<p>Ok, so i’m at the point where i have a good idea about where my college options are and now i’m trying to figure out where i’m gonna fit in socially…
I live in the suburbs of Cleveland (about an hour from Oberlin) and i’ve heard tons of stories from people about Obies and i dunno what to believe and i’m not sure when i’m going to get a chance to visit…help me sort out these rumors…
(These are generalizations i’ve heard from others…i don’t intend to offend anyone)</p>
<li>Nearly all Obies are potsmokers </li>
<li>Obies drink alot</li>
<li>Obies are unattractive</li>
<li>Many people are sexually adventurous (ie. orgies)</li>
<li>They’re strict environmentalists</li>
<li>Large LGBT population</li>
<li>Lots of dirty hippies</li>
<li>Some are pretentious, spoiled rich kids</li>
<li>Lots of hooking up</li>
<li>Obies are unfriendly</li>
</ol>
<p>which suburb of cleveland are you from? I'm from mentor. I don't know if any of these generalizations are true or false, but I do know that my interviewers were friendly and I have a strong suspicion that 1,2,4, and 9 are true (This is college we're talking about, after all)</p>
<p>i'm from south euclid/lyndhurst...to tell the truth i really don't mind a bunch of potsmoking/ drinking people nor do i mind being in a sex charged atmosphere as long as the people are nice and welcoming</p>
<p>Of the first 9 statements, I'd say that they're all true, but in less sweeping numbers than the wording implies. Change "all" and "lots" to "some," and there's a lot of truth there. Oberlin is probably one of the top 10 leftiest, crunchiest, most granola LAC's in the country. Maybe top 5. That being said, there's a pretty broad range of kids there, including some who find the more extreme element pretty entertaining.</p>
<p>The 10th surprises me; I've never heard Oberlin described as unfriendly, and I didn't find it unfriendly when I spent weeks there.</p>
<p>I'm a first-year at Oberlin. I'd like to respond to your points:</p>
<ol>
<li>Nearly all Obies are potsmokers
--Not true. Many Obies smoke, many don't. Put it this way: it isn't a big deal either way.</li>
<li>Obies drink alot
--Many Obies drink every weekend, many drink occasionally, and many never drink at all. I know people in every category and they all have plenty of stuff to do.</li>
<li>Obies are unattractive
--Trust me, there are some extremely attractive women (and men, I'm told) on this campus. But if you're going to college just because you want to see attractive people, don't come here. To paraphrase a comment an obie recently made on the LiveJournal community: if you belong here, the women are beautiful.</li>
<li>Many people are sexually adventurous (ie. orgies)
--Some are, some aren't.</li>
<li>They're strict environmentalists
--Yes and no. Some are very adamant about environmentalism. But I'm still surprised that nobody seems to be able to recycle correctly. </li>
<li>Large LGBT population
--Yes. As a heterosexual male, it's inspiring to see how respectful everyone is to each other, no matter what their orientation or politics.</li>
<li>Lots of dirty hippies
--Yeah, there are lots, but most of them stick together. And there are lots of non-dirty hippies. And dirty non-hippies too. Besides, most of the "dirty hippies" I've met have been really awesome.</li>
<li>Some are pretentious, spoiled rich kids
--Yes. You will find these at every Liberal Arts College.</li>
<li>Lots of hooking up
--Yeah, but lots of relationships too. I think there's just a lot of this at college in general.</li>
<li>Obies are unfriendly
--When I arrived, I was really surprised to see how frendly people are. I'm still amazed. People here are awesome.</li>
</ol>
<p>You've made ten strong, general assertions. Keep in mind that Oberlin is a diverse campus. There's some basis in truth to most of them, but relying on only those generalizations is a poor way to evaluate a school.</p>
<p>I'd really suggest you come here and check it out -- if I could get here all the way from Oregon, surely you can find a couple hours to take a tour, sit in on a class or too, and meet some real Obies.</p>
<p>ezra--thanks so much for that comment! definitely has dispelled a lot of doubt in my mind about oberlin, one of my top two choices at the moment. i visited and overnighted in december and accidentally fell in love with it, because no matter how much i try to talk myself into other schools there are times when i just say to myself "i know i'll end up at oberlin." that being said, i have been very unsure whether or not i'm really in tune with what will be best for me. i love the idea of oberlin--the january term, the snow, the poetry readings, the granola, the music!!.....all of that appeals to my creative, artsy, republican-hating side. but there's a side of me that also kinda likes the idea of somewhere like emory or georgetown (so different from oberlin, i know)....the stiletto-wearing, warm-weather-loving, more...uh..."normal" side. i'm just not sure what i should do. i don't know if the novelty of the cold weather will wear off and leave me depressed from november til april (until my visit, i was sure i couldn't survive school up north but i am determined i won't be a wimp...). i don't know if i won't find people who are like me....i mean, i'm liberal, but my morals are more conservative. i'm definitely open-minded, but i'm not really into safer sex night and harkness kindof scares me (the pizza rocks though!) i'm also christian...not the bible-beating, closed-minded, right-wing homophobic judgemental brand that is so characteristic of the south, but christian all the same....and i know there aren't many at oberlin. there also aren't many republicans. and i'm definitely not one, but i do have reservations about the oberlin bubble and "preaching to the choir."</p>
