<p>Thanks. She has been chatting on the facebook Class of 2014 thread and lots of those people already know. She was just trying to figure out how they were finding out. Maybe I’ll bite the bullet and call tomorrow. We’re getting ready to go on vacation and won’t have a computer for the next two weeks.</p>
<p>The housing assignments are being made, but the process takes some time. Many have been made, but many have not yet. As soon as your daughter’s assignment has been made, it will be visible on the ResEd website. They won’t be able to tell you anything more on the phone.</p>
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<p>Uh, she didn’t ask them?</p>
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<p>Oops. Sorry Dave, but we found out last year by calling. I promise not to do it again. :)</p>
<p>OK. Misstyped. She has been reading the forum on facebook and not chatting. She rolls her eyes at me when I ask if she has asked.</p>
<p>Called Oberlin resed and they said it would be on PRESTO under addresses. They don’t send out emails until everybody has been assigned. Very few first years have their assignments.</p>
<p>D coming back for winter term and plane is arriving at 630am…only now she tells me the dorms don’t open till 12noon! Oops. Should she stay at the airport for a while or is anything open at the college/town?</p>
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<p>The Oberlin Inn is open for business year round. With most students gone and nothing special happening on campus, there should be room at the Inn. They may not squawk if she just needs to hang out in the warm lobby for a few hours. By the time she gets there from the airport the Inn will be serving breakfast in their dining room. She eats there, she definitely can hang out in the lobby, or just eat a very slow breakfast. :)</p>
<p>Since dorms are now open, I’d assume this is no longer an issue – but for the record, there’s lots open! I showed up a day early (oops) and was pleased to discover that Wilder, the Conservatory building, and the college libraries were all open. Not to mention the public library and shops and restaurants downtown, which serve a few thousand people even when all the students are gone.</p>
<p>Thanks! She did fine…it was just mom that didn’t.</p>
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<p>Are dorms open for all current students or just Winter Term students residing on campus? Can a returning student show up a couple of weeks early and get into their dorm building and room with their own ID/electronic key?</p>
<p>Starting this year, you have to be registered with ResEd in order to come back for Winter Term – otherwise your student ID won’t work. At this point you can still get your ID re-activated if plans change, but I think there’s a fee.</p>
<p>^
Okay thanks, quaere.</p>
<p>So do you know what day the “keys” start working before spring term? Can you come in on Friday before school starts on Monday Feb 7?</p>
<p>According to the Review, you can come back as early as Wednesday, February 2nd: [ResEd</a> Requires Registration for Winter Term Housing](<a href=“http://www.oberlinreview.org/article/resed-requires-registration-winter-term-housing/]ResEd”>http://www.oberlinreview.org/article/resed-requires-registration-winter-term-housing/)</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Oberlin talks about political activism. Is this actually carried out? Are the students active in the community?</p></li>
<li><p>What do you do for fun? My friend told me its mostly just chilling and drinking a few beers. Accurate?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the biology/science department good? What are the class sizes for these classes?</p></li>
<li><p>Does legacy count for anything?</p></li>
<li><p>Kinda a strange question… Are people materialistic? You know, like, do they wear UGGs and love to go shopping? Please be honest.</p></li>
<li><p>How much reading do you get from classes?</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Oberlin talks about political activism. Is this actually carried out? Are the students active in the community?</li>
</ol>
<p>I think this depends on your idea of political activism. Students are generally quite involved in electoral politics (particularly organizing for state level Democratic candidates). Many also pursue projects in areas related to equality in its many forms (though most often related to identity issues). To be honest, I think that the ‘activist’ aura of Oberlin is largely a thing of the past, at least in terms of collective action. In the 80s, students acted en masse to pressure the administration to divest from apartheid Africa–today, students are largely ineffective at pursuing activist projects on the large scale. That said, students are generally very passionate about their own areas of interest, since their academic studies are often linked to real world issues. Students are fairly active in the community, through the Bonner Center for Service and Learning, as well as programs like SITES (Spanish in the Elementary Schools).</p>
<ol>
<li>What do you do for fun? My friend told me its mostly just chilling and drinking a few beers. Accurate?</li>
</ol>
<p>Study and do work with friends, drink, see movies, play games, take trips around the Cleveland/northeast Ohio area. But this varies tremendously from person to person.</p>
<ol>
<li>Is the biology/science department good? What are the class sizes for these classes?</li>
</ol>
<p>Never taken any classes in the field, but I have quite a few friends who are Bio majors, and speak glowingly about the department and their professors. Many of them have also had extensive research opportunities, during Winter Term, summers, and the semester. For people interested in medicine, we’re near the Cleveland Clinic, and I know several students who have been able to work there.</p>
<ol>
<li>Does legacy count for anything?</li>
</ol>
<p>It probably is seen as a positive thing, since it means that students will be better acquainted with Oberlin.</p>
<ol>
<li>Kinda a strange question… Are people materialistic? You know, like, do they wear UGGs and love to go shopping? Please be honest.</li>
</ol>
<p>It’s a private liberal arts college. Many students come from affluent backgrounds (while many also do not). I wouldn’t say that you see gratuitous displays of wealth, but some students own cars, or fancy electronics, or nice clothes, and don’t see that as an unusual thing. But compared to many other colleges, which is probably the measurement you’re interested in, I would definitely say that people are largely not materialistic.</p>
<ol>
<li>How much reading do you get from classes?</li>
</ol>
<p>That depends on the department, and level of class. If you’re in an introductory language class, you’re going to be doing textbook exercises, not reading. If you’re in an advanced social science seminar (e.g. History, Politics, Sociology, etc), you may be reading one or two books each week for that class.</p>
<p>How realistic is it to consider a dual degree at Oberlin in bio and vocal performance?</p>
<p>It’s realistic if you can get admitted to both the College and the Conservatory, which I understand is done separately, on your own merits (that is, without one influencing the other). I’m pretty sure I read that somewhere on the Oberlin website. </p>
<p>That said, being a realist, and being old, I kinda know how the world works, and sometimes what happens in practice ain’t the same as what it says in print.</p>
<p>Some people definitely can manage it, but realize that it would take a lot of work and dedication because the conservatory and college are both intense. There’s a reason why it’s a 5 year program! But if you think you can handle it, then it’s a pretty awesome way to follow both of your interests!</p>