She is a trumpet. I have heard that the conservatory waitlists can be very mobile… and we talked last summer with a dual degree student who didn’t enter the conservatory until year 2. GOOD LUCK!!
How did the student progress enough? If my son’s qualified to make the waitlist, I doubt he should be taking lessons from his peers! I don’t mean to be snarky; real question.
And thank you.
I think that it is highly variable depending on instructor whether non-con students can take lessons with near-peers or with faculty. Something to ask directly, I would think? I know that the student we were talking with last summer said he was taking lessons during his freshman year, but I don’t know who with.
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I think that it would depend upon whether there is room in the studio, which given my son was waitlisted for the Con, makes me think there is not, though he could get lucky later. But yes, you are right, he should ask the College about lessons. They sent info about how he could be involved at the Con even while enrolled at the College(classes, etc.), but that’s a little different than the lessons.
My son was accepted as a dual degree student with a $12k/yr Conservatory Dean Scholarship, a $12k/yr John Frederick Oberlin Scholarship and a $33k/yr Merit award.
GPA 4.25 weighted, AP’s, strong EC’s, winner of several national and international Concerto completions, Carnegie Hall debut last Spring. I believe Oberlin is his top choice.
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D23 accepted with 20k merit scholarship… 1540 SAT, 3.84 UW GPA, honors/AP’s (all 5’s so far); good leadership and EC’s, int’d in STEM. Congrats to everyone!
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Son was accepted into the Conservatory with 34k merit scholarship. Congrats to all! It is his first choice and we are super excited!!! I noticed there are lots of virtual/zoom events for accepted students regarding different departments, housing as well as a parent zoom. We live in Texas. His older brother is a senior at Texas A&M only 1.5 hours away from home. The out of state is going to be an adjustment for sure!
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So thrilled for my ds, who was accepted into the College with a nice merit scholarship. I’m especially happy b/c, as an Oberlin grad myself (double degree student, first gen), I know firsthand how transformative an Oberlin education can be. I went on to a number of grad schools (3!), and my sense of Oberlin as a lovely campus with bright, interesting students, and devoted professors, and a myriad of opportunities, has never been eclipsed by my subsequent experiences.
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Congrats and welcome to the Conservatory family! My S (voice) is super happy and thriving at Oberlin. Feel free to PM me any questions!
The parents FB group is also super kind and informative.
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Thank you so much- I will be taking you up on that one for sure! Joined the FB group this week and they are amazing!!!
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The weather is the biggest adjustment for my California son. Congratulations. Oberlin was my kid’s first choice, as a double degree college and conservatory student, too.
Definitely ask questions on the Facebook page. Everyone is there to help out and it made it easy for us as our kid moved there last fall. It isn’t bad, at all.
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We are not yet committed to Oberlin so I’m not ready to join the FB page yet (daughter has other schools to consider, and though Oberlin might be her #1 if it were in LA rather than Ohio, we are having trouble even getting her to consider a visit – she applied because it was free, no extra essay, tons of kids from our HS go there, and she’s a music (choral) kid who could take advantage of the Conservatory even though she’s doing a social science major). But just a quick question – how “close” does Cleveland feel? Do kids get there and spend time there? She’s really worried about not being in a more urban environment. If the money were equal (it’s not – Oberlin gave more), she would probably pick Occidental or Scripps. But given the money not being equal, there’s a chance she may end up at a UC instead, and that’s just SUCH a different experience. So I’d like to encourage her to at least invest in learning more about Oberlin. Looking for some realistic sense of how accessible Cleveland feels. This is a kid who wants to go see lots of indie up and coming artists and that sort of thing.
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Cleveland is an easy drive, mostly highway, about 25-30 mins and students do go to concerts/restaurants/sporting events. With that said to get to concerts/rocket mortgage center/other downtown areas, it could easily take 45 minutes to get there, navigate traffic, park, etc.
Cars are basically the only way to get to Cleveland, there aren’t school shuttles. There aren’t really Ubers available from oberlin to Cleveland either (but there are Ubers going the other way).
Some local oberlin residents drive students around regularly, the kids just need to make reservations ahead of time. Oberlin does have a few electric cars to rent, but evidently those are frequently without power so seemingly not a great option.
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Very helpful—thanks. Not what she wants to hear, but important to know.
Oh no. I was under the impression - I’m not sure how I got it - that there were shuttles to Cleveland on the weekend. My son, also an admitted student, is attracted to the college but will need some city life. This is disappointing, news indeed.
This feels like something we can ask about on some of the many admitted students virtual sessions. Now if I can only get my kiddo to attend one…
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I think this is an accurate representation of the various shuttle services:
But, definitely ask at admitted students’ day!
Also, quite a few students have cars, so that, plus the local people who have driving businesses, does give a number of options.
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Hi Gold Rush 2!
I hope I am not too late. We are from San Francisco and Oberlin was a big change for him. Cleveland is close by and it feels close, given there is no traffic. He jokes around that Oberlin is far cheaper to hang with friends than when he comes home to SF and hangs with his friends here. This is something to consider as you look at where to go.
Oberlin is an adorable college town located in a rural area. He loves it. But, it is not LA. It is not California. It is a nice change of pace and my kid is learning about a whole other part of the country.
Do you live in a city? I assume you live in California because you picked Gold Rush as your name but this does not necessarily mean you live on the coast, near the big cities. If your daughter is looking for a city experience, Oberlin is not it. Just imagine a super cute liberal town located in a rural California area–this is closer to what the college town vibe is about.
There are a lot of kids from NYC, Boston, Baltimore, Miami, LA, San Francisco who attend the school. There are plenty of city kids here and they do visit each other during breaks!
My kid told me that he really gets along with NYC kids, especially the kids raised in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Quite frankly, SF and NYC are soul sisters in many ways so, yes, this makes sense to me.
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We are trying to decide between Oberlin and Occidental, and it’s a tough decision for my daughter. If anyone’s interested in weighing in, I posted our pros & cons here:
I’d love any thoughts or insight!
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My son attends Oberlin. His college counselor is an Occidental alum so Occidental was on our radar but ultimately my kid did not apply there. We live in San Francisco.
I can tell you why my son did not apply to Occidental: He is a double degree student, in the conservatory and college. Occidental doesn’t have the same program. It is just this simple.
Growing up in SF, my son has been immersed in a culture that is supportive of transgender affiliation. My kid is straight but is incredibly accepting of people who are in the LGBTq+ community. He finds that Oberlin is the same.
Oberlin, Ohio is a BLUE town in a heavily gerrymandered voting district. Jim Jordan is the US Representative, to the angst of the average Obie student. Cleveland, which is nearby is also blue.
At Oberlin, my son has met transgender peers from all over the country, including the Deep South. The school, itself, has a rich history of social justice so it is committed to continuing this history and being on the forefront: https://www.oberlin.edu/about-oberlin/mission-and-values/diversity-and-social-justice
Hope this helps!
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