<p>I'm an incoming freshman at Wesleyan but am considering transferring to Oberlin to be closer to home and other various family reasons that came up this summer. Before I go through this process I want to make sure Oberlin can offer me everything academically that Wes can. Academically my interests make me a very good fit for Wesleyan's Science in Society program because I'm strong in all sciences but am interested in creative writing and societal applications of science as well. How does Oberlin compare in terms of </p>
<p>-Research opportunities (I know their Neuroscience is great but what about Physics, Environmental Sciences, Bio and Chem)
-interdisciplinary programs (like Wes's SiSP)
-Creative writing program
-% of professors teaching classes
-Class size
-Undergraduate papers published
-Student types/overall culture</p>
<p>My son and I visited both this past year and despite a large merit scholarship from Oberlin, he chose Wesleyan and really didn’t even need to think twice.</p>
<p>They are both very fine schools, but Wesleyan really just seemed a “notch above” in almost every category: quality of students, quality of facilities, location, academic programs, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can go very wrong regardless of your choice… and good luck.</p>
<p>P.S. For what it’s worth, when visiting a school I always asked the kids we met (tour guides, etc.) what other schools they were considering besides the one they were at. At Wesleyan all the “other” schools that were mentioned where all top-20, well known institutions. At Oberlin, they named a bunch of LACs that frankly I’d never heard of before.</p>
<p>I had to make the Oberlin Wesleyan decision not so long ago. I’m going to have to disagree with you about the random LACs thing. That wasn’t my experience at all. I met a girl who ended up choosing Oberlin over Harvard and another girl who was trying to decide between UVA and Oberlin. Anyway, I think the two are very comparable. I liked the Wes campus better and just got a better feeling from Wesleyan overall. The interdisciplinary colleges were a big draw for me as opposed to the co ops at Oberlin which I had very little interest in. Its really more of a personal preference decision. Your really can’t go wrong as both schools are excellent.</p>
<p>My oldest graduated from Wes in 2009; youngest will be a sophomore at Oberlin this year. Both are such wonderful schools and you are so fortunate! I have to disagree with soze as the prestige thing has such little bearing on the true quality of what you will experience. Oberlin by the way is very strong in science, environmental studies and of course, creative writing. Their differences depend on your own very personal gut instincts. I wish you the best!</p>
<p>I never said anything about “prestige.” I would think they are roughly equivalent in terms of recognition / prestige.</p>
<p>But like I said, they are both excellent and I don’t think you can go wrong either way. One big difference is merit aid (Oberlin gives it, Wes does not) so depending on your circumstances that might tip your decision to Oberlin.</p>
<p>Another data point that might make a difference is that Oberlin has that “mandatory January term” thing. This was a real turn-off for my son, but others might love it.</p>
<p>My D chose Oberlin over Cornell U, her roommate chose Oberlin over Williams, and the girl down the hall chose Oberlin over Wesleyan. If those kids were accepted at Cornell, Williams, and Wesleyan, how can the student body at Oberlin be a “notch” below Wesleyan? </p>
<p>Nothing wrong with a merit scholarship. Among top LACs, my D applied only to those that offered merit scholarships, and she got one from Oberlin. She just finished her freshman year, and is thrilled with her choice. What other leading LAC also offers a Top 5 classical music conservatory, and maybe the leading Jazz conservatory? She’s not in the conservatory, but choosing from well over 300 on campus concerts by world class talent, concerts that are either free or cost a pittance for students, was too attractive to pass up. </p>
<p>Wesleyan is a super school, but what’s better about Wesleyan’s location? I don’t quite understand that one. I can understand opinions that Wesleyan has more this or that, but there is nothing special about Connecticut. You need to explain that one. Perhaps like a lot of people, you assume most people would automatically prefer the northeast, or Connecticut, to the Midwest or Ohio. Given the choices some of the students in my D’s freshman dorm made, it seems not everyone thinks going to school in the northeast is preferable to the midwest.</p>
<p>^^I think in answer to the original question, whatever advantages Connecticut or being in the northeast may have over Ohio, they are outweighed by the OP’s particular situation.</p>
<p>Hey, calm down. I said they are both excellent schools and you could not go wrong either way.</p>
<p>In reference to the “notch below” comment, I said it just seemed that way to me based on:
The students I met at Oberlin (granted not a scientific sampling).
My son’s fancy private school which routinely sends pretty much the entire graduating class to top colleges had many applicants accepted to Oberlin this past year, and none of them choose to go. Granted, also not a scientific sampling but a data point for me nonetheless.
I think the fact that Oberlin feels they need to offer merit aid is very telling. Again, not a “smoking gun” but another data point.</p>
<p>As far as location goes, well perhaps it’s the new yorker in me talking but I think being within 2 hours of both NYC and Boston is considerably preferable to being 45 minutes outside of Cleveland. Those from the midwest can feel free to disagree with me on this point. Middletown is nothing special, but it’s got considerably more going on than the town of Oberlin. Again, not a major deal, but a data point.</p>
<p>Oberlin is a great school, if my son chose to go there I would have been happy with his decision, but that’s not the direction he chose to go in. The main deciding factors for him were:</p>
<ol>
<li>He sat in on a class (philosophy) and didn’t like it. He thought that his HS philosophy class was more academically rigorous. Granted that’s just ONE class, but it really turned him off.</li>
<li>He didn’t like the idea of the mandatory January term at all.</li>
<li>He’s a musician and want’s to study music at the college level, but not at the conservatory. When we visited Oberlin we were told that non-conservatory music students are primarily taught by conservatory students, NOT by faculty. Also that non-conservatory students are often shut-out from using rehearsal space, etc. This was pretty much the deal-breaker for him. </li>
</ol>
<p>Bottom line is that this is really splitting hairs as they are both very, very fine schools.</p>
<p>Some students take Oberlin over Swarthmore. It’s all a matter of fit, not whether one school is objectively better than another or the student body is a notch above or below. From my vantage point, I can tell you those two student bodies are very, very different. At the end of the day, it’s the experience itself that counts, not some arbitrary rankings or opinions of the commentariat. </p>
<p>But I agree that Soze’s initial post was a bit off-putting in some of the positions it took and understand Plainsman’s response.</p>
<p>“…what’s better about Wesleyan’s location?”</p>
<p>The one thing I can say is that if you’re from New England, the NYC area or thereabouts - and I suspect a pretty decent chunk of Wesleyan students are- it’s a lot faster to get back & forth to Wesleyan by car than it is to schlep out to Oberlin. I got pretty tired of those 8-1/2 hour drives, myself. Too bad D1 did not like Wesleyan- thought adults chalking walls was ■■■■■■■■, eg- and did not apply. (Besides which we were still living in the midwest when she applied).</p>
<p>However, OP apparently has the exact opposite situation, his family is closer to Oberlin.</p>
<p>Other than that, neither town seemed too thrilling to me, but I haven’t spent much time in them. The remote destinations seem, respectively, not thrilling or not close. Other factors would be more compelling in most decisions, IMO.</p>
<p>I think most students actually like Jan term, at least I’ve never heard any complaints. But I guess the ones that wouldn’t like it don’t attend.</p>