OBERLIN WELLESLEY OR BOSTON COLLEGE? Please Help Me!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Oberlin College
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<p>Just like the thread below this one, I have no idea which college to choose! I have narrowed it down to three, Wellesley, Boston College, and Oberlin College. I have visited all three and got a "good feeling" from each one of them! I thought my visits would help, but they just made my decision harder. I go to an all girl's highschool, so it's really hard for me to imagine being away from boys for another four years. But Wellesley is such an amazing school, it has an amazing reputation. Part of me says to get over the "no boys" issue. I'm drawn to BC because it's closer to Boston, and it's co-ed. But I'm not a very social person, and I know there's a lot of drinking there. BC is a great school and more rounded socially and academically. I don't want to spend too much time studying, and I know this could be possible at BC. Oberlin is completely different from BC, and appeals to my slightly "granola" side. Unfortunately the town is incredibly small and doesn't really offer everything I need. I have also found that most Oberlin students spend an incredible amount of time studying/working. </p>

<p>Basically, I don't want to be isolated geographically, I want new social opportunities, I don't want to study too much, but I stll want to attend a good academic school. I know these sound like really ridiculous qualifications, but I just can't make up my mind! Which one of these schools would you say best fits what I'm looking for?</p>

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<p>You have excellent choices. As to Oberlin: There is a lot going on at Oberlin -- the feel is more cosmopolitan than you might imagine; if you like music it is especially exciting. The students are from all over the country. It is excellent academically. There are boys.</p>

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<p>Back a few years, the last two standing for my daughter were Oberlin and Wellesley. (Wellesley was actually "the other school" in my post on that thread you referred to). She chose Oberlin. Obviously others may differ.</p>

<p>Every single one of her perceptions may in fact be wrong, but this is what influenced her decision:</p>

<p>Wellesley is not in Boston it is in a suburb which she concluded was boring and would not add much. There are frequent buses to Cambridge, which is great, but this trip is too long for routine weekday trips, given other typical time commitments. Basically it takes the same time as getting to Cleveland from Oberlin. On weekends you can get to Boston, and it seemed everyone did. Which is great. But probably as a result the Wellesley campus seemed dead to her the weekend she was there. The students she overnighted with were unable to articulate to her what they did for fun, where they hung out, etc.</p>

<p>The academics at Wellesely seemed to her to be very intense. Certainly no lighter than Oberlin. The kids seemed quite stressed. There seemed to her to be a higher proportion of "dressed for success" pre-professional and get-an-investment-banking-job types, oriented towards learning to get grades, moreso than at at Oberlin. Essentially Ivy League wanna-be's, she felt. There are no facts to support this, but that was her feeling. </p>

<p>Welllesley's academics seemed truly excellent in economics, politics and languages, all departments she was interested in. But she was less impressed with a math class she sat in on there; another area of interest.</p>

<p>The social scene at Wellesley was a matter of concern. She did not like the notion of having to get bused over to MIT frat parties in order to chase after MIT frat boys, some of whom perhaps might not be such hot commodities on the dating circuit in some other contexts. Do you know the name they give to the bus that takes Wellesley girls to these frat parties? It is not flattering, believe me. Evidently a lot of Babson business boys come to campus; my daughter didn't really think she would like Babson business boys. The people she met and spoke with were not having a great time socially. </p>

<p>Many of the alumna posts we read said to the effect that they didn't really have a great time there when they were there, but afterwards they appreciated it.</p>

<p>Ultimately she chose Oberlin because she thought there was a better chance for a normal social life, a better balance between work & play (the opposite of your conclusion) and she felt she fit better with the kids at Oberlin. The give-up on the other side was access to Boston on weekends; offset only partially by more active campus life at Oberlin.</p>

<p>But Wellesley seemed top-notch academically, has a beautiful campus, and weekend access to Boston. You have two great choices.</p>

<p>Another difference I recall; Wellesley seemed to emphasize not many substances being abused there, to a greater degree than other colleges we visited.
FWIW.</p>

<p>Both schools tilt liberal, but Oberlin students are probably more political, overall. And yes, I would imagine more granola.</p>

<p>Wellesley has relatively a lot of Asian students; Oberlin has relatively a lot of Jewish students. FWIW.</p>

<p>I know nothing about BC; nobody in my family has ever looked at it.</p>

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<p>thanks so much monydad, that was really helpful. can you tell me how much work your daughter does per night? if that's too specific, can you just tell me if she studies a lot, a little, or somewhere in between? also, do you know if there are enough social activities at Oberlin? thanks again! i'm getting closer to my decision...haha</p>

