It seems like these types of threads have been fairly popular in the past, and since it’s decision month I thought I’d make one. I’m a current college student, so feel free to ask me anything (or pm me) about visiting or life at Oberlin. Of course I am just one student with one experience, but I’d be happy to answer what I can!
Congrats on all your acceptances and good luck deciding 
How tough is the workload and how competitive is Oberlin?
I would say Oberlin is not competitive at all! I can’t think of any professor I’ve had that hasn’t encouraged study groups and working together, and most even recommend them. Most classes/departments don’t have quotas so you don’t have to compete for good grades, if you earn it then you get it. I’ve heard (from a friend of a friend of a friend type knowledge, so take it with a grain of salt) that upper level econ courses don’t follow this and operate more on a bell curve, but it’s still pretty cooperative.
The workload can very manageable, depending how you choose your classes. Of course some are more work than others, but as long as you don’t try to take 4 science courses with labs or 4 writing intensive courses in a semester, you should be fine! For the most part professors are also great with working with you if you have 2 tests the same day or if you need to get an extension on a paper. The P/NP and emergency incomplete policies are also great for creating a manageable workload if you realize halfway through the semester or during finals that you aren’t doing as well as you hoped.
Thanks!
thanks for taking the time to do this. How is the food? How hard is to join an improv troupe? I’ve read it’s very competitive.
best
Food is uh… college cafeteria food. Campus dining food is pretty hit or miss, but they always have soft serve, fries, and 5 pizza options so those are always good, even if their entrees aren’t great that day. You can check out the menus online, so you can see if they serve food you like! (Just google “oberlin cafebonappetit” and you should be able to find them) Co-op food is better tasting but there are less options. You’re pretty much stuck with whatever they cook that day, which can be limiting if you have any strict dietary restrictions (like allergies, vegan/vegetarian diets would definitely be the norm), although I’m sure they would be willing to work with you the best they could. Off campus food is pretty great though. Kim’s, Feve, Agave, and Slow Train/Local are delicious and reasonably priced for an off-campus treat every once in a while.
Honestly, I have no idea how competitive they are, but it seems like there are a bunch of them so you could probably get on at least one if you’re really interested. Most things at Oberlin are really inclusive and want everyone to be able to get involved in some way, so I would guess the improv community would be pretty similar.
If you have questions, you may also want to participate in the online virtual admissions panels: http://blogs.oberlin.edu/community/life_culture/spring_2015_vps.shtml .
Thanks for the reminder! We’ll be there…