Unconventionally Attractive

Introduction
Oberlin is not like high school, and that's a good thing. It's talkative, opinionated, quirky, liberal, and intense. People live in their heads -- they think about everything and sometimes too much (what we call "oberanalyzing"). Students not interested in having their ideas chalenged (this goes for Liberals as well as Conservatives), or who just want to slide by without getting involved (who just want a college degree) should steer clear. You will have your beliefs questioned -- not in a rude way, but in a curious way.

Campus Life and Social Life
Social life is pretty laid back -- if you want to party, then party. If you want to see a sports game, then go. You don't have to do either to fit in. Students are most likely to just hang out in the dorm talking. There are tons of concerts and shows and speakers, especially on the weekends, and since there's a Conservatory of Music here, the concerts are really good. Parties and serious drinking mostly take place off campus. And yes, many of us do study on Saturdays (in the afternoon, not the evening). The town is cute -- not much going on in and of itself, but there's enough going on in the campus to occupy students. There's a one-screen movie theater built in the 1930s in town that charges $2-3 for a movie, which is kind of amazing. Academics
Except for one or two mediocre ones I've had, the rest of my professors have been really good. I've had some amazing professors, and some who fall into the "I'm-brilliant-but-I-just-can't-lecture-well" category, which I don't mind (because they're still amazing 1-on-1). There are no TAs teaching (even the labs are taught by professors, sometimes with the help of TAs), and the workload is intense but doable. This is not a school to go to if you want to slide through without doing much work.

Student Body
Students are from all over the U.S., but there are a lot of students from California and New York (definitely a New York City contingent). The typical student is the kid in high school who also felt a little bit out of the mainstream, like they wanted something different and didn't quite fit in. Students are into social and political issues. They're into trying random new things like learning to tight-rope walk or joust on bicycles.

In Closing...
I thought the Oberlin Admissions material was cheesy when I first saw it:
Think one person can change the world? So do we.
Learn. Make a difference.
but actually it's true. This is a good place to get an education and also learn about the practical ways that you can use your education to make a difference in the community. We have really cool alums too.