<p>You cannot apply for merit aid, but there is some available - I got some merit aid. You definitely can apply for need based aid, and they are very generous, and make no distinction between American and international students - I know several international students on a full ride.</p>
<p>Oberlin has two colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music. While both are very good, the Conservatory is world-famous and people reject even Juillard to go to Oberlin. There is a program called the double degree program where you can get two degrees, a BA and a BM (Bachelor of Music), it takes five years. Pretty much everyone in the Conservatory has a very high skill level, and I think BassDad has covered all you need to know about getting in.</p>
<p>However, if you just want to be a College of Arts and Sciences student that's very involved in music, that's definitely very possible, and a lot of people do it. Any College student can take pretty much any of the classes at the Conservatory. There are a lot of bands, orchestras etc. that College students can be involved in. You can also take secondary lessons - private lessons from Conservatory professors or students.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what instrument(s) do you play, and where in South India are you from? I'd assume Kerala?</p>
<p>During the summer, I live in a small town that it less than ten minutes away from Oberlin. I regularly visit there. The town is amazing, and I really enjoy it there. It is very peaceful and tranquil. There is a beauty quad, and the buildings make it seeem like the typical small american town. The only downside is that it always seems rather pretentous to me. But, there are amazing people, who are extremely nice.</p>
<p>Of those students who applied for aid even though their parents were making at least $100,000 per year, more than 70% received need-based grants that averaged over $10,000. You should apply for need-based aid even if you do not think you will get any. Instructions for international students may be found at Oberlin</a> College :: Office of Financial Aid :: International Students</p>
<p>While you cannot directly apply for most merit aid as TheOneCurlyFry has said, you will automatically be considered for it based on your audition at the conservatory and/or your application for admission to the college. The only merit aid scholarship I know of for which a separate application is needed is the Reischauer scholarship that is available only to Japanese nationals. See The</a> Edwin O. Reischauer Scholarship for more information on that one.</p>
<p>One of the people in my co-op is a senior cinema studies major. Her particular interest is documentaries, and she was able to spend a Winter Term doing editing for an indy documentary that got some play on national television, and also worked on a bunch of film projects around campus, including [url=<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k8tYano3bs%5Dthis%5B/url">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k8tYano3bs]this[/url</a>], which is set in our beautiful library... It seems like she's been really happy with the program. Are you interested more in analysis or production?</p>
<p>According to the most recent OC Review, there are 73 students more than expected this semester. 30 are new undergrads (noir.stork's number) as a result of higher than expected yield, and 43 are returning students as a result of fewer students than expected being on academic leave.</p>