<p>Hi everyone! I have visited Oberlin twice, and am thinking that it is my first choice. I loved the people there and really enjoyed the classes I sat in on. There is one aspect that is holding me back though. The campus seemed kind of empty and depressing to me. The buildings were not ugly, but also not exactly appealing to the eye. Maybe it was just the overcast weather? I hope that this remark doesn't come off as petty and mean-spirited. I am just the kind of person whose happiness is very influenced by my surroundings.
To those who go there, or those who have seen it more often, does the campus depress you? In good weather, is it filled with people?
I am maybe considering going to Wesleyan if I can't get over this impression. Do you think this is an overreaction? Anyway, any input would be very welcome.</p>
<p>You really felt like it was depressing? I just came back from my overnight stay and I thought it was really lively and fun. To be honest, I expected that the campus would be kind of dead since it’s geographically isolated, but the people and the adjunct town really make it special. It’s more of a “college town” feel than a rural one.</p>
<p>I, personally, liked the architecture, especially the buildings surrounding the courtyard in front of Mudd library. It reminded me of Harvard Yard a little. I suppose everyone has their own tastes though.</p>
<p>I have noticed a trend of people not being satisfied with campuses when visiting during bleak weather. If you live close by, I recommend going during a sunny day when there are sure to be people out. There’s always different events going on so you’ll never be bored, either.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was the weather? </p>
<p>We just came back from overnight for my son, and thought it was beautiful. Tappan Green is like the front yard of campus, with people sitting out on the grass studying in between class, people walking over to shops etc. Really nice mix of older and newer buildings. Sure, some of the buildings are non-descript, but that is true in most places. My son really liked the sustainability focus of buildings, and said Kahn, the newest dorm, where he stayed, was really nice. Maybe it was just an overcast day?</p>
<p>A comparison on a national weather website shows that Oberlin and Middletown have almost identical temperature averages, with Oberlin tending just slightly colder in the middle of winter. Fun fact, according to this same website, Middletown averages more precipitation than Oberlin. Another fun fact, Cleveland averages 66 sunny days per year, vs. Hartford CT averages 82 sunny days.<br>
So, take your pick more rain/snow or more clouds comparable temperatures.</p>
<p>Is visual appeal really your main criteria for choosing a college? To be a devils advocate, will you make other major life decisions (career plans, place of residence, school your children will attend) giving visual aesthetic criteria first priority? Would you put a discussion of this issue on your college application essay re: why this college? Both schools have some very nice buildings, and both campus visual feel changes with the beauty of each season. Both schools have engaged and engaging student bodies, most of whom will be indoors inclement weather. If you are the type of student that gains admission to either of these schools, wherever you actually go, you will most likely be intensely engaged with friends and activities and schoolwork, and if the fit is good the surroundings will grow on you because you will be in a place that makes you very happy. So, do you really really mean to choose your college based on visual feel, or are there other aspects of these schools that you can compare to assess which is the best fit?</p>
<p>I think the weather and attractivness of the campus are legitimate considerations when choosing a college. Having said that, I believe that Oberlin is quite attactive with an interesting mix of old and new buildings. They have done a great job with the recent renovation of the outstanding art museum. Tappan Square is a lovely green space and hosts all kinds of community events. You will certainly experience all four seasons at Oberlin. Students take advantage of the outdoors when the weather is good, but there is plenty going on inside when it isn’t.</p>
<p>Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder, but personally I think Oberlin’s is one of the most beautiful and lively campuses anywhere, and most visitors seem to agree. If you’re on Facebook, you can see lots of recent photos of the place here:</p>
<p><a href=“Oberlin College”>Oberlin College;
<p>Every campus looks less than lively on gray, overcast, crappy windy days. Your bad luck not visiting in the beautiful sunshine.</p>
<p>I think a lot of this can be attributed to your views casting a shadow on things. When we toured Amherst, it was an autumn day, the ground sparkled from rain the evening before, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the grounds crew was done to dealing with details before parents’ weekend. I’m pretty sure that all the colorful leaves were on the trees and the dead ones were already blown and bagged. Plus, there was a Friendly’s within walking distance of campus. I was floored. It was beautiful and I figured the Friendly’s would cinch it for my son. But he was non-plussed. He thought it was a dreary place and scratched it from his list. He doesn’t remember it the way I did – and that was just 48 hours later.</p>
<p>We went to Wesleyan the next day. I remember it was gray and cloudy. There were these dingy houses that seniors lived in with paint peeling off the shutters and garbage all over the place. They weren’t sprucing up for parents’ weekend. It all seemed worn and weathered. I wasn’t sure my son would like it very much. But as we drove south, in a traffic jam just before the Tappan Zee Bridge, he said Amherst was off his list and Wesleyan looked every bit as terrific as he had hoped it would be. It went from “just checking it out” to one of his top choices.</p>
