<p>So I thought I had it narrowed down to two schools but Oberlin keeps popping back in my head so after a long discussion with my parents and myself, I've decided to keep it on my list. After visiting all these schools AGAIN, I still have no clue. Notre Dame and Tufts gave me comparable financial aid, but I got a $15,000 merit scholarship from Oberlin, so that's also factoring into my decision. I'm interested in international relations/studies and pre-med. There are things that I think I like and dislike about each school but there's only so much you can learn from 2 days at a school. I'm really feeling the pressure now that its coming down to the wire and I have NO idea what I'm going to do. HELP!</p>
<p>Lionness, what are your values? And which school’s “culture” fits you best? That’s one way of making a decision. Notre Dame is a relatively conservative school. A good percentage of faculty and alumni are protesting the invitation from Notre Dame to President Obama to speak at commencement because he’s pro-choice. That’s only one issue, but it may be enough to ask yourself if conservative or progressive values fit you best. Oberlin is going to be very liberal compared to Notre Dame. That can’t be credibly refuted. </p>
<p>As for Tufts, well, you’re looking at Ivy League rejects and Ivy League wannabees. Not everybody, of course, but a good percentage. Again, a different environment than Oberlin. </p>
<p>My daughter has picked Oberlin because it “fits” her, and because it’s a great school. The more she looked into conservative schools (Lehigh, Penn State, Notre Dame) the more repulsed she became. She also received a scholarship. Great school; scholarship; cultural fit. How do you turn that down?</p>
<p>Tufts seems like an intermediate between ND and Oberlin. Perhaps that would be the best approach. They are such different schools, that if I were you I would choose the one in the middle in many way – Tuft. And it has a lovely location.</p>
<p>These three schools are very different. But the poster isn’t Goldilocks. One consideration: Oberlin is the only liberal arts college and is the smallest of the three; big on arts, especially music, and social justice. You got a big merit scholarship - they don’t give more than that = they really, really like you. Read the student blogs. Is Oberlin what you are looking for? If so, go.</p>
<p>“As for Tufts, well, you’re looking at Ivy League rejects and Ivy League wannabees.”</p>
<p>IMO, that’s a little harsh. I’ll bet among the Oberlin student body you will find a decent chunk of people who were rejected from Brown. I even know one personally. Though she actually did not prefer Brown, mostly applied because people were telling her she was supposed to want it. But whatever. I see many Oberlin application lists on CC that also have Brown on them.</p>
<p>Kid of friends of ours went to Tufts, loved it there. As I understand it, it is sort of a smaller university, and hence may offer a sort of hybrid appeal. Ready access to city can be an advantage if it does not seriously detract from on-campus life; otherwise surprisingly it can actually be a disadvantage, as D2 found. So this aspect bears investigation. But to dismiss the place simply because there are a handful of colleges yet more selective than it is, is kind of silly, IMO. Particularly when these few schools are among the most selective in the country. Oberlin was not the first choice of every one of its matriculants either.</p>
<p>I’m sure, just as in the case of Oberlin, there are plenty of Tufts applicants who want Tufts, for what it offers, in preference to lots of other colleges.</p>
<p>Which is not to say I’m pushing Tufts either, OP just needs to weigh pluses + minuses and decide. Notre Dame seem kind of an outlier here, though.</p>
<p>I’m not too familiar with Notre Dame,but the people I know that went there are extremely conservative(and they’re from Chicago which is even more strange)</p>
<p>Tufts:
A lot of students that go here are heavily interested in social justice issues,but not as much as Oberlin students.Several students that I know at Tufts are either majoring in fashion or communications.I’ve had the chance to visit Tufts a few times(as a prospie and later as a student this year)and the environment is very “uppity” and competitive. If thats what you want,you should definitly go there.Also,there isn’t much diversity(compared to Oberlin)Some students at Tufts tend to flaunt their money but thats not to say that everyone is from a rich family.Once again,this is a perspective from a student…not a parent,although the ones above me made very valid points.</p>
<p>Oberlin:
I just got accepted at Oberlin (transfer for 09),so I may be biased when I say this but:
Oberlin is amazing and is a perfect choice for anyone that is seriously interested in learning in an environment that is unpretentious.Oberlin students are extremely friendly,and don’t even feel the need to talk about their grades outside of class.The course selections may not be as extensive as Tufts or ND,but if you’re a pre-med major or minor,I know that students do VERY well after Oberlin in terms of entering med school.
Might I add that Oberlin students are the reason why Oberlin is so amazing?At Tufts,I got the sense that there isn’t much of a community,and you’ll find more cliques there than in Mean Girls.From your visit at Oberlin,you probably saw how laid-back students were.You can be whoever you want to be at Oberlin,and no one will dare judge you.Feel like not wearing shoes on the way to the mailroom?Thats fine.Are you planning on wearing a Roman costume to class?Feel free.Btw,these examples are pretty normal compared to what I’ve actually seen.Oberlin students are…Fearless?
Yes,they are Fearless. :)</p>
<p>Your three choices are all great,and I’m sure you’ll do amazing things at any of them.However,Oberlin is a great LAC that is a pioneer is many innovated things on/off campus.You’ll grow as an individual at Oberlin and will not regret going.
