<p>oberlin vs. brown vs. weslyean u vs. vassar vs. bard</p>
<p>can you guys tell me more about each of these schools?
i'm having a difficult time trying to decide which school to go check out.
thanks : D</p>
<p>How about visiting all? No, seriously. That would be the best option.</p>
<p>Wow. Well I was considering Vassar last year, but in the end i felt it was not the right place for me and I did not apply. I am kinda stuck on Oberlin these days, but in the end it amounts to if I will get in :)
Evaluate wht kind atmosphere u look for. Read the thread I started below, the Obi students gave some great insights on Obi. Ask away.
And wht kind personality do u have which will mesh with the college u seek etc etc</p>
<p>Well, it depends what you want. At first glance, the largest difference between Oberlin and the rest of those schools is geographic: we're in the midwest. Generally, this means more easy-going folks, and lot less New England-ness.
We've got 3000 students, a music conservatory, an awesome art museum and a great science program to balance out the strong humanities. Most Oberlin students are music geeks of some kind (folk, indie, rock, classical) and we're a really tolerant happy lot.
We don't have a bar scene or a business program (though we do have an intense econ department).
Student causes/interests: politics, the environment, saving the world, long conversations, art, film, cooking, writing, reading, playing, dancing.</p>
<p>Helpful?</p>
<p>tetrisfan -
im an international student who happens to be in japan so it would be kind of a long trip so im trying cut it down to at least three schools!</p>
<p>skygirl -
what didn't you like about vassar?</p>
<p>noir.stork -
yeah really helpful thank you!
i'm thinking of majoring in political science...i am definetly more of a hipster at school (most international school students have the preppy ora so i do feel im in the minority), and i play in about 4 different indie bands. </p>
<p>hows the campus? and how difficult is oberlin?</p>
<p>Sugasugaa,</p>
<p>Cool- I'm a politics minor (which I didn't expect). It's a great department, as it really forces you to think, and to communicate effectively. Politics is divided in four sections: American, Comparative, International and Theory, with a lot of focus placed on contemporary politics and what's happening right now. For instance, each semester's Intro to Internation Relations class is different as it focuses theory on a different contemporary issue- Iraqi regional conflicts, Kenyan elections... </p>
<p>Oh, we have hipsters, and awesome bands... What do you play? One of the cool things about the conservatory is that students can take lessons for credit or pay, and that there are lots of practice rooms and musicians. </p>
<p>Campus is open, smack into a small town, with one bar and about ten churches. We don't have any walls between ourselves and the town, which is nice. Campus is really lively- because we're in the middle of rural Ohio, the college is the social scene. Students don't leave for the weekends, and most folks don't go into Cleveland except for big concerts. Everyone's really friendly. :D</p>
<p>As for difficult.... you're looking at hard schools. Oberlin is hard, if you want to get anything out of it. Students work hard, but we have lives.</p>
<p>Obies work hard and play hard :D.</p>
<p>I'd like to echo everything noir.stork said, I guess.</p>
<p>Haha OK. Let's see now.</p>
<p>All these schools are very similar...liberal, laid-back, learn-for-the-sake-of-learning types. Let things come down to location, your stats, and strength in your particular major.</p>
<p>Why don't you post this in the other colleges' forums as well? You'll get a lot more valuable feeback.</p>
<p>Nah, you won't. All the other colleges will tell you Oberlin sucks, when it doesn't! D:</p>
<p>thanks everyone....</p>
<p>how conservative is oberlin?</p>
<p>Liberal but accepting of other viewpoints? The president of the OC Republicans is a total babe, and the vice president of the OC Republicans was supporting Democratic candidate Bill Richardson, last I checked.</p>
<p>I also looked at Wesleyan and Vassar. I don't remember much about Vassar, but here's how I think Wesleyan compares to Oberlin:</p>
<p>Location-wise, Oberlin is in a classic small midwestern town, while Wesleyan is in a mini-city with more diversity and a bit of a cultural scene. But they both have a lot of activity on-campus – speakers, performances, student organizations.</p>
<p>The artistic culture is similar: both have strong music scenes, lots of student bands. In terms of studying music, the Oberlin conservatory wins hands-down – although Wesleyan has a lot of interesting opportunities in ethnomusicology, while Oberlin is more oriented toward Western classical music. Oberlin has a much better museum and a stronger creative writing program.</p>
<p>The athletic culture at Wesleyan is a lot bigger than at Oberlin; about half of Wesleyan students participate in sports. (Tour guide made a big deal of the fact that Wesleyan's soccer?football? field is right in the middle of campus, so people can watch games from the library.)</p>
<p>Academically, each school has a couple offerings that the other doesn't, but for the most part they're peers. But although the schools are similarly sized, Oberlin does a better job of maintaining small classes and close contact with professors. (To cite one statistic, the largest classes at Wesleyan are about three times larger than the largest at Oberlin.) Maybe because of this, the students that I saw at Oberlin seemed more uniformly enthusiastic about, and involved in, their education. And although there's a lot of diversity at Wesleyan, students seemed to separate themselves in a lot of ways. Theme housing is much more popular there, which helps students find niches but also means that they can isolate themselves from people with different interests/identities. And Wes has fraternities (which Oberlin doesn't have) and secret societies (which I'm pretty sure Oberlin doesn't have...) So even though they have similar sizes and diversity, Wesleyan felt more like a university with a more divided student body; Oberlin seemed more like an LAC, with a closer community and a stronger sense of shared values.</p>
<p>My brain's not quite plugged in right now, so please tell me if that didn't help/make sense.</p>
<p>I applied to Oberlin, Bard, and Vassar (ED).</p>
<p>I loved Vassar for its gorgeous campus and library, among other things, but didn't get in. Looking back, I'm kind of glad because now I have so many more options open to me. That said, I loved the school and I'm sure I would have loved going there had I gotten in.</p>
<p>Bard has an amazing educational program. Read about "moderation" and how students select majors...it is really interesting. The students there are very "hipster" and almost TOO arty. It felt a little stifling to me, but that is only from one visit during their finals week. I still applied because I think it is a great school, but if I get in I'll definitely have to visit again before I make my decision. Bard also has a conservatory like Oberlin does.</p>
<p>Others already talked about Oberlin... So hopefully these viewpoints will help you out.</p>
<p>Vassar is a great place but I did not get the feel there. When are u applying? U will a lot of time research if next year. Wellesley is a cool place too, they sent me a viewbook and even extended the deadline for me without me asking. I dunno why but they gave me till Feb 1st.
It depends on the college, do u feel comfortable in a smaller environment or larger one?</p>
<p>Wow thanks guys. I think I'll actually check out Oberlin.</p>
<p>I'm still a junior so I have time! Are there any other colleges I should add to the list?</p>