<p>so anyway, your comments have somewhat reassured me. i still will have a tough time making up my mind though and any additional advice or comments from obies (or obies-to-be who know what they are talking about or have similar feelings) would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>hehe wow sounds like you've got a real taste of the LAC experience, I myself applied to Oberlin because of academics mostly but because I visited Swarthmore and I fell in love with the whole idea of going to a Liberal artsy college (and i know its kind of a big generalization to compare all LACS to swarthmore but i dont think im too far from the truth) </p>
<p>Not sure what to expect of the campus yet though - im hoping i can get a sorta "crash-course" experience from my spring open house visit. Im from the city (NYC) so itll definitely be a different experience, I personally have no problem whatsoever with gay guys - infact I find them alot more interesting than homophobic guys in general lol and I find that Liberal artsy people tend to be alot more open minded and friendly and i love that - its just , i dunno ive never really known a hippie that well before haha.</p>
<p>THe town of oberlin looks and sounds beautiful and my interview with the oberlin grad was amazing, we totally clicked giving me all the more reason to make it my top choice, but will i really like it? ugh i dont know!!! LOL. </p>
<p>Applied to: Oberlin College, Cornell, U Rochester, Case Western Reserve (nearby in cleveland), Brandeis, and SUNYS.</p>
<p>so as u can see im kinda all over the place XD soo hmmm dunno lol
I guess i wont mind the potsmokers and the drinkers as long as they're friendly and respectful of the people who dont like pot or alcohol. </p>
<p>and ive been thinking of applyign to vassar for transfer admissions wow i sound so lost haha</p>
<p>Ahhhh CASE! I stopped myself from applying there...</p>
<p>So I've been thinking about this list of negatives about Oberlin. I've determined that each and everyone is true, but only to a degree. Yeah, there's more environmentalists, more anarchists, more communists, than your typical LAC. But there's also those who are not. It's a huge melting pot that is NOT censored. Oberlin has a little bit of everybody. It's the diversity that really makes the campus unique.</p>
<p>plus, we've got to remember....this is COLLEGE we're talking about. there will be pot-smokers, lots of drinking, "spoiled rich kids," and hook-ups at any college....</p>
<p>that being said, oberlin is not just ANY college. it's understandable why someone may have reservations regarding some aspects of obies' social lives.</p>
<p>thru_hiker: i think we're kinda on the same boat :D I wrote in my "Why Oberlin" essay that I want to go to Oberlin to test my conservative mind, as I was brought up with strict Asian traditions :D I think people like us can bring a nice mix to the ever liberal Oberlin, so plz dont hesitate to choose it if you are accepted :)</p>
<p>Hi there, I saw your post when I was on the site looking for some stuff about places where my son is applying (not Oberlin, he has no interest in small liberal arts colleges - sigh).</p>
<p>Anyway, I wanted to respond to your post because it reminded me of where I was nearly 40 years ago - morally / theologically conservative Christian, wondering what I was doing heading off to this hotbed of iniquity...and how I was going to make it through with my faith intact ....</p>
<p>Well, the Lord was really faithful! I grew so much spiritually during college. And I didn't just "hunker down in the faith bunker" - I met and made friends with all kinds of people, Christian and non-Christian. I could go on and on about what the Lord did in me and on the campus, but it would take too long and I have to make dinner soon... so I want to just give you a couple of thoughts:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don't just think defensively. Have faith that the Lord will preserve you - but focus on how he's going to grow you!</p></li>
<li><p>Remember that you're never alone - He's right there with you.</p></li>
<li><p>Do look for Christian friends. The Inter-varsity group at Oberlin was WONDERFUL when I was there. I know there's still a group, you might want to check it out before committing - I know that they're going though some staff changes.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Some stats, to put this in perspective - I graduated in '71, so I can't tell you a thing about what the campus is like now, but even back then there was lots of sex/drugs/rocknroll. Not so much drinking, more indiscriminate use of every pharmaceutical known to man (and then some).</p>
<p>would you say there are stereotypically "hipster" kids who go to oberlin as well? i hear a lot of about hippies and what not, but nothing about other stereotypes ;)</p>
<p>oh, and while we're on the topic of stereotypes/dispelling rumors...when i visited oberlin i met a lot of people who would be considered stereotypically "hippie" (i stayed in fairchild), so it was kind of difficult for me to really relate. i thought i'd be able to because the girl whose room i stayed in was vegan, but we were pretty different. i was wondering if there were stereotypically more "punk rock" activisty-type vegan kids at oberlin than just the hippie vegans i met.</p>
<p>Students at Oberlin tend not to fit stereotypes. Even those kids you might at first type as "hippies" are likely to be very serious, hardworking students, to volunteer in the public schools, to play sports, etc. Sure there are lots of people you might want to call hipsters--but at Oberlin, we learn to look beyond the stereotypes.</p>
<p>I agree with dave72 - there are all sorts of people at Oberlin. You could call some hippies, some hipsters, some lots of other names. But everyone I've met has been pretty interesting.</p>