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Oberlin College
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Oberlin College - Academics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.62

Academics

A
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Comparable Schools' Academics Grades:

Quick Stats

Student-Faculty Ratio 9:1
Full-Time Student Population 2,868
Part-Time Student Population 47
Full-Time Instructional Faculty 312
Part-Time Instructional Faculty 51
Total FT Faculty 312
Faculty with Terminal Degree 96%
Average Faculty Salary $85,565
Full-Time Retention Rate 93%
Part-Time Retention Rate 82%
Graduation Rate 84%
Programs/Majors Offered 51
Average Course Load 4 courses
Academic/Career Counseling? Yes
Remedial Services? Yes
Class Sizes
  • Fewer than 20 Students: 72%
  • 20 to 49 Students: 25%
  • 50 or More Students: 3%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

As is the case at any college, classes at Oberlin range from the life-altering to the barely-tolerable. The majority, however, are personally enriching and intellectually delightful. The choice of classes at Oberlin is extensive. Even if regular academics don’t quite fit the bill, classes taught through the Experimental College program (Excos)—everything from ‘80s Movies to Chainmail & Calligraphy—surely will. In fact, there are so many choices of interesting classes to take at Oberlin that students sometimes feel frustrated there isn’t enough time for everything. It isn’t uncommon for students to take a maximum number of credit hours, not because they have to, but because they don’t want to miss out on a really great class. Oberlin students are almost masochistic about having busy schedules, and consequently, a serious work ethic prevails on campus.

Without a doubt, one of the best things about classes at Oberlin is their size—the small-class environment leads to stimulating discussions and a more intimate rapport between students and professors. The discussion-intensive nature of most classes can be intimidating to students who are not already accustomed to speaking up in front of their peers, but most students are glad not to spend all their time in big lecture halls. Professors at Oberlin are also conspicuously passionate about teaching, and they encourage meeting individually with students. Some professors even invite entire classes over for a cook-out at their house and, if you’re lucky, an additional lecture in romantic poetry. All in all, students at Oberlin have access to all the resources necessary—be it engaging professors, or the extensive library collection—to having a stimulating and gratifying academic experience.

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Oberlin Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Academics at Oberlin College

Malacoda

'15

English

N/A

I Haven't Decided

I'm only a freshman, so I haven't chosen my major yet.

Jan 12, 2012

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Academics at Oberlin College

bac13

'13

Women's Studies

4.6
A

Academics at Oberlin

The library system is awesome, and all the libraries are really great places to study. For a school with less than 3000 students, having 4 libraries is awesome! The workload is a lot depending on major and such, but that's to be expected at a prestigious private school with such small classes. The professors are all really great and accomplished. I've had professors with multiple PhDs and really intense real-world experience, like working for the UN.

Dec 18, 2011

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Academics at Oberlin College

Scantronomor

'15

Political Science and Government

4.6
A

Undecided

I don't really know if this is what I want to major in yet.

Nov 21, 2011

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Page 1 of 11

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate your school’s professors on the following topics

Rate your school’s academic environment on the following topics

Facts

Instructional Programs Occupational: No
Academic: Yes
Continuing Professional: No
Recreational/Avocational: No
Adult Basic Remedial: No
Secondary (High School): No
Special Credit Opportunities Advanced Placement (AP) Credits: Yes
Dual Credit: No
Life Experience Credits: No
AP Test Score Requirements Possible credit for scores of 4 or 5, or 3 and above in science courses
IB Test Score Requirements Possible credit for scores of 5, 6, or 7 on higher level exams in the sciences and history
Undergraduate Schools/Divisions
  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • Conservatory of Music
Degrees Awarded
  • Bachelor's degree
  • Certificate
  • Master's degree
  • Post-bachelor's certificate
Most Popular Majors
  • Biology and Biological Sciences: 3%
  • English Language Studies: 4%
  • Music Performance: 5%
  • Political Science and Government, General: 3%
Special Study Options
  • Study abroad
  • Teacher certification (below the postsecondary level)
Best Places to Study
  • Art Library
  • MUDD Library
  • Science Center
Did You Know?

Oberlin provides a winter term of four weeks in January to encourage and enable students to discover the value of self-education. This term affords students an opportunity to devise and pursue programs of independent study or research. It also gives students the chance to undertake, individually or within a group, on or off campus, other projects of educational value that the structured curriculum during the academic year cannot accommodate easily. Oberlin presents its students with the chance to learn exactly what they want on their own terms.

The Experimental College (Exco) is a department of a non-traditional curriculum taught by students, townspeople, faculty, and staff. Absolutely anyone can take an Exco course; students can take and teach Exco courses for credit, up to ?ve of which can be applied towards graduation. If you ever wanted to learn Welsh, swing-dancing, or take a course in sexual health issues, Excos provide the perfect opportunity to do so.

The Honor Committee is a student-run organization that is responsible for the continued health of the honor system at Oberlin. The purpose of the honor system is to maintain in Oberlin a high standard of academic integrity with respect to all curricular work.

Although the library has a large collection, students sometimes need publications and other materials that the library does not own. Through Inter-Library Loan, students have access to materials from libraries all over the country, and even the world. Even better, though, is OhioLINK, a free service available to students and faculty, which allows direct requests from academic libraries within Ohio. This means that students at Oberlin have quick and easy access to an incredible amount of scholarly works—perhaps one of the most important resources one could hope for at college.

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Oberlin

Name: Veronica Colegrove

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Major: Latin/Computer science

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