<p>HELP!! I am totally torn between these schools, and I have no idea how to make up my mind about them. I really like the Williams-Exeter Programme at Williams, but the college seems so isolated . . . I love the music scene at Oberlin, but I feel like I don't know enough about any of the schools to make an informed decision. (I've looked everywhere, Wikipedia, Students_Review, CollegeConfidential, actual visits, but I can't make up my mind.) Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>First off wait until your into all of them before you freak out on where to go....I'm assuming your still waiting since it is only febuary. Second, visit if you haven't. Third, look at magazine articles and other information you can find that are coming from legit sources (ie. not only propaganda that colleges send you). Fourth, make sure to look at the schools for the fit not just the prestige and maybe talk to an alum or a teacher from the major your interested in. If you still can't make up your mind...flip a coin. Just kidding. Use your parents and your counselor also as resources to talk through a decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sorry I don't much about the other 3 schools so I can't help you there. I think that all those sources you've looked at can help and I'd also recommend some different college books like college ******* (i think that's what it's called). I made my decision by just gathering info and I think you can get a feel for the school; I'd call it a vibe maybe. I think that once you've looked through lots of material you will a least get a sense of the school hopefully. You can weigh pros and cons and think about what sort of atmosphere you could fit into best. A school I turned down had qualities that I still liked and wanted, but I thought I might fit better into Oberlin and it had a more progressive sense that I thought the other school was missing. In the end it was sort of that reasoning but ultimately my gut feeling that helped me decide.</p>
<p>
[quote]
make sure to look at the schools for the fit not just the prestige
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Really true. Each of those schools has enough outstanding academic and extracurricular opportunities to fascinate and challenge you for four years. But there are big differences between the campus culture.</p>
<p>I only looked at Oberlin and Williams, so I can't speak to the others, but when I visited I felt like there were big differences between the communities on-campus. The students I saw at Williams seemed to display more wealth and were a lot more homogeneous in everything from clothing to race. The campus didn't seem very welcoming; as someone who was clearly a prospective student (wandering around with a map and parents in tow), and made several attempts to talk to students, I got ignored or brushed off a lot. I was also turned off by how disengaged students seemed in the class I visted, the prominent athletic culture, and the dearth of visible activism on campus (something that's particularly important to me).</p>
<p>By contrast, the students I met at Oberlin were much more diverse in terms of background and character, but they didn't seem cliquey or divided; there's a strong sense of community on campus. But the community isn't exclusive; students were really eager to talk to me and the other prospies in my tour group / overnight group and went out of their ways to answer our questions and convince us to apply. There seemed to be a lot more passion and engagement on campus, from the plethora of events going on at all times (7 different performances the day I was there), to the students hanging banners or tabling outside the student center, to the passionate conversations that broke out inside and outside of class. I got the impression of a vibrant community that welcomes all kinds of different people.</p>
<p>And Oberlin has resources and programs to rival Williams. Think about the library system (four times the size), the brand-new science center and environmental sciences center, the Allen Memorial Art Museum and Art Rental, Winter Term, the Experimental College, the First-Year Seminar Program and honors opportunities, the variety of study-abroad options, the Shansi Fellowship, the Cole Scholars program, co-ops, the Conservatory... I'm leaving things out, but you get the idea. There is way more than music to keep you occupied.</p>
<p>Of course, this is just one perspective. Obviously there are a lot of people who have the exact opposite reaction; and since Williams, Amherst, and Bowdoin have more in common (in terms of culture) than Oberlin, you may find that you can't stand Obies and you're much more comfortable at Williams, which is completely legit. I'd recommend reflecting on your visits from the perspective of fit - or, if it's possible, visiting again and doing overnights or spending more time hanging out with students to really get a feel for where you're happiest. It might also help to visit some online communities that are exclusively dedicated to the colleges you're looking at - for example, Oberwiki[/url</a>] (and [url=<a href="http://wso.williams.edu/wiki/index.php/Main_Page%5DWillipedia%5B/url">http://wso.williams.edu/wiki/index.php/Main_Page]Willipedia[/url</a>], the Oberlin LiveJournal communities ([url=<a href="http://community.livejournal.com/oberlin/%5DThe">http://community.livejournal.com/oberlin/]The</a> Oberlin LJ and <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/obie_questions/)%5B/url%5D">http://community.livejournal.com/obie_questions/)</a>, and the Facebook groups for the classes of '11 and '12 - to see a slice of "student culture" firsthand.</p>
<p>Sorry this was so long, haha. Feel free to ask if you want more of my completely biased perspective :)</p>
<p>oops, the starred thing was p r o w l e r.</p>
<p>what exactly is appealing about Williams-Exeter? You can go on (better) Oxford exchanges as an undergrad pretty much anywhere.</p>