<p>I think the goggles you’re wearing affect your perception – and reflect your perception. Maybe your view of the campus appearance is telling you something about what you think about Oberlin.</p>
<p>I think you should honor that perception. I don’t think it should be the sole basis for making a decision, but I’d respect it because – for one reason or another – you didn’t choose to don the rose-colored glasses.</p>
<p>Just some food for thought…that probably won’t make things any easier for you in this confusing, stressful process:</p>
<p>[In</a> Praise of the Teenage Brain - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/in-praise-of-the-teenage-brain/]In”>In Praise of the Teenage Brain - The New York Times)</p>
<p>[Head</a> Count - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/don-quixote-college-choice-and-the-myth-of-fit/28781]Head”>Head Count: Don Quixote, College Choice, and the Myth of Fit)</p>
<p>I’m currently a first-year student at Oberlin, and I absolutely love the campus. Right now, I’m sitting in Mudd looking out the window at the gorgeous red leaves of the trees and the many people hanging out in Wilder Bowl (the quad outside of the library), resting in the sun, doing work, and talking to friends. Admittedly, I only ever visited as a prospie on nice days, but having lived here for a couple of months I’ve experienced all kinds of weather. It absolutely gets rainy and grey for stretches of time, but there are no shortages of cozy indoor spots for those days. On sunny weekends, there are often adorable fairs and events in Tappan Square (last weekend there was a petting zoo). On weekdays, you’ll find all kinds of people outside, even when it’s chilly. I really strongly suggest you don’t let your opinion of a rainy Oberlin affect your decision about whether or not to come here, because it’s truly a fantastic place to be.
Feel free to message me if you have other questions!</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies! I will be applying ED to Oberlin in November.</p>
<p>@lovemelovemycat</p>
<p>Good luck with Oberlin ED! I live within the general vicinity of Oberlin (just over an hour away) and I am in the town many times a year for one reason or another. The college doesn’t seem to be popular with students around here, but I find the campus and people to be very friendly.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Cleveland is an old-fashioned, predominately blue collar area. I read some articles in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer after Oberlin’s cost of attendance first hit 50K (it’s now 56K). One letter after another ripped Oberlin as a place for rich, spoiled liberals. Oberlin is expensive, liberal, and the most selective college/university in the state of Ohio. Apparently, a lot of Clevelanders feel an education at Cleveland State U is just as good as an Oberlin education, and at a fraction of the cost, and they said so, sometimes in angry, colorful language. Frankly, I think there is some class resentment.</p>
<p>Although 99% of my visits to the area are because of my Oberlin daughter, I did have one occasion last year to make a business trip to downtown Cleveland. During dinner with a group of bankers, the topic of children’s colleges came up. When I mentioned my daughter was a student at Oberlin, the room went silent. Then one of the Cleveland-based executives looked at me and said with a perplexed expression: “I guess it’s a good school. But it’s kind of…liberal.” The last word rolled off his tongue like he’d just bitten into something that tasted awful.</p>
<p>LOL. Even among the college-educated in Ohio, Oberlin doesn’t seem to be well-liked.</p>
<p>Plainsman: Another interpretation of your dinner experience is that ‘among college-educated bankers, liberal is not well-liked.’</p>
<p>^ True that, BlindWilly. But I admit to being surprised at their reaction, the lack of affection for the most selective school in their state. I would’ve thought local companies would want to snap up such smart kids. It was almost as if you were nobody if you didn’t go to Ohio State U. or a local Cleveland school like Cleveland State. Even local Case Western was considered a more sane choice than Oberlin.</p>
<p>Maybe the attitude at least partially explains why less than 10% of Obies are Ohio residents. Maybe Oberlin has an image problem in state?</p>
<p>Audience is everything. Oberlin doesn’t have a business program, and few of our alums choose to work in the financial sector – so it’s no surprise that bankers from Cleveland wouldn’t want to snap up our grads, and would look to schools like Case instead.</p>
<p>Most of Oberlin’s peer schools have a similar percentage of in-state students: for example, Wesleyan and Reed are at 7%. It’s less an indicator of a local image problem, and more an indicator of high regard that draws attention – and students – from outside the region. To take your argument to its logical extreme, Burlington College has over 50% in-state students, and Middlebury College only 4%, but it would be ridiculous to claim from those stats that Vermonters think Burlington is dramatically better than Middlebury. Rather, few people outside Vermont have even heard of Burlington College, while out-of-staters clamor to get into Midd.</p>
<p>Yes, Oberlin is an expensive school, with a very liberal student body, in the middle of the rust belt of northeastern Ohio. Yes, that leads to some tension with the surrounding community (though as far as I can tell, there are few college towns where that’s not the case). That being said, this fall, 10% of Oberlin High School’s class of 2011 enrolled at Oberlin College. If OC has a local image problem, clearly it didn’t get in their way…</p>
<p>Hey! OP - did your cat like the campus?
