<p>So I'm about to become an Obie - I got in ED last year, and tomorrow I start orientation (!) While I'm sitting waiting to start college, I figured I'd share some of the online resources that were really helpful to me when I was learning about Oberlin. The admissions website is obviously the best place to start, but these are some great places to investigate further and get a more informal perspective. They were really helpful to me when I was a prospective student... hopefully they'll be useful to this year's juniors and seniors as they think about where to apply.</p>
<p>**Oberwiki.[/b</a>] The ultimate resource: a wiki for all things Oberlin. Unofficial and written by students, its articles are either very helpful or very amusing. If you want a student perspective on the state of the dorms, the stores in town, the music scene on campus, or the most popular graffiti, take your questions here first.</p>
<p>**Oberlist.[/b</a>] The Oberlin website is... not the most organized, nor the most aesthetically pleasing. But you don't have to tackle it by yourself! Oberlist is a good way to find what you're looking for.</p>
<p>What's to eat? Hey, it's an important question. CDS</a> menus note the veg*n options at every meal. Or for an alternative way of dining (and living), check out [OSCA[/url</a>], a system of student-owned cooperatives that house 175 students and feed 630.</p>
<p>The Oberlin website is chock full of interesting information, though it is, so far, pretty tough to access through the search function. As Quaere mentions, the Oberlist can be a helpful entry-point.<br>
There is a new parents site. Oberlin</a> Parents
Also, for those interested in Oberlin, either because they have been admitted or will be seeking admission, you might find the new admissions blog interesting -- it features students in the College and Conservatory and a faculty member (and former student). Oberlin</a> - Obie Blogs
For those interested in the Conservatory, here are some faculty videos: Faculty</a> Video Profiles</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you for links to information above. I would never have found any of those links on my own or by just browsing the Oberlin College website!</p>
<p>@cicatrix
The website says: "More than 80% of our international students receive institutional financial aid, with the average aid package covering about three quarters of the cost of attendance."
PM me if you have further questions. I've done some amount of research into this issue.</p>
<p>And if you've been wondering why the admissions blogs have been so moribund lately, it's because a whole new blogsite is being rolled out, with 15 student bloggers. It should be linked from the admissions page in the next couple of days.</p>
<p>The "we are Oberlin" stories on the opening page of the new website are one of the best features of the new site; the new blogs should also be a good way for prospective students to find out about Oberlin. The new communications director, Ben Jones, seems to be doing a great job so far.</p>
<p>one of the students with a "we are oberlin" story, Lucas Brown, was just awarded a Rhodes Scholarship! I'm sure Marvin Krislov, himself a former Rhodes Scholar, is quite proud. Good job Lucas and Oberlin!</p>
<p>One thing I'm curious about the blog.. Does the administration moniter students' blogs? Like, can a student blogger post "I think fearless is stupid?" (Because I think that's the general sentiment about the new motto among students..)</p>
<p>this installment of one of the student blogs has a short student-produced film about Oberlin that prospective students should find interesting, including views of the campus inside and out:
you can find it by clicking on student blogs on the website <a href="http://blogs.oberlin.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://blogs.oberlin.edu/</a>
and looking for
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | May 15, 2009</p>
<p>Why do some people complain about "fearless"? I think it's awesome. My wife thinks it's awesome. Our daughter, the incoming freshman thinks it's awesome. She wrote about it, embracing it, in her "Why Oberlin?" essay.</p>
<p>I also dislike the design of the "fearless" admissions materials. The bold neon scheme is kind of gaudy and generic, and they're too light on actual information about the school. They definitely didn't give me the impression that Oberlin was the peer of places like Reed, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, etc. Then again, my first contact with Oberlin was through the old admissions materials ("Think one person can change the world? So do we"), which were very different...</p>
<p>I think Oberlin as an institution has been "fearless" since it was founded, in positive ways; it has always been a frontrunner in social justice, which is, for me, one of its most appealing features, and distinguishes it, at least historically, from its northeastern "peers" - like Amherst and Williams. Apparently the marketing team that came up with "fearless" was trying to change the image of Oberlin from what their research had found was a common view, i.e., Oberlin = weird. Problem is a lot of the students themselves don't feel "fearless" - they feel creative, explorative, curious - and some fear that "fearless" is code for "athletes" and that the college is trying to change its image to attract a more "boring" student body. At least that was what a lot of the student response was when the fearless theme was initiated. In fact, some of the response seemed to lack a sense of perspective, but maybe it was partly a function of it having been the product of marketing under the previous administration. The new communications czar has handled it brilliantly, tamping down the anxiety that the "fearless" theme generated. I don't see why "We are Oberlin" raises anyones hackles - especially because the stories that are attached are mostly delightful and offer quite an impressive portrait of the college for the past many decades.</p>
