I’m deciding between Oberlin college and Mount Holyoke college. I’m looking for a college that is: 1) very liberal
2) small
3) not completely isolated
4) accepting student body
5) queer friendly
I like both these colleges a lot, the only issue with Oberlin I have is the fact that it’s in Ohio. With Mount Holyoke, I am mostly worried about the workload (I know Oberlin is also very intense, but I would be applying for theatre.) Please let me know which one you think is the better choice for me!
Oberlin is a bit bigger, has the conservatory and is not all women. While the towns are both small there is a lot more happening in oberlin than in South Hadley. The consortium is nice and Amherst and Northampton aren’t far but not that convenient without a car. Oberlin in general has significantly better financial aid and merit than MHC (MHC says it meets all need, but for many of us they were far more expensive than other meets need schools). MHC is gorgeous; oberlin is nice but not quite as beautiful. However, as you say, Oberlin is in Ohio and I don’t mean to minimize that. If you haven’t visited both I suggest you do if at all possible. My D considered both fairly seriously but ultimately Oberlin stayed on her list and MHC did not.
Two great choices!!
Is money a factor? If so, Oberlin might be cheaper… run the Net Price Calculator for both, if you might qualify for need-based aid. And even if not, my impression is that Oberlin is much more generous with merit-based aid than Mt. Holyoke (they have to be … Ohio…)
And note that Oberlin is very close to Cleveland (no comparable large city close to Mt. Holyoke).
As someone said on a different thread earlier today “Midwest nice” is a real thing. I am from the East Coast and was very wary of the Midwest schools when our S19 was applying. He is Asian and, although he is a US citizen, he has lived abroad his whole life. I had never spent time in the Midwest and had a bunch of coastal prejudices. In the end, I decided to listen to my better angels and suggested he look at a couple of Midwest LACs. Not having lived in the States before, my son had no similar preconceptions about different parts of the US, and in the end, he fell in love with Denison. He will graduate in May, and he has had a terrific four years in Ohio. He has been all over the state in connection with his sport (same conference as Oberlin) and has never had a bad experience. Although I may not agree with everybody’s politics, Ohioans have treated my son with kindness and generosity, and I am embarrassed by my earlier closed-mindedness. If you like Oberlin otherwise, I suggest you go for it. It’s almost always a good idea to venture outside your comfort zone.
I think you can handle the workload/academics at either school, they are similar. They both have many of the features you are looking for. So I think you should feel confident in going off of your gut on this one, choosing the one that appeals to you most!
I understand the concerns about Ohio. However, while the area surrounding the college is quite rural, the town of Oberlin is very progressive, unique and politically engaged. In fact, as soon as my daughter arrived on campus (she is a first year) she was offered the opportunity to register to vote in Ohio. The town of Oberlin seems more busy and lively than South Hadley (though it cannot be denied - that part of Ohio is very flat).
Oberlin is a very welcoming community and, in my daughter’s experience, the professors are very approachable and the classes are engaging.
I hope you get to visit both schools. Congratulations on having those to choose from!