Overview of Oberlin College

By the end of my freshman year Oberlin became my home away from home. On top of enjoying fantastic professors, I've really come to love a lot of my peers. The friends I've made are all really fun, supportive, and (of course) intelligent. I can have conversations or go to events that I'd never have the chance to experience at home (despite being from a sizable city). Even the most annoying people on campus are often so well-meaning and articulate that debating with them isn't a total waste of time, but rather a good (albeit frustrating) learning experience.

There are so many wonderful opportunities, even as a freshman its easy to jump into some major things and make change! As a freshman I became a student senator and I joined a faculty committee that makes changes to the student policy! Also Oberlin paid for me and peers to go to Canada for a summit, and to other conferences that interested me around the midwest area. Oberlin the town is small, but there is a CHEAP movie theatre (like 4 dollars!), lots of great restaurants, and everything is walking distance.

Oberlin is such an amalgamation of different kinds of people that it's honestly nearly impossible for someone not to find the others they vibe with. I know Oberlin is known for having a particularly liberal or hipster image (whatever that means), but that's definitely not the majority of students. There's not a majority, if you ask me. If you think you won't vibe with the character of Oberlin, just find your people, and you totally will. Not only that, but Oberlin is all about meeting people you didn't even know existed or thought you would ever be friends with. It's amazing how nurturing Oberlin's community is for that.

The atmosphere on campus is amazing, especially if you are involved in the Co-op system. Living in a Co-op really sets you up with an incredible amount of connections to upperclassmen and people who are experienced with the campus. The campus itself is beautiful, and though Oberlin may seem like a small town in middle-of-nowhere-Ohio, the student body is really politically and socially active, making Oberlin a very exciting place to live.

I was surprised by how much marijuana and alcohol use I've encountered at Oberlin; there isn't necessarily pressure to use, but there aren't really any available social alternatives on the weekend. Also, people all seem to have fairly similar interests and tastes, which is fine if you're looking for like-minded people, but can be frustrating if you're interested in finding people with a diverse range of interests and ideas.