I’m fairly close to Oberlin and have tons of friends that go there…so if you have any questions,please feel free to message me
Hope to see you next year!</p>
<p>very insightful post, prospie67. given my D1 and impressions of Oberlin from her and directly, you have nailed it. As for tufts, I defer to you.</p>
<p>perhaps you can resolve another potentially relevant question about tufts. I posted above:</p>
<p>“Ready access to city can be an advantage if it does not seriously detract from on-campus life; otherwise surprisingly it can actually be a disadvantage, as D2 found. So this aspect bears investigation.”</p>
<p>So since you might know, I am now investigating.</p>
<p>To what extent does Tufts maintain a rich, campus-centered life? Do people stay on campus most of the time, and go to parties and activities mostly on or by campus? Or rather, are they routinely scattering themselves all over boston, leaving the campus as essentially a ghost town? Or something in between. What about on weekends; can people expect to just hang out with their friends, go to parties right by campus, or will virtually the whole school be scattered all over boston, no place to be seen?</p>
<p>Many people perceive easy urban access to be a major advantage, but at a couple other urban and suburban schools I kow of the lure of the city is actually highly detrimental to the nature of life as a student, and connection with the school.</p>
<p>How is tufts in this regard? city good, or city bad?</p>
<p>oh wait, I misunderstood, I thought you were attending tufts, I see now that I misread.</p>
<p>monydad:
Tufts is a school that I’m familiar with so I think I can answer your question.When I have gone to Tufts to visit,I typically do see that a large number of students party.Although its a slightly smaller school than others similiar to it(like Colgate) it didn’t really seem to have a strong campus life.Once again,when compared to Oberlin…Tufts doesn’t seem have a multitude of student activities(eg. performances,recitals,plays,etc.)That may be because its so close to Boston.In some sense,Tufts does attempt to have a wide variety of activites for their students.But going to Boston for the weekend is certainly a popular thing for students. This isn’t the case for Oberlin.The city of Cleveland is somewhat dead,and students rarely venture out of Oberlin because there are a number of things to do on campus. Tufts on the weekends seemed to be as lively as it was during the week; but there are definitly more parties here than at Oberlin.That’s a guarantee. </p>
<p>Its easy access to Boston is great,but it doesn’t allow for students to engage with each other on campus the way that Oberlin students do.
Hope that helped a bit :)</p>
<p>Monydad, you are correct. What I said about Tufts was a little harsh. I’ve never been there. I was quoting someone I knew who did go there. What I meant is “preppy.”</p>
<p>But like most people on this thread, I don’t get the OP considering both Oberlin and Notre Dame. That’s like considering both country music and gangsta rap. They are so totally different. The OP has me puzzled.</p>
<p>Well coincidentally I’m actuallly a person who enjoys gangsta rap AND country music haha. They each have their place in my heart just as Notre Dame and Oberlin do. :)</p>
<p>And to be perfectly honest, in my recent overnight visits to each school, I would say that the students at each school really aren’t that different, or at least the ones that I met weren’t. Exaggerations such as “Oberlin is a bunch of hippies” or “Tufts kids are just Harvard rejects” really didn’t apply to what I actually saw there. Probably the reason this decision is so difficult for me.</p>
<p>Has anyone else seen that episode of dharma & greg, where their parents are fantasizing about where grandkid should go to college some day? Greg’s dad picks Notre dame, Dharma’s Mom picks Oberlin. And these people are supposed to have rather starkly contrasting values, in the show.</p>
<p>Not that an old TV program is supposed to determine which college somebody should choose, but it this thread brought that scene to mind.</p>
<p>^
monydad, wow! What a coincidence a TV series would have an episode in which the characters were discussing those very same schools. How weird is that? But it confirms my point, which I believe lioness simply hasn’t noticed in her limited visits to the schools: Notre Dame and Oberlin are totally opposite in many ways. The TV writers would not have decided to make the argument over two similar schools unless they were archrivals athletically (e.g. Michigan vs. Ohio State, USC vs. UCLA) or historically (Yale vs. Harvard). Oberlin and Notre Dame have no connection. To pick those two schools for dramatic scenes it would have to be because of the perception that they are polar opposites. I wasn’t a fan of the series, so I didn’t see it, but I think Lionness should dig up that old episode of Dharma and Greg.</p>
<p>Perfect real life example is the whole flap over President Obama’s visit. If he were headed to Oberlin to do the commencement address there would be posters with his image all over campus. At Notre Dame right now, half the campus is ready to protest his arrival. The schools couldn’t be more different. </p>
<p>I’ll describe the difference again and very simply: Notre Dame is conservative. Oberlin is liberal. I’m not making a value judgement here or stating a preference for one campus culture over the other. But that difference alone is huge.</p>
<p>Actually, Notre Dame is far more moderate than most people give it credit for. And NONE of the MANY students I talked to were against President Obama coming to speak at commencement. One of them actually worked at the center where they call alumni asking for money and she said the people that are most upset are the alumni, not the students.</p>
<p>And I didn’t choose Notre Dame or Oberlin BTW :D</p>