Oberlin College Top Questions

NYC, Philedelphia. Rich white people a lot of times. often pollitically aware, lots of talk, not always much action, pretty inundated with info so often paralyzed and uninvolved. no, people do not boast about making money, unless they are confident about their inability to care about other better things.

Oh what a great bunch of folks

Oberlin is much less diverse than the college likes to advertise itself as. There are a lot of white kids -- a lot of upper class white kids who like to rebel and act like they are poor. Everyone wants to be poor at Oberlin. That sounds like a strange statement, but there is a certain shame of being wealthy here. People don't flaunt money here as much as they do at larger public universities. They don't cruise around in expensive cars or flaunt pricey designer clothing or accessories. There is also often a lot of self-segregation of people from different backgrounds -- ethnic, racial, religious, interests, etc.

So so so so so much of Oberlin is very awkward socially. I feel like we're all on a path here of becoming more socially smooth, but it's definitely a process. Conservatives in Social Science classes would definitely feel out of place, though there is a proud Republic group on campus that may alleviate those woes. So much of Oberlin is from a wealthy financial background, that sometimes it can be very difficult as a working- or middle-class student to find people to relate to. Sometimes it just blows my mind that so many people here have such a disposable income. Often, middle-class students will get bitter about their financial situation, and working-class students feel lucky to be here, but totally marginalized.

There are a ton of groups that deal with oppression and social justice on campus. They bring cool speakers and discuss interesting topics, but a lot of times gender politics overshadow everything else, and sometimes the school is too PC for its own good. Students interact with all different types of students, and on the whole, Oberlin is a pretty laid back place. Students are not overly concerned with their image, or at least those who are convey a pretty non-traditional image (hippie, hipster etc.) Oberlin is definitely a place full of privileged people, but the endowment rocks and there are a lot of students on financial aid. Oberlin is really left-wing. Even liberals sometimes feel like it is too over the top, but that PCness is not impossible to avoid, but it is something you can feel on campus. Oberlin is definitely not a place where people try and brag about their socio-economic status, the opposite in fact.

oberlin is one of the most tolerant places for lbgt people... for freshman orientation, we have assemblies about transgender concerns... oberlin is primarily white, upper middle class, liberal, people mostly hail from Boston, new york, new jersey... there ARE a lot of californians, texans, and people from chicago, too.... MOST students are liberal.... generally conservatives may feel out of place here (BUT the Conservatory is a unique institution, too...) At the same time, there is a lot of campus activism from the various racial communities... A LOT of student groups.... The Multicultural resource center is a great resource for people... they do workshops about lbgt concerns, class concerns, the EL Center for transgendered people and women is a campus resource, too. unfortunately, many "liberals" may not be too tolerant of Christians (because they only think Christians are like the white, right winged men they see on tv); at the same time, there is a group called Ecumenical Christians of Oberlin is a great group; they work with the local ministers... there IS a large Jewish community on campus... and there is a Kosher Halal co'op.... most students here joke about how LITTLE money they make after they graduate... because we are doing what we love

Most of the students range between liberal and radical; there are very, very few Republicans. We have a lot of people from Boston, the DC area, and New York. In my experience there are a lot of LGBT students on campus and they're pretty much universally accepted. I might be getting a skewed picture because I'm part of that community myself.

Great people. Open minded. Probably some of the most open minded people in this country. Come from all backgrounds socially, but it is indeed a mostly white school. People care about politics, care about the enviroment, and really care about learning so they can fix up politics and the enviroment. its cool.

Oberlin is complicated. I would not say that it is necessarily as ideologically homogenous as it seems, but it is definitely true that some people are more vocal than others, leading Oberlin to seem extremely leftist or radical. And I'm sure that in relation to much else of the country that's true, but there's a lot of deviations from the Oberlin 'party line' if there is such a thing. Racially and economically I honestly can't say. The longer I've been here the more I've come to appreciate the very different backgrounds we've all had, and it's become harder to say that we are all exactly what I thought we were. That being said, this is an expensive, traditionally liberal school, and the student body reflects that.