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<p>if you're interested in study vs. play....
there is a lot of work at oberlin; however, you can always find fun things to do. for example, i spend a lot of my free time at night doing homework, but that's because i might go to an organization meeting or practice or hear a concert. Also, for some reason there are a lot of days when I don't have that much work and days when I do. Though I'm kept busy by work for different clubs, my friends who haven't become that involved have much more social time on weeknights. During weekends though, people don't really do homework until Sunday, so Friday night and Saturday are socializing. However, we aren't the sort of school where weekends start Wednesday or Thursday. Reading your post about Oberlin's town, I'm curious as to what is it that you "need" still? There are definitely some things that Oberlin doesn't have; yet I've found that I haven't really needed anything that isn't offered. I'm usually too busy doing things on campus to really do much off campus. Also, I think in general students don't go into cities as much as much as others would think but maybe I'm wrong. I've been to Cleveland a few times for field trips, and I know some people that went there once for fun, but in general, people don't really travel there much. Though, obviously in Boston I guess I would use the city and it might change up nightlife somewhat. So, it depends on what sort of activities you're into. I think a city would provide more dance clubs, eateries, and tons of shows (probably more $ than Oberlin shows), but there is really tons to do in Oberlin! For example, yesterday I heard a concert, saw a movie, and saw a circus put on by students. Other events going on included a spring formal, a party or two, a reggaefest, and a spring pagan festival. You have lots of choices! For geographical issues, maybe you could spend your winter term in a new place. I'm from a city, and had those concerns, and it hasn't been too tough for me because I get to spend summers in one, but I would say if you haven't experienced city life maybe you should consider a city more.<br>
I hope that helps! Oberlin is tough but there is social time - depending on how much you involve yourself with other organizations like clubs or sports teams.</p>

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<p>We certainly don't get the idea that she's working all the time. In her case I'm sure the amount of time she spends procrastinating exceeds the amount of time she actually spends doing work. Also amount of work time at night sort of depends on whether you've done any during the day; which I'm pretty sure in her case is a big No.</p>

<p>One's precise major and individual course selection undoubtedly plays a huge role in overall workload.</p>

<p>I can tell you that when we have discussed "roads not taken" she's said that Oberlin has the perfect balance of work vs. play for her, and there are some schools she had been considering that she's glad she didn't go to. I'm pretty sure Wellesley is one of those she had in mind.</p>

<p>Exactly what that balance is, I can't say for certain, since I'm not there. But before college she was never the 24/7 studier type. She has obviously stepped it up quite a bit, but in her case that's a good thing.</p>

<p>There are definitely parties, stuff she goes to with friends, etc. but this is not parent stuff so much so I can't tell you.</p>

<p>estargrl's a student so listen to her not me.
Still remember her posts when she was in your shoes- glad it's working out!</p>

<p>My daughter also wanted a city school, and still would prefer one in concept, make no mistake about that. But there were tradeoffs involved, and, like with you guys, she had to prioritize and make some tough choices. All other things are never equal.</p>

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<p>As a probably final thought on this topic:</p>

<p>Though I don't really know, I certainly hope she's studying a lot.
And also taking advantage of other opportunities that are available to her.</p>

<p>We're paying a fortune for this.</p>

<p>If she didn't want to work hard there are other schools she could have attended for free.</p>

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<p>My two best friends from home go to school in the Boston area (Harvard and Tufts) and I think that location is a big reason why we are having such different college experiences. On Friday and Saturday nights (not to mention some weeknights) the social lives of both schools are centered on the city of Boston, leaving them with less campus life. One of the best things about Oberlin is that since there's not much to do in town or Cleveland, we have an unusually vibrant campus life. There are concerts, movies, poetry readings and other events every single day that are well-attended and foster a strong sense of community. I feel really well-connected to our campus. </p>

<p>As for socializing, there is definitely a vibrant dating/hookup scene (I'm missing it right now, I'm abroad this semester) and joining activities like co-ops (if you're a "granola" person...) or clubs are especially great ways to meet people. 9 out of 10 Obies have a really incredible spark that sets them apart from other people our age.</p>

<p>The academics are what you make of it--personally, I am hugely inspired by my professors and put a ton of effort into my work. (And I've been rewarded for it--one of the most famous professors here offered me a chance to do one-on-one research with him). But I definitely know people who coast through Oberlin as well. Most people are somewhere in-between: they care about their academics but will definitely blow off work to impuslively go see a concert or watch a dvd on a neighbor's laptop. No one does every single reading for every single class though!</p>

<p>I'm also curious what you feel that the town of Oberlin is lacking--I might be able to respond to that.</p>

<p>And if you have any other questions feel free to ask!</p>

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<p>Oberlin and Wellesley are far stronger schools, academically, than BC. Don't worry about Wellesley being all-girls -- there are buses going into Boston and Cambridge all the time. If you don't want to stay on campus 100% of the time, you won't.</p>