Any regrets? Have you been satisfied with the intellectual rigor at Oberlin and found a vibrant intellectual community among your peers? I’m guessing you are happy with your choice! What guided your decision? Thanks for your thoughts.
Very few Oberlin students visit this site. You’d get better results if you posted your question to some of the bloggers at blogs.oberlin.edu .
PS. I’m also wondering what you mean by “more elite.” To many people, Oberlin is one of the most distinguished liberal arts colleges in the country.
Thank you, @dave72. Helpful suggestion. No offense intended. In generally useless ratings such as USNWR’s it’s not ranked as high as some of its peer schools, so I’m just seeking a reality check on the actual experience of students there who could have gone to higher ranked schools. I have nothing but positive opinions about Oberlin.
I turned down higher ranked colleges for Oberlin’s finaid package and don’t feel like I got any worse of an education. I think when you’re in high school first deciding it’s hard not to go for the name brand, but Oberlin has a really cool vibe and was definitely a better fit for me than say a more technical school like Harvey Mudd or MIT or a more preppy school like Williams or Emory.
Honestly, for 3 hours a week for each class you’ll sit in a lecture hall and there will be students at your state university, a top liberal arts college, and an Ivy all getting told the same stuff and not listening to a word the professor says. Then the night before the test they’ll all open the same textbook, read the same assigned chapters and they’ll all go in and get fine grades on the test.
Some mental math here, hopefully it all checks out: 12 hours a week in class + maybe 12 studying = 24 hours/week. Maybe another 10 working in some retail/food service job to save money. Let’s be generous and say you get 8 hours of sleep every night, so 56 hours there. We’ll give 2hrs/day for getting ready in the morning, getting ready for bed at night, etc. All together that’s about 104 hours, leaving you with 64 hours still left in the week.
In my opinion, those 64 hours are what you should consider when picking where to apply for colleges. Where do you see yourself making friends? Which schools fits your personality? Which schools will challenge you and push you but also nurture you? Which school has the party scene you’re looking for? Do students there mostly use instagram or facebook or yik yak or twitter? Do they buy their clothes from stores you like to buy your clothes? Do they like to eat the same foods as you? Does the school offer many opportunities to turn that 10 hr/wk job into paid research or paid tutoring to get more experience in your field?
Every school has smart students. All of them. Harvard has plenty of them, Oberlin’s full of them, and your local community college has quite a few too. Universities where the homecoming football game is the biggest event of the year aren’t less “intellectual” than Reed or Oberlin. The students there aren’t less interesting or less intelligent, they just enjoy football more than your average Oberlin student. If a “vibrant intellectual community” to you means having conversations about intersectionality and cultural appropriation and social justice, then Oberlin sounds like a good fit for you. If a “vibrant intellectual community” means analyzing the stock market and discussing how capitalism is making America great again, you might be less happy at Oberlin.
Good luck with all of your applications! If you have any other questions, I’m happy to answer them here or through PM (and that goes for any lurkers out there too!) 
Great post, @megame18 . Helpful and reassuring, though clearly some schools have more intellectual environments and research opportunities, etc. than others. But I’ll bet you’re right that good schools are more alike than different in the classroom. Really glad you took the time to respond and that you had a good experience.
Dave72 is an alumnus and faculty member, and I think he once said he turned down Harvard to attend Oberlin. He is also a teacher and mentor to Lena Dunham of “Girls” fame.
Most academics agree that Oberlin is one of the finest liberal arts colleges. Some of the things I loved about it: there was no emphasis on what you wore or drove or how much money your parents had, only on you as a person( and you could become better); the intellectual atmosphere of the place in contrast with large emphases elsewhere on sports and drinking; the classes where there were discussions and a great deal of interaction with the faculty; the ability to participate in a great many activities including varsity sports(I was a varsity athlete), experimental college, and the numerous active clubs and organizations; the existence of the conservatory with hundreds of events per year; and the ethos of trying to make the world a better place. A big problem with many liberal arts colleges is that many of them are small, and there is not much to do outside of class except to drink or do drugs. Oberlin is different in that there is actually too much to do, with the classwork and outside activities. I always was busy.
Thanks a million for your thoughts, @gratefulalum . The school sounds more and more appealing the more I hear about it. Fourth meal is a selling point in its own right. Off to read more about January term and ExCo to really understand.
Winter Term and ExCo are two things I wish I had had in college. Both are great experiences.
I’m friends with a girl who turned down Yale for Oberlin. She just didn’t like Yale’s atmosphere (and had a sibling who went to Yale, and came out with mixed feelings about the school). She’s enrolled in the double degree program, and is very happy. College is what you make of it - your personal drive matters much more in life than the name of the institution you attended.
Thanks everyone for your input here! My daughter just decided on Oberlin ED1 and her counselor thinks she has a very good chance based on stats and now I’m feeling even better about her choice hearing about the vibe.
She did one of their regional fly in programs, which is a great way for students to visit. I haven’t seen campus yet but if she is accepted we will visit in the spring.
Hoping for good news on Dec 15!
When you visit, you might want to stay in the brand new Hotel at Oberlin, which is owned by the college, across the street from Tappan Square, and next to Hall Auditorium. Oberlin is a small place and is walkable everywhere. It replaced the aged Oberlin Inn. When I was at my reunion in May, I could not stay there because the rooms were reserved for the older reunion classes, but I visited it and had some meals there. It is a great facility.