I can't decide...Reed or Oberlin? T__T

College Search & Selection
1

<p>A little statistic background first:</p>

<p>ACT: 27, retaking tomorrow, aiming for a 28+, ideally a 30.
GPA: 3.4
17 yo caucasian male from Arizona
Taking 2 AP courses, 1 college course, involved in a masterwork program
Heavily involved in visual arts </p>

<p>Ok, so before today, my heart was set on Reed College (and perhaps still is.) I love Reed's intellectual atmosphere, location, academics, etc. However, I would really like to major in international affairs, perhaps taking Japanese language courses on the side with humanities courses aswell. Reed does not offer a major in international affairs, nor does Reed offer Japanese language classes. Still, the atmosphere was enough to keep my heart set..</p>

<p>Well, until today when I discovered Oberlin College. Oberlin seems to have a similar atmosphere to Reed, with a major in international studies and Japanese language courses. The more I read about Oberlin, the more I attracted I become. Yet, I'm also torn...</p>

<p>Just for some more background, I'm really not your typical high school male. I'm not involved in varsity sports, but rather, am an award winning artist at my high school. I like reading, watching film, doing art, just chilling on the weekends, not going to parties consistently. I, in a sense, fall into the hippie or indie-chic crowd, consider myself to be a liberal thinker, and am always questioning everything I learn, finding delight in the questionable and unknown, not the concrete (i.e. math and science, lol.) </p>

<p>Reed and Oberlin cater to my interests perfectly, but I can't decide...Sure, Oberlin has the courses I enjoy, but isn't a liberal arts education about trying new things? I have no idea if I will seriously want to be a international studies major in 2 years. For all I know, I may become a visual arts major with a minor in biochemistry. Seriously, I want to keep my options open. And Reed is somewhat close to home, and is situated near the wonderful city of Portland, with access to skiing and other natural beauty, where as Oberlin is...Well, frankly, in the middle of the nation.</p>

<p>I also think I have <em>slightly</em> better chances at Oberlin, with 20% of the most recently admitted class having a GPA like mine, and the median of ACT test scores being 27-31. My difficulty comes in choosing which school I want to apply ED too...I could to ED I to Oberlin and EDII to Reed, or vice versa, but I don't want to tie myself down to one place or the other...</p>

<p>Also, though prestige is not really a concern for me, Oberlin is ranked 20 in USNWR in the liberal arts college rankings, with Reed being ranked 53...</p>

<p>Both schools have similar atmospheres, but I can't decide where to apply early to...I ultimately want to go to a college where my mind will be expanded and I will learn how to learn and kind of broaden my horizons...</p>

<p>What do you think I should do? What are your opinions of Reed and Oberlin? Please help...I'm seriously torn and have no idea what to do!!</p>

2

<p>One thing, completely ignore the rankings when it comes to Reed. As discussed in other forums, they were I believe among the first of the colleges to choose to not provide information to US News and World Report, as an act of protesting the whole institution of rankings.
I assume you've been to both campuses? If so, go with your gut. Which felt like home? If you havent been to visit both, try and do whatever you can to do so. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>I actually have NOT visited Oberlin, as I only really began to look into it today. I may go visit in October though. </p>

<p>Lol, I would go with my gut, but my gut is torn!! At the moment, Reed feels home-lier, but I still need to visit Oberlin..</p>

<p>Further thoughts?</p>

4

<p>If you think Reed is ugly, don't go.</p>

5

<p>...I don't think I said Reed is ugly, lol. I actually found its campus to be very well kept and green.</p>

<p>Further thoughts?</p>

6

<p>Well, Oberlin's location is probably quite different than Portland. I've been to Oberlin, but not Reed: Oberlin is very very gorgeous. The architecture is generally attractive if not awe-inspiring. The lawns are green; the squirrels are albino (I kid you not). The town is probably like 2 square miles or so, but very liberal/hippie-ish from, you know, central Ohio. It's about an hour for the literal middle of nowhere (read: Kenyon College) and another hour with traffic to Cleveland. Which is not Portland.</p>

<p>But really, it is surrounded by what I took to be cornfields. Perhaps they were tall turnips? Lots of growing surrounding the place; on the way north to Oberlin from Kenyon we saw an Amish man tilling his field with his many horses. Like I said, not Portland exactly.</p>

7

<p>The negatives about Reed are huge- not having Japanese and not having international relations. You are a good candidate, and a great many liberal arts colleges need and want people like you (especially since you are male). You can find a place with the atmosphere that you want plus the courses that you need. Have you considered Pitzer? It has the atmosphere, and by taking courses at other Claremont Consortium schools, you could cover the IR courses easily. Pitzer is easier to get into than most of the five schools, so you should have a pretty good chance. It really sounds like a match to me. The location would be good also, if you really do not want to go too far. Oberlin sounds good to me, too. Grinnell has the atmosphere, but I'm not sure about the courses. Don't compromise on the courses, please keep looking. The right school is out there.</p>

