Rating Extra Curriculars	A+

She cares more about University Resource Use than the average student.

Date: May 14 2007
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
First I should put it out there that Oberlin was not my first choice; however, now I am completely happy and could not think of being anywhere else!

I'll tackle some stereotypes of the school…

Oberlin is full of hippies: Well, there are some hippies, but there are a surprising amount of people who just look normal and people who look like typical athletes. However, everyone accepts the hippies and gets along, no matter what your style.

Oberlin is radical leftist: There are varying degrees of thought, but it is true that most everyone is liberal. There are some Republicans, but they are few in number. Most are democrats, some are socialists. However, not everyone is politically involved. Some people will have liberal beliefs, but be fairly apathetic. However, there is a lot of openness for more "radical" thoughts and lots of activism going on.

Oberlin is gay friendly: This is very true!

Oberlin is in a small boring town. There is nothing to do: The town of Oberlin is small, and some could argue, boring. However, that means that social life and nightlife revolve around the campus and college events. I am always busy here, and have things going on so I don't really need the town. Also, the town has what I need, like convenience stores, when I need things. There are some cute little stores and places in town too, plus it's right next to campus. People don't really go off campus, though there is not really a need to except an occasional trip.

Everyone smokes pot: More people probably smoke pot here than elsewhere, but that doesn't mean everyone does. Some people drink but don't smoke. Others smoke but don't drink. Some do both, some do neither. And there's no pressure to do one or the other. It's available for those who want it and avoidable for those who don't. Also, a quick note about the party scene - it is there but not huge. Don't expect huge frat/sorority parties because we don't have Greek life.

Otherwise, I have been very pleased with academics. They are very challenging, yet engaging. Many courses have really opened up my eyes to more diverse situations around the world. I know that I have improved my academic life in many ways. The conservatory is a wonderful resource! There are so many awesome concerts going on if you like music: jazz, classical, and there are also many impressive college bands too. There are also many clubs and many ways to get invovled on campus. There is lots of activism if you're up for that. The campus is very pretty, but goes through all the seasons, meaning winter can be kinda depressing at times. However, when it is nice outside, there is a really great feeling to the school (atleast to me).

A typical student will be friendly, accepting, and liberal. They may be more artsy (especially for music) and nerdy (perhaps better phrased: like to learn), but not necessarily look that way and fit that stereotype. They like having fun and improving the world around them. They are vocal and stretch their minds.

Oberlin may not be for everyone - it is tough, and there is a campus culture that some might not like - but for me it is great.

Responses

Clearly, Oberlin is a place where people strive against conformity. My question is this: nonconformism can very quickly breed a type of conformity that can be even more aggravating than "normal" conformity, due to the fact that all of the conformists (who are conforming to nonconformity) claim to be "such great individuals." You see, often this leads to an air of a self-appointed "I am so cool because I am so different" attitude that is really quite atrocious, just as bad as the people who say "I'm so cool because I wear Abercrombie." Do you think that Oberlin undergrads generally consciously think of themselves as "so damn cool" because their actions oppose the "social norms" of the day, while they are really spending the exact same amount of time as the rest of the world (if not more) looking at themselves in front of the mirror trying on outfits so that they appear to be nonconformists. Or, do you think they tend to truly not care about societal customs—such as, to follow the same example, caring about what you look like.

To whomever responds, I appreciate your honesty very much.

Sincerely,
Ben

Good question! I feel like it is very applicable to Oberlin. I think that there is a mix of types at Oberlin. You do have some students that really seem to not care about social customs and in general there may be more relaxed feelings about this. However, there are also amounts of people who purposely try to be nonconformist to different degrees, and among them, people who think that they are very cool because of it. This latter type may be classified, but not limited to, some campus hipsters. So you run into people of both types.

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