Should I transfer or Not from Oberlin College? It's too liberal for me.

Transfer Students
1

I’ve just finished my freshman year at Oberlin College and did not have an overall positive experience. Even though I tried to enjoy the “college” experience, I did not appreciate the extremely progressive and social justice mindset in Oberlin. In addition, the whole gender issues, for me, seemed very trivial. However, many Oberlin students take them seriously. I find the whole “protest” environment also very repulsive. It very much felt as an echo chamber.

Honestly, I did find a group of friends who also shared a bit of disgust toward the Oberlin political and social mindsets, but this is obviously the minority in the campus. For me, it is almost like this an Oberlin “underground” is the only place where my thoughts are actually heard and understood by others. Outside from this underground, I generally do not find myself accepted. Maybe this may be because I’m a center-right person (but probably an alt-right conservative to many Oberlin students). There were times when I personally felt excluded from many students. It’s as if I was judged based on politics than my character.

I did try to make more friends in college by shutting out my thoughts. However, I just do not find the environment any friendly and “safe” toward me. In addition, witnessing some of my professors in politics department making overtly bias claims such as “Republicans are racist”, I don’t find Oberlin an environment where I can find a true intellectual diversity.

On the positive note, I did appreciate the beautiful conservatory and the talented musicians in Oberlin. In this environment, I was able to find my interest/hobby in music. Moreover, in a small school, I found my professors to be very available and even caring. Therefore, I was able to build nice relationships with many of them and hopefully, they’ll provide me nice recommendation letters.

Now, weighing the good and the bad, I do not wish to continue in this college environment where I have to try to ignore many of activists and students to enjoy my college experience. I wish that I was in a college where different ideas are openly discussed with intellectual respects than mouthful blunders.

Putting my experience aside, my highschool stats are pretty mediocre.
UW GPA: 3.55
ACT: 29

However, I finished my college year with about 3.7 GPA. I’ve declared my economics major and currently deciding to major/minor mathematics. Next year, I’ve overloaded my credits and have decided to take 3 200-level courses, 1 300-level course, and 1 100 level course (Calc based physics).

Any recommendations on how I should approach my Oberlin experience, since if I don’t transfer, I may stay for 3-4 more years. I do have enough credits to graduate in 3 years.

For the possibility of transfer, I’ve looked at some schools such as Carnegie Mellon, USC, Vanderbilt, Hamilton, Cornell, Northwestern, Vassar, U. of Rochester, and Claremont Mckenna. I know that all of those are reaches, but if I make a good case of why I wish to transfer, I might get some results. (I hope).

Thank you for reading my long post. Even if you didn’t read all of it, I appreciate any comments or/and suggestions.

2

IMO, yes you should transfer. Why stay someplace if you don’t like it there? The things that bother you are not going to change.

When one transfers, it should be:

  1. to a place that is demonstrably a far better fit.
  2. Where you will be admitted as a transfer applicant

Re#1, you should research schools where a very significant portion of the student body shares your [political or religious or whatever your issues are] mindset. From what I’ve read you might not be happy at Vassar, for example. And maybe not most other schools in the northeast either, for that matter. Except for, I never hear anything political regarding places like Lehigh or Bucknell, maybe those. I notice you’re thinking about Vanderbilt, maybe you’d want to look in the South for some additional targets. Wake Forest?

Re #2, LACs have lower headcounts hence tend to accept relatively few transfer applicants. Your odds will be better at universities. Also IMO you should not have all reaches. Include some schools where you might reasonably have been admitted out of high school.

If you have to stay, suggest minimize your time on campus by doing study programs off-campus and study abroad. And get out as fast as you can meet graduation requirements. When living on campus get housing with those like-minded individuals you’ve found. Avoid the more offending departments/ professors to the extent possible.

3

Thank you the suggestions. I am also including case Western, which seems to be a match for me. I’ve also looked at Wake Forest. Although I consider myself as a conservative, I’m center left when it comes to social issues. That’s the reason why I didn’t wanted to go to a religious or very conservative schools like Washington & Lee. I’ve heard that Wake Forest is not socially liberal. How are the students like there? I still want to go to a fairly balanced college.

