Looking for comparisons !
What are your concerns/interests? They are both great schools but have different vibes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Only familiar with Haverford - what kind of “vibe” does Oberlin have?
Edgier and artsier, maybe? Both schools are intellectual. Haverford has always seemed more focused on community but it’s smaller, so that almost has to be.
Gotcha!!
Haverford- think honor code, warm community, geeky/quirky. Course offerings increased through being able to take tons of courses through Bryn Mawr too (a neighboring all-women’s college)
Oberlin- think protests, ultra-liberal/ politically correct. Conservatory on campus, so good for performing arts.
Thanks @TheGreyKing . He’s a science kid . Is ok with liberal but not ultra-liberal !
I’ll chime in and agree that Haverford is liberal, but not the same way that Oberlin is. Also, I think of Oberlin as more artsy and Haverford as having more science kids. I also agree about Haverford being more community-oriented and a bit quirky. I know kids who are current students on both campuses, and both are very, very happy, but they were looking for slightly different things.
Sounds like Haverford might be more his style.
We visited both, son loved both. A few differences:
Haverford’s arboretum campus is in an upscale suburb of a big city. Oberlin’s in a small city that’s surrounded by farm fields.
Haverford has public transit so Philly’s accessible. Comparatively, Oberlin’s more isolated, but has a “college town” setting and is more “a part of” its city.
A lost driver in the town of Oberlin might possibly end up driving on the campus, but a lost driver in the suburb of Haverford would more likely pass by, never even seeing the campus.
Oberlin has twice as many students.
There’s a much bigger music scene – of all types – at Oberlin. Oberlin’s conservatory of music is renowned.
Oberlin has far more “themed” housing options than Haverford, and the dining options at Oberlin are creative and varied compared to not just Haverford, but anyplace.
Haverford’s exceptionally serious about academics, compared to not just Oberlin, but anyplace.
Oberlin’s numerous co-ops etc. provide smaller communities within the larger community. Haverford’s got more of a campus-wide community feel – one Dining Center, most faculty live right on campus.
Haverford has an unusually high level of student input into governing the place.
Haverford’s honor code is a big deal and students do expect each other to be respectful.
A large percentage of Haverford students participate on a varsity team.
Haverford students ALL do a senior thesis. Its sciences departments are renowned.
Thanks @badpundit ! Great insight!
A few additional comments – as a BMC alum who has visited Oberlin with both my now-college kids. Campus feel/set up very different – Haverford is an enclosed campus that you drive onto whereas Oberlin’s campus is intersected by streets, with the town square serving as the College’s “front yard.” It’s all in the eye of the beholder, but I would not call Oberlin, Ohio a small city but rather a town. It is about 4x4 square blocks of retail/restaurants, with residential area beyond that. With the Con, Oberlin is close to 3000 students, much larger than Haverford, though Haverford can feel larger because of the access to classes and programs at BMC. Oberlin has the co-ops, for students to prepare their own food, January term, and also the Ex Co (Experimental College) classes, taught by students and others. Haverford has the Quaker tradition, consensus, and Plenary. While both schools have a liberal student body tilt, my kid, an athlete, felt the vibe at Oberlin went too far out of his comfort zone (questions about gender neutral pronouns when he was competing for a men’s team).
Both are great schools which attract slightly different kinds of kids.
I have a daughter at Oberlin. She didn’t apply to Haverford but I remember hearing how similar the vibes of two schools are. Haverford is much smaller (about half the size) but Oberlin is in a smaller, more isolated, town. Reed is probably more similar to Haverford (same size and proximity to a big city), though at Reed, there are no varsity athletics. Despite the small town, the campus of Oberlin is hopping. SO much to do and see and experience. As far as it being “artsy,” I’d say it is, but very intellectually so. My daughter and most of her friends are science majors.
It’s said that at Reed the only political arguments are between the socialists and the communists.
@BaseballMama
Some stats to be aware of:
4 year graduation rate: Haverford 85.1% vs Oberlin 71.9%
Freshman retention rate: Haverford 97% vs Oberlin 88.6%
It feels like Oberlin is going through a difficult phase right now. I have visited Oberlin, and read the New Yorker article this year
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/05/oberlin_colleges_year_of_uneas.html
The tour guide we had, a senior who was just graduating, spoke about how much she loved some of her professors but described herself as “bitter”.
The other thing to be aware of is Oberlin is doing an early retirement program
https://oberlinreview.org/10511/news/college-offers-cash-for-early-retirement/
that’s usually a sign of financial stress
Sorry to be so negative. I’m sure some people love it there and are passionate about it.
^ Yep, that’s pretty negative. For a couple of perspectives from people on the ground (the Dean of Students and a current student), see:
http://oberlin.edu/alummag/fall2016/issue/?page=22
and
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oberlin-isnt-an-echo-chamber_us_584ef734e4b0151082221de8
Oberlin is clearly going through a transition. There is going to be a new President, and they seem to be rethinking their approach. Like all successful schools they must continue to evolve to meet the needs of their students and stakeholders.
Oberlin is offering buyouts to certain professors, however they are definitely not in financial distress. The school has a 29% acceptance rate, and also has an endowment of over $800 million. I don’t know the reason they are offering this package, but financial distress is not it.
The school is an excellent school and definitely worth a visit. They are making changes, but the negative comments in this thread are way overstated.