<p>NYC: I’m black, my D is biracial. She considered Ursinus, Muhlenberg, Dickinson - was accepted at all three - but chose Oberlin. It was a reach school for her but she got in and is ecstatic to be going in the Fall. We visited twice and absolutely loved it, before she made her decision. In the end, it came down to Oberlin or Dickinson. She also liked Dickinson (two visits), which is a lot closer to home. She also really liked Muhlenberg. As late as January, a ton of Muhlenberg dorm windows still had Obama signs. But there are very few black/biracial kids at Muhlenberg. Something like 2.2%. Dickinson and Oberlin are better at about 6% each but still not overwhelming. </p>
<p>Oberlin just felt right. It felt more liberal and less cliquey than Dickinson, which my daughter liked. Oberlin has no frats or sororities; Dickinson does have a Greek presence on campus. My D does not want the Greek scene, so this was another argument in favor of Oberlin. It’s also the only LAC we visited, and we visited a ton of them, that allows freshman to have cars on campus. My D will leave her car at home for freshman year, but it’s nice to have the option in case she changes her mind. Oberlin’s higher selectivity was also a factor in her decision (Ursinus was a safety, Muhlenberg a match, and Dickinson a slight reach) though not the major factor. The final factor was location. Although both Oberlin and Dickinson have a significant number of students from New York, Oberlin has the more national reach mixed with a midwestern sensibility the East Coast LACs can’t match.</p>
<p>Your daughter might want to reconsider and add Oberlin to her list, even if it is a reach.</p>