<p>Yes...this is perhaps the strangest comparison possible...but this is what my decision for college comes down to.</p>
<p>I am interested in Environmental Studies. I like meeting new and fascinating people. I want a campus that is socially aware and politically active.</p>
<p>So if people would be willing to share the pros and cons of both Tufts and Oberlin, or give an opinion/comparison, I would be very grateful.</p>
<p>This is also being posted in the Tufts discussion forum.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Sincerely,
Someone that has a lot of thinking to do...</p>
<p>I'm not very familiar with Tufts, but I can tell you that Oberlin has an excellent Environmental Studies program as well as all of the other things you mentioned. The two campuses (campi?) could not be more different with Tufts in Boston and Oberlin in, well, Oberlin. If you can make it out there this month, I highly recommend Oberlin's "All Roads" program for accepted students. The school definitely has its quirks and is best seen in person before you commit to anything.</p>
<p>i remember an anecdote i heard from a member of the oberlin faculty when i visited last december. she told us her memory of the 2004 presidential elections, during which oberlin students flocked to the polls and stood in line for hours waiting to vote. so what? well, it was november. in ohio. ohio is cold, especially when you take into account the lake effect snow which begins in november and lasts until april. according to the faculty member (a former athletic coach and current admissions counselor), it was remarkable to see students brave the weather and go without food for hours because they cared enough about their country to vote. but what was more remarkable to her was to see other students (who had already voted) coming to their rescue. they ran errands all day back and forth from the voting line to the cafeteria and dorms, bringing jackets, blankets, lunch, coffee...</p>
<p>to the adcom, this incident embodied the spirit of the oberlin community: very socially and politically minded, but also caring and compassionate.</p>
<p>just thought i'd share. :)</p>
<p>BassDad: Yes, the Environmental Science program at Oberlin is one of the reasons I applied. I'm going to visit both campuses during this month (second time around), and hopefully from that trip the decision will be clear enough for me so that it's not a matter of me blindly choosing between living in the suburbs of Boston or the rural landscape of Oberlin. I already signed up for "All Roads" and chose the classes I'm going to peep into...I'm excited for it. :)</p>
<p>thru_hiker: That is a phenomenal story. Thank you for sharing it. I'm definitely storing that in my bank of + points for Oberlin ;)</p>
<p>re thru_hiker's election comments:
My son graduated (DD) from Oberlin in 2005. What was particularly impressive about the Oberlin student turnout for the 2004 election is that it was not a last minute decision. The majority of Oberlin students are from out of state, predominately from California and the East Coast. Since Ohio was/is a swing state they felt their votes would be more meaningful in Ohio, so they registered in Ohio rather than vote absentee in their home states. </p>
<p>Oberlin is very liberal and very politically and socially aware. It attracts very serious students and musicians. Besides excellent academic opportunities, the campus offers a fantastic art museum and library, and probably more music performances than you'll find anywhere else (many by their own students and faculty).</p>
<p>In terms of political activism Oberlin is A+. In my opinion, Tufts is going to be a lot less liberal hipster, but it depends on if that is important to you or not.</p>
<p>I have the same problem...but I must say I'm liking tufts' location more and more...</p>
<p>i decided to go to oberlin even though originally it wasn't even on my list due to it's location! i'm a city girl, but i'm going to have to deal with it and i convinced myself that it's a good change for me. but if you have never been near a city before, tufts might be good for you.
oberlin is supposed to be quite politically active though</p>