Oberlin College Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Parker

There are a good number of "hippies," but there are also plenty of other types of kids. Not everybody smokes weed. The campus is definitely liberal leaning, but most college campuses are. Overall, Oberlin kids can't be grouped under one category.

Chris

Stereotypes always have some sort of truth to them. It is a very liberal campus but at the same time, being free to express yourself doesn't mean that every one is LGBTQ. The freedom of expression and thought here at the college makes it easier and more comfortable for students of a LGBTQ background to interact and do as they please. Football players are still seen as jocks and idiots. To some degree, thats true, but we all made the grade in order to get into Oberlin College, and some of the smartest guys I know, were my teammates. Its also a positive to be able to do well at a school this challenging, while balancing a sport or job as well. So these stereotypes are accurate, but stretched most of the time.

Harper

Unfortunately, like everyone else, we are sometimes scared shitless. Oberlin is actually an extraordinary melting pot of personalities, talents, opinions and backgrounds. The students do generally come from intellectually rick backgrounds, from wealthy parts of the US, but there are many exceptions to this as well as all other generalizations. The presence of drugs and alcohol is in no way overwhelming but the carefree spirit of the student body and willingness to explore definitely becomes apparent in many freshman dorms and at parties on the weekends. Students balance academics with social activities well but take their studies very seriously. Especially the musicians on the campus, they are known to hole up and practice and can be expected to warrant a missing persons poster if you don't fully understand their habits. Some students do seem a little on the sexually frustrated side and the comments "there are no good male/female prospects" frequently show up on the oberlinconfessional website. But this problem seems to be more talk than anything and you can encounter both awkward and chivalrous wherever you go. Athletics at Oberlin was surprisingly more enriched than I had assumed and if you give it a change you will see that while we don't always have the best football team, students are actively involved in athletics, it's a growing program that is beginning to take an even fuller shape in the scheme of things and that there are unique athletic opportunities at Oberlin that exist in very few other places. To sum it up, Oberlin may be stereotyped as many things, and you may see some cases where those prove accurate, but out of any school you could think of Oberlin is probably one of the hardest to truly find a label for. There are so many positive experiences, people, and opportunities here that you can only define the awesomeness of the place by experiencing it yourself, not by what anyone else has to say.

Ryan

While there are many people who I would identify in these categories. I would also say that there are some very cool, nice, and interesting people here at Oberlin. I would tell new students not to come in with any preconceived notions on anyone. Get to know someone before you actually judge them.

Kelly

Every stereotype is based in truth but none of them are absolute. A lot of us are a lot of those things but you'll always find exceptions.

Alex

No, not all of them. There are definately some people who fall into each stereotype, but there are people like that at every school. I think the only stereotypes that are true across the board are that Oberlin students are creative and that there is always something happening on campus. Not all Oberlin students are overtly creative, but I feel that there is something innately creative about all of the Oberlin students I have encountered. Also, there IS always something happening on campus, it just might not be something that everyone wants to do! You can find some kind of concert on campus any night of the week and there are always club activities and meetings.

Vincent

Yes in some instances, however, the diversity is so great here that you can find tons of different kinds of people, atmosphere...But in the same time, it seems that people that go here are a little bit extra special, just a little crazy I think...

Casey

This is a silly question. No stereotype is a comprehensive represenation of human complexity. Some students possess these qualities, in many different combinations. They remain variegated and whole people. The above response is a stereotypically Oberlin response.

Bree

Nope. Most people here are interesting-pretty. Not classically attractive, but definitely more of that lasting kind of attractive where, every time you see them, they seem to get better looking. We do spend a lot of time studying- Oberlin is an intensely academic school, but it doesn't kill your social life that you have to study. In fact, it enhances it! Also, pot is really easy to get here and a form of release many people use to chill out on weekends, but you can always find people who don't smoke if you're not into that sort of thing.

Andy

For the most part, yes, although some jocks and preps are creeping in the edges, sadly.