<p>Alright. so a few days ago, I carelessly submitted my application a month prior to the RD deadline......because I realized, only after submitting it, that I had barely answered the question of "Why Oberlin?". I literally ranted about my hatred for cars and my passion for seeking out alternative forms of transportation and ways to deal with the problems of a car-centric society. Only at the end did I mention Oberlin, which I described as a place that embraces the challenging of norms in order to find better answers to societal issues. I had some convoluted idea that everyone else essentially regurgitates the college brochure in writing "Why this college?" essays, so I had decided to be somewhat unique in my writing, but I was probably a bit too unique. I believe I was totally off base in my answer, and I'm pretty concerned about my chances at Oberlin now. Should I email my admissions representative since it isn't due until mid-January?</p>
I would leave it if I were you. No experience with this kind of thing, because I just sent in my app yesterday. I don’t feel like I answered the question very well at all either! I just talked a lot about my experiences and frustrations with the way cliques are used to structure social structures in teens, and the inclusiveness I wanted to find at Oberlin. I feel like it’s a very very basic essay but I’m not stressing out too badly.
I really feel like the short answer questions are not a make it or break it sort of thing, so if you don’t get in it’s probably not directly tied to the way you answered the question but something else in your app. As long as you tied back your answer to Oberlin in some form I definitely think you’re fine, and the rest of your app will speak for itself. They just want to see that you have a mind of your own, and I’m sure your essay showed that! Plus emailing them about submitting a different essay for it might send the wrong message, ya know? I think it sends a better message to stick with what you wrote originally.
when you say “why oberlin”, do you mean the “design your oberlin” writing supplement? My S interpreted this a little differently than “why oberlin”.
anyhow, my inclination would be to ask your oberlin admission counselor but I’m not an expert. You might want to ask your hs guidance counselor, who should have a lot more experience with this type of thing.
good luck to you!
i wrote an essay about how oberlin is my own personal microscope that i can carry around everywhere, so chances are you have a better chance than i do
@garflsmack
that actually sounds really cool.
but I’m a writer, therefore I appreciate the metaphor and the imagery it provides
The essay was about how I saw Oberlin, and I talked about being in a dream, and I was able to get a bit creative with it. I think it was more of a Why Oberlin in content, though. It was weird.
my S wrote a sonnet for his intro and ended with a shakespearean quote. The stuff between the sonnet and the quote wasn’t quite as strong but he was thinking they probably don’t see a lot of sonnets.
Well, maybe the uniqueness of my environmental tirade will inspire them to admit me.
I’m sure they see butt-kissing type Why Oberlin essays all the time. YOURS was a unique expression of something you feel passionately about, and you connected it to the fact that Oberlin is the type of school to appreciate such a feeling. Personally, I think they’ll LOVE it. They don’t need to hear why their school is great (they already know that).The whole point of these essays is to reveal something about yourself, and that’s exactly what you did. A+
I got accepted with $15K merit, so apparently I didn’t fail!!!