03/23/2012
I recently visited Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, and I absolutely loved it. The school has a total enrollment that is just shy of 3000, with the college of arts and sciences and the music conservatory. It's small/medium sized but not tiny, and the campus is beautiful. It's located in a hip little college town and is only about 45 minutes west of Cleveland.
You'll love Oberlin if your interested in music--as a major or as a non-major/activity; there's music everywhere. You'll also like Oberlin if you're interested in the arts, creative writing, and English; if you're interested in biology, pre-med, neuroscience, or environmental science; or if you're interest in things like politics, history, or economics. Oberlin is extremely progressive, so you'll LOVE Oberlin if you have interests in social justice, political action, Women's studies, LGBT studies, etc.
Only 9% of their students come from Ohio, so the campus is very diverse geographically; there are students from many places and from many backgrounds. The clubs and organizations are equally diverse; Oberlin plays NCAA III athletics--campus life includes varsity sports and intramurals but sports do not dominate the campus life.
The admission process is very selective, with about 6000 applications for 680 spots in the first-year class. The admit rate is usually in the low 30% range. The school likes to see demonstrated interest when they review applications--meaning you need to visit the campus or visit with their rep when he or she is in Atlanta.
Check out Oberlin at www.oberlin.edu.
Ronnie McKnight/HIES
Oberlin College uniquely combines both a leading College of Arts and Sciences and a world-renowned Conservatory of Music. The College of Arts and Sciences offers a four-year undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Conservatory of Music offers four-year undergraduate progra...
