<p>D attends a very small pvt HS (30/grade). She is very intellectual and is friendly, but is not an outgoing joiner. In that setting, she doesn't necessarily have to join a group (though she is in the music ensemble and the school has several clubs and teams), since the whole grade can be her "group." We are looking at intimate schools like Earlham, which have small, welcoming student bodies that might at some level reproduce the social environment of her HS. Does Oberlin fit that profile, or is it really more like a larger school given that it's student body is a good bit larger than the typical LAC? If a school were too large my concern is that she wouldn't know a soul. At some of the small LACs, the prof calls you if you miss class. Her goal BTW is to prepare for a neuroscience PhD program.</p>
<p>Oberlin is larger than manyLACs, but it has a wonderful community feel. This is due to many factors including the size of the town of Oberlin itself and how it exists hand in hand with the college. Also, Oberlin is a residential college where virtually all students live in some form of student housing. Oberlin also has a week-long first year orientation program that according to my son spends a bunch of time in the small dorm groups. A visit to Oberlin will be well worth it to see if it is somewhere your daughter will be happy.</p>
<p>My second year D has found Oberlin to be small enough and diverse enough to easily find friends and common interests. D also intends to pursue graduate neuroscience and one of Oberlin’s draws is its well-regarded neuroscience program and research opportunities. And since it’s a LAC, there are no grad students with whom she will have to compete to get research opportunities.</p>
<p>Also check out Beloit. It’s about the same size as Earlham…</p>
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<p>This is a good description of my sophomore D, and why Oberlin is a good fit for her. D likes very much the intellectual-yet-friendly vibe. There are many intellectual friends (and friendly professors) to be had at Oberlin. And many outstanding intellectual opportunities, with small classes being the norm.</p>
<p>I would imagine that even though you describe your D as not a joiner, she will still want to pursue some outside interests in college. From my Ds experience, I dont think Oberlin is too large a campus to discourage joining its not so large at all, and despite its larger size than other peer institutions, it still feels very much like an LAC. There are many ways that the Oberlin community welcomes and encourages new students to participate in various aspects of the college life. And, they are equally welcoming to new parents (until, of course, they tell us to stop worrying and go home!)</p>
<p>Oberlin is not too large. In fact, most people think it is small, remember that roughly half the students are part of the conservatory. It is the perfect school to prepare for a PhD in Neuroscience–great neuroscience program- (plus pass fail option helps students take classes outside their majors and comfort zone with not damage to their cumulative average for grad school).</p>
<p>Nervedoctor - Actually only about a quarter of the students are in the conservatory and the are fully integrated into the college.</p>
<p>Those “I missed you in class today” calls do happen at Oberlin. It’s been about 15 years since I witnessed one first hand, but the college was pretty much the same size then that it is now. This is less about the size of a college and more about class size and culture. Both class size and culture at Oberlin are consistent with what you say you’re looking for.</p>
<p>Cowtownslim, sooner or later - it might as well be for undergrad - your child will need to experience an environment dissimilar to her high school. Instead of looking to recreate her H.S. environment in her college, look for something that might be an intermediate step to attending grad school in a big city environment.</p>
<p>Oberlin is a very tiny town. It is in a rural environment which should enable your D to feel pretty safe and snug. You can get to the “big city” if you are so inclined but you don’t have to. It’s a great place. </p>
<p>Another consideration is student body. What percentage of Earlham students are from that state? At Oberlin, less than 10% of the students are from Ohio. While it’s not the most diverse LAC (Swarthmore probably wins that award), it is as diverse as most of the New England LACs, and more than many. There are large contingents from the northeast and the West Coast. Then there are the upper midwest types from places like Illinois and Minnesota. We even met a student from Hawaii. My senior D has friends on campus from several foreign countries. Oberlin may be in Ohio but it does not have a student body dominated by people from the same state. That diversity would be a good thing for your child.</p>