Maybe that’s the problem!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think you can assume the residents of the town of Oberlin are just like the folks in Cleveland and its suburbs. When I say “local” I’m not talking about just the tiny town of Oberlin. I’d bet the percentage of students from Ohio high schools other than Oberlin High is lower than 10%. </p>
<p>I probably should not have used the word “better.” What I was hearing was “sensible” and “practical.” To many people those words translate to “better.” How do we know most Oregon residents don’t think paying for Reed is nuts compared to going to the U of Oregon or Oregon State or Portland State? There are some very conservative (and practical) people outside of Portland. The same for Vermont, Connecticut, etc.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but graduates of Oberlin High School get free tuition to Oberlin College, so that number isn’t really reflective of other local high schools, like Plainsman said.</p>
<p>Oberlin is not an institution of great pretension while, at the same time, it remains committed by action to progressive ideals. In other words, they punch buttons better than they do public relations or hyping things that aren’t worth being hyped. It’s more of an “actions speak louder than words” approach…which comes with some peril as the casual bystander is granted a broad license to interpret what’s going on. And often with Oberlin, what’s going on tends to be sort of curious or odd.</p>
<p>This is not a new dynamic that’s at play.</p>
<p>Consider the Plain-Dealer’s open contempt for Oberlin in the 1850’s when Oberlin was still a fledgling enterprise:</p>
<p>[The</a> town that started the Civil War - Nat Brandt - Google Books - Page 44](<a href=“The Town That Started the Civil War - Nat Brandt - Google Books”>The Town That Started the Civil War - Nat Brandt - Google Books)</p>
<p>Is the point to win approval and affirmation or is it to remain committed to a righteous path? I think it’s a tricky question because a little more attention to ancillary matters, such as winning over the hearts and minds of the region’s general population, could profit the greater cause. But does it mean you’re compromising yourself by putting resources into such matters?</p>
<p>(Understand, please, that I’m using sweeping generalizations here and I know that. None of this is to disparage public relations efforts or the people at Oberlin charged with advancing the college’s image. Nor am I suggesting that there are, in fact, vital causes presently underway that are so momentous that they require all resources and intentions from the Oberlin community. I recognize that “the public relations versus college mission” choice isn’t as stark as I’ve implied here, just as a debate about “guns versus butter” isn’t actually discussing an either/or choice between hand-carried ballistic weapons and churned dairy fat.)</p>
<p>If you did happen to click through and check out page 44 of that book, you’ll see that Oberlin has consistently occupied a place that many Ohioans find to be irksome. At this point in its history, as a nationally-known college, I think I’d run with that longstanding tradition of irksomeness rather than strain against the riptide of regional public opinion.</p>
<p>Hey, I just wanted to mention that as a prospie I also remember thinking Oberlin’s campus was so-so, pretty enough, but not eluding that special college feel that I imagined. However, as a student, I discovered so many special corners too. Some buildings might be nicer than others, but they all are special in their own way. Plus I think the town itself is really cute, with a lot of greenery too.</p>