Also, sorry about my repost of the similar thread. College confidential first didn’t repost my thread, so I posted another one on the same category.

4

Don’t know; Maybe ask this at the CC sub-forums of the various schools of interest. Or do more general research, on the "web, or college guides, etc.

5

@whatcha “I never hear anything political regarding places like Lehigh”

I think Lehigh is center left on social issues with practical students who are majoring in business or engineering. They are unlikely to mount a significant protest of the General’s Chicken like Oberlin students.

Schools like Lehigh and Case Western Reserve also both have business schools which could open a new option for you in addition to economics.

6

I know that Oberlin has a great education. As much as I do not like the students there, I have enjoyed the rigor in Oberlin. How do schools like Lehigh and Case Western compare to Oberlin in regards to prestige and rigor?

7

Case is a different sort of school - urban, more career focused, not a LAC, known best for STEM though it has liberal arts departments.

Lehigh is not ranked as highly as Oberlin but may be nearly as well known in the northeast. Also offers engineering I think so a different feel.

Can it not work with you hanging with the friends you’ve made, maybe going abroad a whole year rather than a semester, graduating early if you still feel like this in 2 years?

8

Thank you for all the suggestions. I am searching for more of college experience where I can meet some of the best friends in college. Unfortunately, not much luck in Oberlin college. I should look at studying abroad whole year. However, if I want to stay in oberlin, I would like to double major. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if that is possible, if I study abroad whole year. Thanks for all the suggestions. Are there any additional colleges that I should look at if I wish to transfer?

9

You may be able to do it with study abroad if you talk to your major adviser(s). You might need to do a semester in an English-speaking program where the dept will approve the courses, for instance. You might be able to make that work, won’t know until you ask.

If this is about making friends…is starting over someplace new, where people know each other already, going to make that better? There’s a good chance it will not.

10

I should really take into account on that. Thank you.

11

I guess what stressed me out the most is the social environment. Also, being that this is a small school, few extreme students/activists can really change the school vibe for me.

12

I love it when students go to colleges well known for their liberalism and are surprised to find…they’re liberal. Some, oppressively so.

13

Oberlin has that rep but plenty of not-liberal kids go there because it’s a great school. OP even found some in the first year and befriended them. OP strikes me as an international student and thus perhaps not in on the stereotype you think everyone knows so well, @Muad_dib .

14

@OHMomof2 - It appears that stereotype is well founded.

15

I second Lehigh, Case Western, Wake Forest, Bucknell, and would maybe add Colgate. The U of Richmond might not be a bad option either.

16

OP, I would worry that Vassar may not suit you given your Oberlin experience, based on nothing concrete. You might want to research it a little more to see if it should stay on your list.

17

@prezbucky @GnocchiB @Muad_dib @OHMomof2 Just to let you know, I am a weird case here. I’m a POC but have stayed in US about 10 years before going to college. So in no way am I an international student.

I’ve looked at colleges like Colgate and Wake Forest. Even though politically, they may be balanced, I’m also a gay student. I didn’t want to be in another “bubble” where I have to be anxious about another college culture that’s against me.

And indeed, the Oberlin stereotype is close to the truth. I don’t want to generalize it, since there are an incredible students who are kind, but I feel like many students feel that they are the “anointed” and specially “entitled” to their opinions and visions because they are definitely the good, not the bad. It has impacted my college experience tremendously.

18

As a matter of possible interest, about ten years ago there was a “Black Gay Republicans Club” on campus.
Or at least I was told that. No, I am not kidding.
Currently, there is a Republican Club listed, with a website that hasn’t been updated since 2008, it seems.
Maybe you can become its new President; pad your resume at least. and maybe meet some more compatible people if you do some outreach for the club.

19

CMC would be extremely liberal as well. Maybe eliminate it from your list.

20

Being among the anointed is a fairly typical attitude of college students. You would have to go pretty far down the food chain to escape that. Sad to say.

Would a big state U that has strong programs for you major(s) work? Yes there would probably still be a lot of “we are way better than the students from our big rival school” going on, but the sheer number of students there could make it more possible for you to find more folks like yourself.