Hello all! As college responses have finally finished and released, I am left with a very choice to make (as the title suggests). Just as a background, I have been accepted to Syracuse, Oberlin and Boston University (UChicago waitlisted me and I’m going to try my best to show interest, but I know my chances are VERY slim). As of right now, I am considering BU vs Oberlin but kind of need help with choosing (though I am leaning towards BU more, especially because of its location).
What do you want out of a college experience?
If you’re looking for a fun time and markedly easier experience, BU is probably the way to go. It is more diverse than Oberlin (probably just because it is bigger and in Boston, while Oberlin is already small and seems to attract a lot more White students than other races).
But if you’re looking for more intellectual growth I’d say Oberlin beats BU. As a liberal arts college it is by nature focused on the undergraduate experience and probably wouldn’t have many (if any) classes taught by TAs. Its professors are devoted to teaching rather than research, whereas BU being a large research university will mean that its class sizes are large and professors might not be as devoted. You’d also have a harder time forging close connections with your profs at BU.
Oberlin also has a reputation for being very socially active (sometimes excessively so–search up the New Yorker article on Oberlin college), while at BU you may find students passionate about these issues but it won’t be the pervading sense there. Boston is also a great town.
I personally have an affinity for liberal arts college because of their devotion to academics, but a lot depends on what you want out of college.
I’d also say that based on the BU students I know, the general population may not love learning and intellectual growth as that of Oberlin.
Also at BU, you’d be competing with Harvard, MIT, Tufts students for internships/opportunities around the city.
@AsianStudent101 Thank you for your input. I agree with you on a lot of your points, however, on a global level, I feel like BU has the upper hand compared to Oberlin. Also, considering that I want to study economics/international relations, wouldn’t BU’s better global reputation be important? How is Oberlin’s reputation globally? I have tried searching the stats of Oberlin into companies that cater to my desired majors but I haven’t found much, most “successful” stats float around the top schools and colleges (not that Oberlin is a bad school).
Also, I wouldn’t necessarily mark BU’s experience has easier than Oberlin seeing as they have grade delfation . But you’re right on the fact that my experience at BU would be funner than at Obelrin.
Use Linkedin and pull up each colleges profile and look at the alumni listings. It has a search feature, so you can sort the alumni by career, location, etc. It should give you a great sense of where alumni live and work.
Good Luck!
@Gator88NE That’s true, I didn’t think of that. Thanks for the advice!
Bump.
I just want to know what other people think of this choice
If you’re concerned about job prospects, I would talk to Oberlin’s job placement center. They will be able to tell you about all of the opportunities available for summer internships and how they’ve placed kids after graduation. My bet is that you will be pleasantly surprised.
Be aware that the is a lot of groupthink at Oberlin; some issues are undebatable having been evidently decided in advance by some invisible committee. I didn’t go to BU but I have liked what I have seen when visiting - a diverse urban campus and I think more open minds, if that is important to you.
So I have been doing a lot of research on CC regarding CGS and I want to bump this thread again…
Considering the controversy around CGS, what do you guys think about CGS (and then CAS or Questrom for my last two years…or I transfer to another school) vs Oberlin. Considering I will be having a close-knit education with PhD level professors in both scenarios, what are pros and cons that you guys can think of?
Have you spoken to professors at Oberlin or visited? If not, I would try to do that. While I’m not familiar with the specifics of these programs at BU or Oberlin, my D will be a first year Obie this fall and the sense I’m getting is that you will get a LOT of close contact with professors and mentors. There is a huge global focus and the place is very intellectual and it’s a lot less “alt left” than people say. It’s also more of a campus than BU, so it depends on whether or not that appeals. I’m from Boston and know the area around BU well and can say that it’s a cool place to live post college but I would never have wanted to be an undergrad there because it’s just very spread out and urban. Of course if this is what appeals to you then I would choose BU. Apples and Oranges in some ways.