Can anyone shed some light on the support and connections from Oberlin for a student whose goal is to live and work in New York after graduation. My student is trying to finalize a decision between Oberlin and a school in the New York area. My student is currently undecided about major and career, but is most interested in fields related to or combining social studies, philosophy, film/media, art history. Oberlin offers a very desirable community and vibe for my student, as well as options to explore all these fields of interest. I am not concerned about an undergraduate experience in rural Ohio - it might even be an advantage. However, with a goal to establish a career in New York, I do wonder about the strength of the Oberlin alumni network in New York, and the Oberlin career services or professors’ contacts for eventual New York career opportunities. We do not currently live in the New York area. I’d appreciate hearing from anyone with perspective on this.
Oberlin has very strong ties to NY. I would estimate about 15-20% of Oberlin’s students are from NYC (or they are from a suburb close enough they claim they are from NY when you ask), and many many alums end up in NY. There are about 21,000 people who list Oberlin in their education on LinkedIn, almost 4,000 of them say they are located in NYC. I definitely wouldn’t be worried about finding connections there from Oberlin.
I agree that Oberlin has very strong connections to NYC and many, many graduates end up in NYC. In fact, the show Girls on HBO is specifically about Oberlin alumni now living in NYC.