Oberlin's student body is comprised of people who scored well on their SAT's and consider themselves to be quirky and/or awkward and want to be in a place where they feel normal because other people are more quirky than them. I am like this, except there are no people here that are quirkier than me perse. I need to take action, and I only kind of like that. Most Oberlin students are from Maryland, Ohio, and California. I'm not from any of those places. I really dislike the Ohio landscape topographically. Do different types of students interact? No. But there are very few types of students at Oberlin.

People at Oberlin are generally pretty PC, in part because there's a huge lesbian and transgender community, along with a good number of gay guys. Our racial diversity is a work in progress, but I'd say it's mostly because we're in the midwest. We definitely have a number of rich kids, most most people are middle or lower-middle class, and we're very generous with financial aid for those who need it. Someone intolerant would feel out of place here, I suppose. People wear whatever they want to class, but we're not so big on the sweatpants ...you'll see the occasional guy in a skirt. I'd say we're not very cliquish, though LARPers and certain groups of Conservatory students tend to mostly associate with each other. Oberlin students are from everywhere, but a great number of them are from California, New York City, the DC area, and Ohio. We're very politically active and aware, but often in ways you wouldn't expect - Oberlin students came out in droves to fight against a coal plant. Yes, we're lefties, commies, and anarchists - but I'm a moderate with libertarian ideological leanings and I feel perfectly comfortable here.

The most annoying thing about the student body is the large population of people who are actually pretty comfortable financially but adopt this poor persona to seem cool or something. I don't really get it but it can be annoying when people judge you because you went to private school or have a car or whatever. That said, everyone is cool, especially if you call them out for being an ass.

so far left we went past right and back to left again? that may not actually be true. but it's at least partially true. still, we could do with some more tie-dye. THOUGH when it's nice out a lot of people don't wear shoes. and we have an awesome circus.

Social justice is very important here. A thriving LGBT community and lots of talk about race and class. Most people are quite open to everyone, but there are a few normies who get pissed off that kids at Oberlin aren't normal. They're definitely a minority though so its not a big deal. Everything from hipsters to punks to anarchists to moderate democrats to musicians to wierdos resides here. Good, interesting people. Have more to talk about than sports and clothes.

There's sort of a divide between North Campus, where the athletes hang out, and South Campus, where there are more co-ops and program houses. The college is diverse supposedly for what it is, but I was struck by how rich and white it was, particularly the co-op I was in freshman year (Harkness). But there actually is a lot more diversity outside of that and a lot of awareness and discussion of identity issues. People wear all sorts of kooky and not so kooky things. It's entertaining. A lot of students are from New York and Massachusetts (boring) but also a lot from California and Midwest rural states, which you don't get a lot of at many colleges, and that's sweet. I never eat in the dining hall. Co-ops are so great.

Freaky radicals!

Very Liberal! I think most students are middle-upper middle class. People don't talk about their money that much like they do at school in the North East. A lot of the richest kids happen to live in Harkness (one of the hippiest dorms) and look the least put together. You wouldn't know until you see them step into their mercedes or when their parents come to visit.

You would probably feel out of place if you were highly religious and conservative. Its quite diverse.

The average Oberlin student is white, fairly wealthy, and very liberal; LGBT and race issues are always at the forefront of discussion and awareness, which can make the transition to the less politically correct real world a shocker; Oberlin's extreme liberalism can sometimes take the form of secular dogmatism and strong anti-conservative attitudes; Republicans and devout Christians probably feel out of place at times; students come from a wide variety of financial backgrounds, thanks to the incredible amounts of financial aid offered by the College; very politically active student body.

the stereotypical city girl/boy or beach girl/boy who only follow mainstream ideologies, fashion, lifestyles and are not open to varying ideas etc might not enjoy it