Oberlin College Reviews

Most people don't talk nicely...

Most people don't talk nicely about the dining hall food, but it is alright in my opinion. Certain things they do really well, others not so much. For a small school, there seems to be a good selection of food at each meal--maybe not so great for vegans though. There is also a cafe/market on campus with very good and relatively cheap sandwiches, smoothies, and salads. If you want more homey meals, co-ops are good. Food can be on the simple side, but it is more like home than a cafeteria, and healthier as well.

Off campus housing does not exist...

Off campus housing does not exist for the lovely members of Oberlin College until senior year, so students had better like the dorms.

The dining halls are consistently...

The dining halls are consistently mediocre and fast. On the other hand, OSCA (the co-ops) take five to six hours per week, but foster a great community and usually much better food.

If you want it, you can get it. if...

If you want it, you can get it. if you dont, it's not a problem to avoid.

You are required to live on campus...

You are required to live on campus for at least six semesters at Oberlin, and even after that, it's difficult to be cleared to live off campus. I personally don't think it's worth the trouble - on campus housing is just so convenient.

No Greek life. Might be the best...

No Greek life. Might be the best thing about Oberlin.

The food on campus is decent as...

The food on campus is decent as far as dining hall food goes, and the three main dining halls on campus offer enough variety. By far the best food on campus is DeCafe, even though everything is overpriced. Decafe is the only place on campus that is open all day until 1:30 a.m. Co-ops are another option and though the food varies as far as quantity and quality, the community is wonderful.

It is nearly impossible to get...

It is nearly impossible to get since you need at least six semesters in residence to apply. But, once you are at the point, to decline the option is nearly criminal. Yes, you are a bit further from campus, but the cost is second-to-none when compared with the hefty rooming and board bill that you will soon find in your mailbox.

The food in the dining halls is...

The food in the dining halls is not bad as far as college food goes, but after about 3 months a lot of people get tired of it. Luckily, Oberlin has the largest cooperative system of any college in the country (considering the size of the student body). Now I eat in a co-op of about 100 people. It can be kind of hit or miss sometimes, but usually it's very good. Much healthier, too.

Oberlin College hates off-campus...

Oberlin College hates off-campus housing. You can't live off-campus until senior year, and even then they'll do anything they can to keep you on campus.

There is no Greek life whatsoever....

There is no Greek life whatsoever. It's nice to lack that competitive edge. We have co-ops, which are laid-back program house deals.

Guys and girls are generally...

Guys and girls are generally pretty cool, and sometimes hard to tell apart. But I have both female and male friends, and they all rock. All I know is, I’ve seen some of the most beautiful women in the world on the Oberlin campus, and if not in the ‘traditional’ sense, then they’re beautiful in the fact that their whole selves are hotter than the sum of their parts.

I would have been happy a lot of...

I would have been happy a lot of places, but there is no shortage of Excos I want to try or classes that I want to take. I thought the weather and the flat landscape would be depressing, but it’s all grown on me. I like it.

The biggest drug on this campus is...

The biggest drug on this campus is post-modernism. Don’t do it.

I really think Oberlin is one of...

I really think Oberlin is one of the best places to get a good college education. Considering everything the school offers, there’s no other place I’d rather be.

I’ve liked my time at Oberlin, but...

I’ve liked my time at Oberlin, but I wish I could either start over, or graduate already. It’s the people I’ve met that are the best part, and I’ve certainly had a mind-expanding experience in my classes. I am a much different person now than when I entered, but I’m still changing, so that’s good. Oberlin has been a place for me to grow in every way, and it’s been a long, strange, but pleasant trip so far.

I love Oberlin. I feel challenged...

I love Oberlin. I feel challenged and stimulated by my classes and the people I meet (and also sometimes, annoyed and frustrated, though not in an inherently bad way). It’s not a place to go and laze around and not leave the house—people tend to be active and passionate about politics, art, food, sex, and everything else. I never wished I’d gone somewhere else, and Oberlin’s the kind of place that makes you want to change things if you don’t like them, not just sit around. I would encourage people to go here—be open-minded and be active.

The Feve is the only bar on...

The Feve is the only bar on campus, so there’s not much of an option there unless you want to drive out to Cleveland or something. I find the college-sponsored parties (i.e. Drag Ball and Safer Sex Night) usually just get gross and crowded. The off-campus house parties are usually pretty popular and entertaining.

There are only two popular bars in...

There are only two popular bars in Oberlin—the Feve and the Oberlin Inn bar. The former is the student bar and is nice enough; weekends, it’s packed with students. The latter caters more to the non-student population of Oberlin, and has a pool table and a Ms. Pac-Man arcade machine.

I don’t know of anything, really,...

I don’t know of anything, really, that’s off campus, except for house parties and the like, which are always really fun in their own right. There’s the on-campus bar/dance club called Dionysus Disco, but everyone refers to it lovingly as ‘the ‘Sco.’ Very, very cheap beer. Always fun with enough people.

Sometimes the music really rocks...

Sometimes the music really rocks and the people you go with are really fun, and then the parties are awesome. Sometimes it rains, and no one can be outside, so everyone is sweaty and crunched inside, and the band makes little sections of your brain explode, and then the parties are not as awesome.

The Feve is good. In general, I’m...

The Feve is good. In general, I’m not a party-goer, so I don’t pay much attention.

I’m personally straight-edge, and...

I’m personally straight-edge, and I like that drugs are definitely not pushed on this campus. If you want to find it, I’m sure you can. But if you don’t want to, it might as well not exist. People respect your decisions here.

This school is wonderful! It’s not...

This school is wonderful! It’s not until you’re outside of Oberlin that you realize just how much the college affects you, and the way you interact with others. You have greater tolerance for people of all backgrounds, and whether or not you are completely conscious of it, you have a greater intolerance for inequality. You find yourself volunteering and leading people, and fixing problems of any level that confront you wherever you are. I wish I were kidding, but actually, I’m rather pleased with the results.

Oberlin attracts some great,...

Oberlin attracts some great, interesting students along with the jerks that pepper all colleges. Intellectual chauvinism and pomposity are the two major repellant aspects of Oberlin students, but at least they’re not bragging about how much money they make or how well they do in school. That’s a good thing about Oberlin.