<p>What is the work load like? How hard is it to get an 'A'?</p>
<p>How are the mathematics and economics programs here?</p>
<p>Also, what are the pros/cons of the school?</p>
<p>Also, how well-respected is Oberlin by graduate schools?</p>
<p>Math major here! The math department is amazing. I never had a bad experience with a class. Professors are very passionate and put together engaging classes. They all have great office hours, I used to drop in all the time. It’s a small department so everyone pretty much knows one another and you get to know professors pretty well. every few weeks the department hosts math talks over a pizza lunch where professors talk about their areas of research and bring in professors from other schools too. </p>
<p>One of my favorite professors (sadly now retired) was famous for his lectures which came across like poetry. you can read about it a blog post here: [Gyokuro:</a> How Does It Make You Feel? | Alex Zorach’s Tea Blog](<a href=“http://cazort.blogspot.com/2011/09/gyokuro-how-does-it-make-you-feel.html]Gyokuro:”>Gyokuro: How Does It Make You Feel? | Alex Zorach's Tea Blog)</p>
<p>As far as I can tell Oberlin is looked upon very favorably in the academic community. I am in the process of applying to law schools now and whenever I have talked to admissions deans or professors they have seem impressed and said it will be an advantage. Another great thing is about Oberlin is being able to really easily form relationships with professors means when it comes time to apply you should have great recommendations!</p>
<p>I can’t say anything personally but my cousin hated it and transfered. I guess it just wasn’t the school for her.</p>
<p>More on topic, she only choose it because it had the most prestige of any of the other colleges she got into so I got to assume it’s pretty good.</p>
<p>@ shadesofblue Thanks for the insightful post! How’s the workload as a math major?</p>
<p>most classes are set up so that you have readings before each class (usually 3 times a week) and then a weekly problem set that can take from 6-10 hours. It is a lot of work, but totally manageable. Especially since other students and professors are always around to help.</p>
<p>My son is an economics major and has taken Calculus at Oberlin. He said that the level is similar to his private prep school classes in terms of academic rigor and tests. The contact with faculty is superb and they all know each others names. It is not impossible to get an A, and B is attainable with some effort. He is social and athletic person, good in Math and got an A, B range in econ. Remember Oberlin is one of the few schools that allow pass-fail, so you can switch a challenging course that is outside your comfort zone and GPA to “pass.” Most graduate and medical schools regard GPA as most important, them standardized tests and interviews. Oberlin sends a very high percentage of students to grad schools, especially for PhD programs, most of which are paid by grants.</p>
<p>It is very difficult to answer the question of what the workload is like. Oberlin students have to work hard, no doubt about it. The more important question probably is how hard is Oberlin compared to other similar colleges and other college you are thinking of attending. That is just about impossible to answer. Some schools have a reputation for being amazing grinds, such as Swarthmore and Reed. Very few people have the experience of attending enough schools that they can make a valid comparison across colleges.</p>
<p>@egelloc80 why did your cousin hate Oberlin? I might be going there next year…</p>
<p>nervedoctor: Only a limited number of credits and an even more limited number of courses in your major can be taken as a “pass/no-pass.” The limits prevent kids from gaming the system. This option should be leveraged very judiciously.</p>
<p>Plainsman, there’s not a college-wide limit on how many courses can be taken P/NP. Whether there’s a limit within a major depends on the department. (See [Academic</a> Policies - Oberlin College - Acalog ACMS?](<a href=“Academic Policies - Oberlin College - Acalog ACMS™”>Academic Policies - Oberlin College - Acalog ACMS™).)</p>
<p>My mistake, quaere. My D, a senior, said she had limits. Then again, she has a triple major, so she’s been judicious about exercising the option.</p>