@klbmom18 My daughter is a first year. When registration opened last summer (I believe in June), she had a chance to rank her choices for her freshman writing seminar (first come first serve) and to indicate the other courses she wanted to take. I think she got preregistered for one other class and then completed the rest of her lineup during her registration window (during orientation?) She got all of the classes she wanted.
Placement tests for math and foreign languages are available on line if your child needs to take any and wants to get them out of the way. In the absence of a qualifying AP score, that can be helpful in sorting out early what courses will be most suitable. There is time scheduled during orientation for this so no worries if it’s not done earlier.
There will be places saved for first years in popular gateway classes. For example, I believe that some preference is given to first years for the intro to creative writing class.
In my child’s second semester, she narrowly missed getting a spot in a class that she really wanted. She emailed the professor and ended up getting into the class. If your student is polite and persistent and/or shows up for the first couple of classes in a closed course, usually the professor will try to make it work.
Another thing, Oberlin will place your child in a peer group that corresponds to the freshman writing seminar he or she selects. The group will get an upperclassman advisor who guides them through orientation and it’s a great way to get them into a preliminary friend group that corresponds to a class they all take together. For my daughter, this was the basis for some enduring friendships.
I agree with the poster above that even if you’re not matched with someone who has perfectly aligning interests, there are plenty of chances to connect with like-minded Obies. My daughter is a writer but she has friends who study everything from Political Science to Neuropsychology. The weather looks like it’s clearing up for Thursday/Friday too so it should be a good time to walk around campus. Make sure to have some coffee at Slo Train and some tater tots at The Feve!
Glad all your kids seem more mature than I was at that age! I flew 1,500 miles to do an overnight at a school that was probably a better “fit” for me than Oberlin, but my host and I just really didn’t click. I wrote off the school within an hour and made my mom drive me to a neighboring school first thing in the morning. I think Oberlin provides a great college experience, but it can also be overwhelming at first, so I hope none of you get late night texts asking you to drive to Case Western in the morning!
@LMC9902 My DD was accepted to Oberlin. She submitted a creative writing portfolio with her application and is a John Frederick Oberlin Scholar with 16K in merit $. She too intends upon being a creative writing major with a possible minor in Mandarin Chinese. Our one hesitation is that it appears that one must be “accepted” into the major. This was the primary reason that she applied to Obie. I am worrid that if she isn’t “accepted” into the major that she would prefer to attend one of her other schools where she can just declare, Do you have any insights into this?
Hi all. Attended All Roads today. Its fantastic. You will get a tshirt and gym bag. You can go to a ton of classes and there are many lectures for parents and students. The Art museum is gorgeous. We saw a really stunning dance performance. The new president gave an inspirational talk about why she chose Oberlin. Go if you can its great.
@dreamcatcher3 you are correct that Oberlin creative writing is a major that you must be accepted into. First years take either poetry or fiction in the first semester and then you can apply to 201, the Gateway course. You submit a portfolio to get into 201 and don’t always get in on first try. My D didn’t get in for second semester so she’s now taking poetry (she took fiction last semester) and she got into a great 200 level speculative fiction class. She will reapply to 201 for fall. At one time, getting into 201 was the only way to get into the major but I was told by the dept head they are changing that to make it easier for more students to get in.
The major is competitive but they want students who are motivated and will succeed. I don’t have stats on how many don’t make it but my sense is that sometimes it’s the student realizing they want something else too. The head of the department met with my D to help guide her in how to be successful on her path to seeking the major and she feels good about her chances.
It sounds like your D is already on the path to being a writer and I think having her join a creative community like Oberlin’s would really be great for her development. She shouldn’t let the competitive nature of the major scare her off.
We attended All Roads on Thursday/Friday. My daughter loved her overnight in the dorm, and ended up staying up until 2am hanging out with Obies. Otherwise the experience was mixed. The whole event is overwhelming with the sheer number of events, panels, faculty lectures, etc. It would have been helpful to have the course schedule ahead of time so we could have planned better. Instead you pick the courses to attend when you arrive. Definitely download the Guidebook app ahead of time. We didn’t, and so had no idea there would be so much going on. It’s a bit of a circus/fair atmosphere and not really a day in the life of a student. My daughter showed up for one class only to find it was cancelled. The other class was a dud - very boring professor and little student interaction. Lots of opportunity to chat with faculty at the academic fair.
@amcquilk - So sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience at All Roads! We also went this week and had a really positive experience. We did download the app ahead of time and had a plan for our activities. Felt like they really did an amazing job engaging the students and families, and answering all questions. My son also had a great time in the dorm, enjoyed hanging out in Birenbaum (is that what it’s called?) to hear student performers, and then stayed up chatting with “nice, authentic” students until 1:30 am. He also attended 2 classes - the first was small group work and he met some current students (who later greeted him in a really friendly way as he walked across the quad the next day!), then the second was a 300 level course that he said “melted his brain” - but it a good way. He was super impressed with that prof. There were only 2 spots in my son’s 2 days that he didn’t have another event planned, so he didn’t have much trouble choosing a class when he was there - but it may have helped that we had the app ahead of time so knew exactly when his free times were. Really helped bring some clarity to his decision thoughts.
Agreed the app is helpful. The classes are open on a first come first serve basis. We signed in friday am and there were dozens of choices left. D went to an intro sociology class ( mixed review) and a 200 level hx of baroque music class where they studied Ockeghem and sang from texts the prof had transcribed. High marks for that class! She even got handouts. You should look at app so you can see which times you want to do tour stuff and when you want to go to class. Also have lab tours in the afternoon. We skipped the academic fair to do lab tours.
For those attending the later All Roads Ahead, the link below shows the Spring 2018 class schedule, so you can plan ahead of time along with the guidebook app for all other activities.
Not all classes will be listed by the admissions office, so don’t be surprised if the class you want isn’t listed. However, if you email the professor ahead of time and ask to attend, they are usually welcoming (and had we done it that way, we would have found out the class was cancelled).
She loved Kenyon, but felt it wasn’t a fair comparison since she never got to attend the classes or activities at Oberlin that matter to her. We decided to go back, as it is on the way home from Kenyon anyway. We planned our own activities. Last night my daughter attended a Collegium Musicum rehearsal, and a rehearsal with the student-run musical theatre club. I managed to find all the a cappella clubs on facebook and messaged them through facebook messenger – all responded quickly and were happy to have her attend a rehearsal (although unfortunately none were on Monday). She re-connected with her overnight host and ended up hanging out at the science center with her into the evening. This morning she is attending a physics class (no physics classes were offered during the All Roads event) and a music class.
If your student is a serious music student, do not attend Music Theory 130. We later learned this was the “general” theory class for non-musicians.
My DD is a rising Junior in high school and interested in Oberlin. Can you talk about how you think your demonstrated interest played into your getting accepted/not getting accepted? Thanks!