<p>Music girl said, " I know people say Oberlin is need-blind, "</p>
<p>Oberlin is NOT need blind in admissions and I wish people would stop posting that. IT IS NEED AWARE. You do a disservice to all the kids out there who need aid to be spouting forth things that are patently false. Here is another list. THESE are the need blind schools in admissions. Oberlin is not one of them:</p>
<pre><code>* Amherst College
* Beloit College
* Boston College
* Bowdoin College
* Brandeis University
* Brown University
* California Institute of Technology
* Claremont McKenna College
* Columbia University
* Cornell University
* Cooper Union
* Dartmouth College
* Davidson College
* Duke University
* Emory University
* Georgetown University
* Grinnell College
* Harvard University
* Haverford College
* Lawrence University
* Massachusetts Institute of Technology
* Middlebury College
* Northwestern University
* Pomona College
* Princeton University
* Rice University
* Stanford University
* Swarthmore College
* University of Chicago
* University of Pennsylvania
* University of Richmond
* University of Virginia
* Vassar College
* Vanderbilt University
* Wake Forest University
* Wellesley College
* Wesleyan University
* Williams College
* Yale University
</code></pre>
<p>According to repeated postings by Dave72, apparently affiliated in some way with Oberlin, the need aware aspect of admissions kicks in for the waitlisted students, not those in the pool for regular admissions. There is no reason to doubt that.</p>
<p>Moreover, Oberlin, considering its endowment, is generous with aid, though it has an endowment modest by comparison to some other top LAC's. Today it announced that it is eliminating loan requirements for Pell-eligible students. </p>
<p>This is from the announcement:</p>
<p>"In the current academic year, Oberlin's average aid package is $25,000 annually, with about 80 percent of that amount coming in scholarship grants from the College.</p>
<p>The College was able to increase the diversity of its incoming class in the fall of 2007 through partnerships with the Posse and QuestBridge programs, which recruit and provide orientation aimed at the needs of first-generation and multicultural students to increase their success in college. One goal of the Oberlin Access Initiative is to raise private funds to ensure the continuation of these diversity programs, which currently are paid for through operating monies. The College committed more than $750,000 last year in financial aid to provide full scholarships for students recruited through the Posse and QuestBridge programs."</p>
<p>Citrusbelt,
I am curious about the distinction of "need aware" and "need blind" and will start by saying I know little about the terms. D was accepted at 2 schools on your list (Grinnell and Lawrence) but got a bigger grant (even when the higher tuition was figured in) at Oberlin. In fact, Grinnell was the smallest offer (a combo of mostly scholarship and some aid) of the 5 schools she was accepted to. We were puzzled about this since Grinnell has a great reputation for financial assistance. You seem to be knowledgeable about the financial aid info. Do you know where I can find more things to read on this? Thanks.</p>
<p>First, I think it's important to realize that Oberlin actually uses a HUGE amount of its budget each year for financial aid. Our endowment isn't as large as some other schools, but we use a larger proportional amount of money on financial aid. Also, I cannot say how I know this, but Oberlin is need-blind in admissions. It is ONLY in Early Decision and wait list applicants that need plays a role.</p>
<p>"Oberlin admissions officers are CC members?"
Yeah, of course you know Fanatic517. Dave72 is one such example. I had thought that he was a parent at first.</p>
<p>Thanks muzicgirl89 for trying to allay my fears by saying there was nothing wrong in my threads. I guess I will never know for sure since the admission officer did not answer my question.</p>
<p>SkyGirl, I am not an admissions officer--I do not take part in admissions decisions. But I know a number of the admissions staff, and I can assure you that they do not make decisions based on anonymous internet postings. Decisions are made professionally on the basis of evidence submitted by you and the people you authorize to speak on your behalf. You don't need to be anxious about anything you may have said on this or other sites--nobody connects it to your application.</p>
<p>For the record, as the tour guide in question, </p>
<p>Guides contribute no evaluative judgements on applicants. We're resources for prospective students and their parents. So, feel free to ask questions on tours. </p>
<p>My daughter was admitted today! Oberlin was a REACH and she got in! And she got a scholarship! I’m in shock! Oberlin has ignored her to the point of frustration. At one point, they even misspelled her name, when we inquired via email a few weeks ago. The only explanation are her essays and ECs. They were the kind that would appeal to a college like Oberlin. </p>
<p>The whole college admission thing is such a crapshoot. I just can’t believe it.</p>