I have gotten back all my acceptances now and have narrowed it down to Gettysburg College and Oberlin College. I have visited both as I went on Official Visits with both football teams, and have offers to compete with both next fall. All this is will be a great experience, academics are first. I like the small college town vibe I got from both schools. Both are very similar as they are elite liberal arts institutions, that are basically hidden ivy leagues, just without the name value.
Socially speaking, I am leaning toward Gettysburg. Political beliefs aside, I prefer the more moderate environment at Gettysburg than the uber-liberal one at Oberlin. On the same token, I don’t like how much greek like there is at Gettysburg, but I do like the idea of a more entertaining and fun social life. I believe Gettysburg would give me that over Oberlin, though I do believe I would have a great experience at Oberlin too. Gettysburg does seem a bit preppy for my liking, but honestly I am just nitpicking at the schools at this point. Nothing is perfect: I know this, but these are valid points that I drew from my time researching and visiting both schools.
Athletically speaking, I lean more towards Oberlin, heavily, for individual reasons I do not want to put out onto the internet. At the end of the day it is d3 football, it is not my dream to be an NFL player some day (although that would be awesome), but I believe I would have a much better experience playing football at Oberlin than I would at Gettysburg.
Location-wise, I prefer Gettysburg, as it is only 2 hours away while Oberlin is over 7 hours away. I like Gettysburg’s campus better, but Oberlin’s is beautiful as well. I do not mind being far away from my family if I have to, but would prefer to be closer. Both schools are around 2600-2700 students, so I love that small school vibe as well. I like how Gettysburg is close to Philadelphia, DC, and other major cities near me, rather than Oberlin being just near Cleveland, and in an area I’m not familiar with, and don’t want to live in after College. Maybe Gettysburg would serve me better finding a job in Pennsylvania after graduation as it is probably known better. Just a thought, not positive on this, it seems both degrees would take me places. Everyone I have spoken to in my area knows Gettysburg, and only a few have heard of Oberlin. I have gotten mixed reactions from family members and close ones, both picking one school over the other for many different reasons: it’s very split.
Oberlin seems to be ranked higher academically on paper than Gettysburg, but both have elite programs, especially in Political Science/Law & Society, and Business (more so Gburg). Both alumni networks are among the best in the country and I am very grateful for this. I do also really like the idea of studying abroad and Gettysburg would give me a better opportunity to do so.
Financially, Oberlin is a full ride while Gettysburg is pretty damn close, but a couple thousand off. I feel more wanted at Oberlin, but I also feel very wanted at Gettysburg. I would make money at Oberlin with Federal Work Study. It’s insane. Gettysburg is just under 10k out of pocket. I’m blessed to have received such amazing packages.
I want to go to Law School after my undergrad studies and I believe both would prepare me to do so, as they both have some of the highest law school acceptances in the country. However with different statistics being thrown all over, I’m unsure which one is higher. I don’t know which one has better reputation in the Ivy League Law school world. Would love to get some clarity on that.
I’m very glad that I’ve been presented and blessed with two great opportunities, and I’m relatively happy to say that this will be the hardest decision of my life, it means I’ve created two great opportunities for myself, but I’m torn. I’m the type of person to take 10 minutes picking out a bag of chips at Wawa to make sure I get the right one, so naturally, I can be a bit indecisive. If there is any light you can shed on these two schools to help me make my decision, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!