Oberlin Physics Major

People think that Oberlin is full of crazy hippies and really weird people, and of course that it's an extremely liberal place.

As with any sort of stereotype, the reputation that oberlin carries is not entirely accurate. The school is indeed a very liberal place, and extremely progressive-- it definitely lives up to its history of forward-thinking and being on the cutting edge of social and environmental change. But the students aren't totally weird- we're totally normal, I promise!

Though I chose Oberlin relatively randomly during my college process, I really believe it was the perfect fit for me. It's just the right size, at about 2800 students- there are few enough people that you can recognize someone virtually everywhere, but enough people that you are meeting new people every day. It is a little bit out of the way, since there isnt too much to do around Cleveland and Lake Eerie, and the town of Oberlin is literally 4 blocks. But the campus makes up for this rural setting by providing endless options for activities, and the town really does have everything students need, including a great pizza place that closes early and a pretty bad one that stays open till 2. I approve of the new administration; President Krislov makes a very visible effort to spend time with students, hosting Coffee with Krislov every other week. They have made some changes, however, the most notable being the change in Oberlin's ad campaign- from "Think one person can change the world? so do we" to "we are oberlin. fearless." This has most certainly been the biggest recent campus-wide controversy, as most students felt that they were not consulted about the changing advertizing campaign and didn't approve of it at all. There is a lot of school pride, but not in a typical paint-your-stomach-for-a-football-game way. The typical oberlin student is really involved on campus, either with athletics or various jobs around campus or the student union (all student clubs and activitites), and we love it. One of my favorite experiences at oberlin will always be the first time my friends and i went swimming in the reservoir in our arboretum late at night- so much fun!

The average class size at Oberlin is about 33 students, and your classes will NEVER be taught by anyone but a professor, so there is a great close-knit environment in the classroom. Professors generally know your name and are extremely accessible- they want to spend time with you outside the class and answer all your questions, and every week the club on campus hosts Professor Beers- (discounted beer if you bring a professor), which is a great way to get to know your profs in a different setting. Academics are extremely rigorous, but the competition is only with yourself- there is very little student-student competition, which is great because it means that you really have a chance to work with and get to know the people in your classes and students are very willing to help each other. I love the 9-9-9 system of requirements, because it's the perfect compromise between having a strict core curriculum with required classes and having no guidelines at all. And the few requirements we do have are very very easy to fill- I was done with all of them in 3 semesters without even trying. Students definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class- I'll never forget one time when I was walking around campus and I passed three groups of people in a row, the first discussing a symphony one of them was in the middle of writing, the next debating philosophy, and the last heatedly discussing the primaries - I thought, wow, where else could this happen but here?

The student body is not quite as diverse as the college claims it to be, but it is an extremely open community and everyone is very friendly and accepting. Of course there is a very specific atmosphere on campus that may not be for everyone, but I'd find myself hard-pressed to think of one TYPE of person that wouldn't fit in, and I was very impressed when I got to campus freshman year with how open everyone was- and still is! I think it's more of an individual thing, althought you may find yourself in more than your share of debates if you are a raging conservative republican. I think that the most represented states on campus are New York and California, although most of my friends ended up being from the Midwest and the South, so I'm not sure it's really all that important...
The most important thing about Oberlin's student body is that its priorities are in order. Students are passionate, and they're willing to pick majors and extracurriculars that truly interest them, that will truly benefit the world, no matter what this means in terms of being rich in the future.

There are no frats or sororities on campus, which I think is great because it means that nobody depends on one source for their social life. But no worries, there are still ample opportunities for partying every weekend, and usually on thursdays too. The 'Sco- the dance club on campus, is actually really fun most of the time, and they offer lots of deals throughout the week like Professor Beers, Slplitchers (which means cheap pizza and pitchers), and quarter beers (self-explanatory). There's a different dj theme each night of the week, as well as pool tables and even a cage for dancing in.
There are a million and one things to do every day, and people often say that oberlin students live 30 hours days because they just never stop doing! My roommate and I co-coordinate the Hunger and Homelessness Campaign for Ohio PIRG (public interest research group), which keeps us VERY busy planning and hosting events on campus, fundraising, volunteering in town, etc. but it's a really rewarding experience. Athletic events are pretty popular on campus, especially soccer, rugby and frisbee.
The dating scene is some murky territory since there is the added factor that you may not know what kinds of people any love-interest is actually attracted to! But overall people seem to do alright- I think it's a pretty typical percentage for a college campus of students who wind up in relationships.
There are a ton of options all the time for activities so students are rarely bored- the administration is EXTREMELY good at programming, which is where a great deal of the student activity fee from our tuition is spent- it's absolutely worth it. People who have come to campus during my last two years have included David Sedaris, Kal Penn, Ishmael Beah, and even Jerry Springer! Really interesting bands come to play, as well, thanks to the very active student union- including Girl Talk and Of Montreal. The Conservatory puts on over 400 performances each school year, which means there is NEVER an excuse not to go to an incredible (and free) concert at least once a month. Once a month the organists put on something called an Organ Pump, which is very exciting but you'll have to come to oberlin to find out what it is!
There isn't a whole lot to do off campus, but if you or one of your friends has a car there's a big movie theater about 20 minutes away and a few big shopping centers not too far either (useful around holiday time). There is of course Cleveland only 20 minutes or so away, and while there may not be THAT much to do there, there is certainly enough, including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. There are lots of fun bike trails around campus, too, for when the weather is nice.

people smoke a lot of weed.
but, amazingly, there is NEVER any pressure to do any kind of drugs or drinking if it's not your thing.