All Roads Lead To Current Student Reflections on Prospie Experience
BY MATT GREEN

Every year at this time, students anxiously await the signs that Winter has ended and Spring is finally here: blooming flowers, warm weather of and hordes of prospective students wandering through campus. 
All Roads Lead to Oberlin, the College’s annual period of mass

(photo by Kate Silverman)

recruitment efforts, takes place once a year in April, coordinated to coincide with religious holidays and admissions letters. Somewhat of a misnomer, the “week” spans a two-week period, concluding this Sunday. It presents an opportunity for admitted students to visit campus, form impressions and decide whether Oberlin is the right school for them. 
The College’s goal is to give prospective students the opportunity to experience a brief snapshot of attending Oberlin. Commonly referred to as “prospies,” students can visit a wide array of classes, go on tours, attend information sessions and stay overnight with hosts in dorms.
Jill Medina, Assistant Director of Admissions and an Oberlin graduate, said All Roads is “one of the most effective yield tools for recruiting students. Fifty-five percent of the freshman class in the year 2000 had visited campus.” 
Prospies travel to Oberlin, some alone, some with their families. The average travel distance is approximately 500 miles, although the range of distances is immense. The event even draws international students. Medina spoke of meeting a visiting student from the Philippines.
A huge undertaking, All Roads, organized by the office of admissions involves many departments and organizations throughout the College. Planning for the event begins in December.
“The biggest challenge is managing volume and communication. We can always improve on that. But there have been no major glitches,” Medina said, recollecting the years since 1997, when she began work at Oberlin. 
The reflections of Oberlin students on their experiences during All Roads are often disparate. Most Oberlin students enjoyed their visits, but recollections are mixed. 
“I wasn’t planning on coming to Oberlin until I came to All Roads Week,” senior Dan Flynn said. 
Flynn recalled being shown a pamphlet on the problem of race relations at Oberlin. “It demonstrated that people were passionate about issues, that there was a real dialogue.” Largely from interacting with students, Flynn said he received a relatively accurate impression of the school from his visit.
“This school is full of nerds, at least they won’t make fun of me,” one student, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, remembered thinking during his visit. He is now a sophomore.
Michael Sowiski, a junior, said he did not have a good visit to Oberlin, but still felt it was the right school for him. “[All Roads] is not very representative of what my life at Oberlin is today,” Sowiski said. 
For prospies, the experience can often seem somewhat overwhelming, as they are bombarded with information and pressured by the important decision they must soon make. 
Jonathan Sacdalan, a high school senior from Chino Hills, Calif., seemed enthusiastic at the end of his three day visit. The experience is “sufficient enough to make a decision,” said Sacdalan, who is considering the Oberlin Conservatory as one of his top choices. Among other things, he was impressed by the scholarly atmosphere, the breadth of Con resources and the degree of independence among students. He even spoke highly of the food.