Oberlin College Top Questions

Yes.

We certainly have both hippies and hipsters here in larger proportions that many other schools, but there are many, many other kinds of people too. You won't find a huge number of students that would classify themselves as "mainstream" but though they generally don't admit it, they do exist.

There are some very strange people. There are some shy people. There are some hipsters. I don't think we're particularly rich or elitist though. We have all different types, just that there are not many frat boys/sorority girls. Instead, the upper social strata are occupied by hipsters.

Like most stereotypes, the ones about Oberlin are only part of the truth, products of exaggeration and exclusion.

All of those stereotypes exist on campus but not every student at Oberlin fits those stereotypes. Not everyone is an activist but most people have issues that they are concerned about. They may not march in protests on a regular basis but they try to affect their cause in other ways. While there is a liberal bias I think that in my time here Oberlin as a whole has become more aware of and ready to listen to conservative views. Finally, while there is undeniably a drug culture on campus there is no pressure to be a part of it if you don't want to be. Overall Oberlin is very accepting of who you are and what you're interested in.

The stereotypes are partially accurate- the general view is very liberal, but exceptions occur. Although there is undeniably a lot of smoking and sex (the college sponsors 2 dances- Safer Sex Night, and Drag Ball) these activities only apply if you want them to.

YES! Their are a lot of really crazy people who discriminate against others (White men take the biggest hit) and sacrifice everything to be "PC." Then again, their are people, like myself, who don't fall into the extremist camp. While their are many dope smoking vegans, some people drink a nice red wine (or seltzer water) with their steak.

Yes, but those kinds of people are really just a very vocal minority. There is an OC Republican club, several Christian groups, and the students in the Con are much more politically diverse. When students for animal right's protested the neuroscience department's use to (gasp!) lab rats, most of the student body did regard it as ridiculous. The hipster scene is kind of annoying, and the college does pour a lot of money into sports. So, the stereotypes aren't the full picture of Oberlin.

Yes. Incredibly, incredibly accurate.

not for everyone, it's a balanced mix between all kinds of people. i think of it as the place where high school misfits belong

Mostly. Not all the kids are super weird like most people would think, but it is a quirky campus. The musicians and superb, however, and we do try hard to stay green.

There's always a grain of truth to all stereotypes, in some way. We have our hippies. I enjoy hippies a lot. They give off great vibes, sometimes cook some great food (sometimes not) and are totally inoffensive most of the time. There are, however, a lot of hipsters who smoke a lot of cigarettes. These are, obviously, the extremes. Hippies and Hipsters make up about 10 percent of the college, I'd say. They're simply the ones everyone likes to focus on. Most people are simply intelligent, hard-workers who tend to like getting stoned every now and then. Everyone who goes to Oberlin is a little 'off-kilter', true, but we attract to other 'off-kilter' people. It's a good vibe, overall.

some of them--you can find all of those things here. but most people don't fit easily into those categories.

There are hippies, and there are hipsters, there are people that care a lot and there are people that smoke pot all day. The stereotype is only accurate for a select group, but Oberlin is overwhelmingly liberal for the most part.

I think there stereotypes definitely have some basis in truth.

Fairly accurate, but not your typical hippies.

YES!

We have plenty of people who fit those stereotypes, but just as many who don't. But we barely have any conservatives on campus at all.

Absolutely.

in reality, there are too many types here to generalize. we've got lots of hipsters.