Would Oberlin be a good social match for me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Oberlin College
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<p>I'm late in the game learning about Oberlin so I don't have time to do that much extensive research on whether it's the school for me. I would appreciate the help of CC in determining the answer to this.</p>

<p>It's an academic match for me, I can figure this out on my own, but I am looking to see whether it's a social match. My main concern is that I am majoring in politics but I am not on the way left like I have heard people at Oberlin are. If someone has a conservative view, how would this be looked upon at Oberlin? Are people accepting or are they very liberal in the sense that I will feel trapped with whatever conservative views I have? I am a democrat but not all my views are liberal.</p>

<p>How quirky is the school? I've heard it has its quirks with stuff like compost piles in the dining halls, but how far does this go? I like quirks, I enjoy them, but I'm turned-off by excessive quirk. I know this is a difficult question to answer so any insight on the quirkiness of the school would be helpful. </p>

<p>Are the majority of students wealthy? I know that Oberlin is openly need-aware and I'm afraid that even if my needing aid is overlooked during admissions, I will end up standing out like a sore thumb in the social scene. Any middle-class or low-income students want to provide their insight here? Is it even an issue? Can you keep up with your friends? Do you ever feel excluded because you can't spend as much money as someone else? </p>

<p>How easy/hard is it to make friends at Oberlin if you're not super social or quirky or super liberal? So let's say that the school is a little too quirky for me and maybe a little too liberal, and I'm not that amazing at making friends, would it be hard for me to make friends if I still decided to go? </p>

<p>What does the social scene consist of? If there aren't a lot a parties, what is this replaced by? Do people hang out in dorms, do they participate in activities around campus, or off campus, or do they use learning/class as a way of socializing? I don't really go to parties as a high schooler because strict parents, so I would like to experience that away from college but not go to a school where the party scene is so prominent that I couldn't get away from it (in case I end up loathing parties). But I don't want exclusive social spots, like people hanging out in one person's dorm. I'd like there to be places where I can get to know people and if all the socializes takes place with invitation-only events, I think it'd be really hard for me to meet new people. </p>

<p>Sorry if these questions have already been asked, but I looked around a little and didn't see much on these topics. I would appreciate any answers. </p>

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<p>I don’t think CC is the best place to get answers to these questions, since not many current students visit this site. I would direct you instead to the Oberlin blogs (<a href=“http://blogs.oberlin.edu/”>http://blogs.oberlin.edu/&lt;/a&gt; ), where you can find all these questions (and more) addressed. Use the menus at the top of the page; you can also ask questions by commenting at the bottom of any recent post. Best of luck to you!</p>

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<p>@dave72 thank you! I didn’t know about this blog before so I’ll look into it now.</p>

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<p>^ Similar sites for Vassar exist, as well. <a href=“http://campuslifeanddiversity.vassar.edu/”>Student Growth and Engagement – Vassar College;

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<p>Oberlin sounds like an okay match for you. It’s a pretty quirky place and was a bit of a culture shock for me, coming from a small town in the bible belt. However people are really accepting if you are willing to educate yourself and keep an open mind about everything. And the level of quirkiness definitely varies depending on what groups you hang out with, for example, just on average, co-opers tend to be a little more quirky from my experience. We also have a significant number of pre-med, pre-law, and pre-business students as well which are paths that stereotypically include less quirky students. But as you said, hard to answer, but I don’t think the quirkiness would rule out at least submitting an application. </p>

<p>I am definitely not wealthy and Oberlin had the best financial aid offer by tens of thousands of dollars (and yes, I asked the other schools to match and they wouldn’t). Everything in town is pretty cheap and no one really drives nice cars or even leaves Oberlin all that often. I definitely don’t feel like I’ve ever been put down or couldn’t participate in anything because I’m not rich.</p>

<p>If it’s hard for you to make friends I would definitely consider joining a program house (that advice applies to all colleges, not just Oberlin). But it will help you already have a group of people with similar interests to be friends with. A lot of socializing at Oberlin is partying but not really by invitation only. People are really open and welcome to everyone hanging out but you have to know where to find them (usually at upperclassmen village housing). Although I can’t speak for the politics dept, in all the classes I’ve taken professors really encourage group studying, so that can be a good way to meet people too. Overall, I think it can be hard to make friends, but I also don’t think that problem is unique to Oberlin.</p>

<p>Good luck with applying/senior year! </p>

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<p>I want to affirm what megame18 said. I cannot think of a college with less showiness of wealth than Oberlin. There are no fraternities or sororities where wealthy students congregate, as at many colleges. You won’t see the BMWs or Benzs as you do at many schools. The wealthy students (and there are many) generally don’t want to flaunt their wealth because they understand this could make their less fortunate friends feel uncomfortable. And, they understand that just because they have been blessed in that respect does not mean they are better people because of it… </p>