<p>I couldn't agree more. When I first heard (or rather read) the "We are Oberlin: Fearless" the last thing that would've come to mind is athletics. That's just goofy. Anybody who comes first to that conclusion is someone utterly untutored in Oberlin's history, and probably hates sports. And if objections came from actual students, that's even more mystifying and disappointing. </p>
<p>To me the "Fearless" tag evokes images of rescuing runaway slaves, educating women, protesting against injustice. I think whoever came up with "OBerlin: Fearless" was a marketing genius. Here's why: The "Fearless" tag was intended to change that part of Oberlin's image associated with "weird" but retain and remind people of that part of OBerlin's history of which it is most proud. The "Fearless" tag is what caused me to tell my daughter about the college. She'd never heard of Oberlin, and never would've considered the college, until I mentioned it to her and insisted we visit. The rest is history. It was very effective for me and, I'm sure, other people too. </p>
<p>My daughter loves the "Fearless" tag, and so do I. It gives Oberlin an identity. It made me wish I could go back and start college all over again and go to Oberlin, although I'm certain I"d never get in with the grades I had in high school. </p>
<p>What do the students who objected to "fearless" want instead? "Oberlin: Quirky?" Gee that's inspirational. That'll attract top students. <rolls eyes="">. It goes to show you can recruit students with straight As in high school but that doesn't mean they have common sense. Wait till they get out into the real world and have to get a real job that might require them to come up with astute and EFFECTIVE marketing ideas to engage and inspire people who are not exactly like them.</rolls></p>
<p>What we want, Plainsman, is to go back to what we had before. I do not know if you are aware of this, but previous to "Fearless" our motto was "Think one person can change the world? So do we." Yes it is idealistic, but it is how many Oberlin students think. Lots of kids go to Oberlin learn skills to help them change the world, and go on to do so. There are thousands of stories of Oberlin students and alum doing things to change the world. The grand majority of us think one person can change the world, in some way. But are the majority of us fearless? Absolutely not. Oberlin kids are scared of so many things. But in all seriousness, with the example of Oberlin being the first co-ed school, I find that to show Oberlin as changing the world, not as much fearless.
The truth is that few Oberlin students have embraced the "fearless" campaign, especially those of us who entered during the "Think one person can change the world?" time. If you read Review articles/opinion pieces from the time of the change, you will see student opinions.</p>
<p>And Plainsman, thanks a lot of implying that Oberlin students may be book smart but have no common sense. Good way to make a good impression on current students.</p>
<p>The founders and early leaders at Oberlin wanted to change the world, but to do so, and to be abolitionists and missionaries, required that they be fearless too. Perhaps they were also somewhat quirky - motivated by religious belief, and filled with idealistic ideas like having the school operate through "learning and labor" -- including really doing labor, growing some crops, moving some rocks. Plainsman is saying, as I interpret it, that the word "fearless" inspired him to take a second look at Oberlin. That is no doubt as true for him and many others as it was true for some of the now rising seniors who were inspired by "think one person can change the world." But Oberlin's old materials were blander, portrayed it as another set of buildings on a greensward - didn't have punch or edge. And surely, Oberlin students want to change the world, and also want to have punch and edge. Oberlin is one of the most underrated schools in the country - that was part of the idea behind finding a new way to attract smart, creative, dedicated students. Being hypersensitive about it, wanting to say, no, Oberlin students are "fearful" - seems to miss the point. Of course there are things to be fearful about in this world...like swine flu...but Oberlin has a history of sending people out in the world to address those fears...like the new CDC director, an Oberlin grad.</p>
<p>abanana, you are correct. I should not have implied as such. I apologize. However, I remain mystified about their objections to "Fearless." I do think their objections reflect a lack of worldly experience. That's not a put down; it's a statement of fact. Most college students haven't lived for very long. I look at "Fearless" as a marketing coup. That takes real world experience. Having been in corporate America in a variety of industries for 25 years (and as a former Marketing major, a field not offered at Oberlin) I love it. Damn sure got my attention and differentiated Oberlin from the pile of "come change the world" college bulletins. With one simple word, Oberlin pushed all the right buttons, as far as I'm concerned. Brilliant. I may steal it for business.</p>
<p>Themes like "come and change the world" are a dime a dozen. That's the problem with it. There are a lot of colleges/universities that boast about changing the world. "Fearless" is unique. I thought Oblies liked being unique instead of "me too?" "Fearless also evokes images in my mind of going out into the world and doing bold things---like changing the world, but also discovering new miracle medicines, scaling the worl'ds highest peak, saving an entire village of poor Third World people from floods or starvation. Fearless means you are ready to do anything, conquer any challenge. Change the world, aside from being uttered every year by commencement speakers at half the colleges in America, does not inspire any bold visions. Not for me or my daughter, because everybody says it. It's almost cliche.</p>