8

<p>Why do you have to decide between the two right now? It's only September!</p>

9

<p>The academic atmosphere at Reed, at least reputationally, is different from Oberlin -- far more "intense." It is also smaller. Oberlin is not really in the middle of nowhere -- it is 35 miles from Cleveland, so is really suburban rather than rural, and there was no traffic going or coming from Oberlin when we visited -- it is west of Cleveland, nearer to the airport, while most of the residential areas of Cleveland are in the other direction. Oberlin's real distinction as an LAC is that it has a Conservatory and a first-rate art museum (one of the best at a liberal arts college). You should visit both schools to get a sense of how they "feel" to you.</p>

10

<p>My D1 is at Oberlin, it has a lot going for it, including I believe great instruction in Japanese.</p>

<p>But I wouldn't suggest applying ED to any school without visiting first.</p>

11

<p>At Oberlin, there is an experimental college at which undergraduates can create and teach classes. You can also borrow pieces from their art museum, though I don't know what the specific restrictions may be. It is a school that produces many extremely successful and talented people in various intellectual fields, and even if you change your mind down the road about what you want to do, Oberlin will let you do it.</p>

<p>The immediate area is a very nice, small college town with charming shops and pacific scenery. Beyond that very small but pleasant and liberal town, there are cornfields and things everywhere. It feels very much like the middle of nowhere even if it's not, and frankly, an hour from Cleveland might as well be the middle of nowhere in many parts of Ohio. You're not just going to drive an hour to Cleveland, which is frankly a pretty lame city itself, whenever you are randomly bored. I live in Ohio. We call Cleveland "The mistake by the lake", k?</p>

<p>There you go - the good and the bad.</p>

12

<p>Oberlin is better with financial aid compared to Reed, while the former has the benefit of having main street right off campus. Reed is in a residential/industrial area, but public transportation is good to Portland or the Hawthorne District.</p>

<p>Reedie's seem to live in more of a bubble than Obie's. Although both colleges have good looking campuses, the former feels smaller and more confining. As for Portland, it's a great town, although not very diverse except for politically. It is also a very trendy place. That can be good or bad, especially when looking at how the city copes with the middle-lower income bracket's needs versus the more affluent ones. Cleveland is an industrial city, but is more ethnically diverse. That is both a plus and a minus as well. It has a good downtown core that is less trendy, but has all the stuff one would need and want.</p>

<p>Personally, I view Oberlin more favorably, but it is close. The main factors are the balance between work and play, as well as the size of the school. If aid is a factor, then Oberlin is more generous than Reed.</p>

13

<p>Financial Aid will not be a concern for me, but Oberlin's slightly lower pricetag is a plus.</p>

<p>The reason I want to know which is a better fit for me sooner rather than later is because I can only have ONE ed choice college, and I've already asked my teachers for recs; I don't want to bother them 4 weeks down the line saying "hey, i'm actually applying to Oberlin ED, not Reed."</p>

<p>I still can't decide...I guess I need to visit Oberlin, but both schools look SO amazing...</p>

<p>Further thoughts?</p>

14

<p>If you are uncertain, that is precisely the reason to NOT apply anyplace ED.</p>

15

<p>It would not be a big deal to ask your teachers to send rec letters to both schools. That way you have more time to decide which one you're going to apply to ED, if any. And if you decide not to apply to either school ED, the letters will be all set for your RD file.</p>

16

<p>That's true Skie.</p>

<p>Weenie, I think I should pick one school that is reachy for me to apply ED too. Remember my GPA is not stellar (3.4) and I'm expecting to send an ACT score that is as low as a 27. I want to show these colleges that I'm an interesting person, and that I'm really interested in their school.</p>

<p>Further thoughts?</p>

17

<p>Reed and Oberlin are similar in their hippie-ish feel and liberal status, but academically are quite different. Reed is very intense. Many people are extrememly stressed out, and they have a high drop-out rate. Oh, and I've heard a double major is nearly impossible at Reed. Oberlin is challenging, yet nowhere near the intensity of Reed. Obies are more laid back than Reed kids. You should try to figure out which type you are. I personally think you are better suited for Oberlin.</p>

18

<p>I keep feeling Oberlin is the place for me...Gah, idk!!</p>

<p>More thoughts?</p>

19

<p>Reed freshmen retention has improved, from 85% in 2004 to 91% returning this year (but is still lower than that of some other similar (?) schools). Apparently students' being surprised at what they found at Reed was a common reason for leaving. The challenging first-year course Humanities 110 is mentioned 19 times in the viewbook; maybe this is part of trying to eliminate the element of surprise. Interview and Level of Interest are considered "Important" factors for admission.</p>

<p>I agree that a double major is nearly impossible to complete in four years.</p>

20

<p>I haven't visited Reed but did visit Oberlin with one of my kids. She was very enthusistic about it before we went and very fired up by their materials, but after the visit she crossed it off her list. I would be very careful about applying ED to somewhere that you haven't visited - everyone's tastes are different and what you may infer from the materials may be somewhat different from the way you see it when you visit. I'm in no way faulting Oberlin as I think it's an excellent school - just saying that what seems like a fit on paper should be checked out as far as possible, particulary if you're applying ED. Good luck with your search.</p>