Oberlin Blogs
20 Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me Before Oberlin
May 2, 2015
Samantha Smylie ’17
Similar Blog Entries
A Letter to Pre-Oberlin Me
January 13, 2023
There will be countless days and nights that you’ll hold in your heart, maybe too many to fully remember, but I promise you’ll love the experience and you’ll grow exactly into who you need to be.


Move-In, Part 3: Journey Across America
September 26, 2022
A tale of two girls in their week-long trip driving from California to Oberlin.

Responses to this Entry
For someone considering Oberlin, this is a great!
Posted by: Chandler on May 2, 2015 5:37 PM
(As the purveyor of the initial question: I'm so glad you're still thinking about it — the question is designed to make you reflect! — and that you shared more extensively what you know now.)
I have spent several summers here and my recommendation for that time of year is actually plastic flip flop sandals! It still rains here in the summer (though a bit less than spring and fall) and when it's warm outside it's sort of terrible to wear rain boots because they can get really hot as you walk around.
Also, a recommendation from observing this in Harkness: the most popular person in building was the person who went to the bank at the beginning of the semester, got $40 in quarters, and then you could buy the quarters from them whenever you needed to do laundry. It was a great way to make friends and to assure that everyone around you had clean clothes, too!
And to the rest of this list: very much yes.
Posted by: Ma'ayan on May 4, 2015 2:39 PM
Yes virtual panels! I've done about four of those and each time I get asked that question I come up with some off-the-cuff knowledge drop that Ma'ayan later re-quotes and I get all excited like "who said that?!" and laugh when I remember it was me.
Also this starter list is spot on! Hangers are SUPER important and probably the most forgotten thing on a college student's shopping list next to a laundry bag/basket or light bulb for the desk lamp. The Oberlin Plague is DEATH and it comes in three waves each and every semester. If you must get sick, be in the middle wave where the sickness is at its most mild.
Related to OhioLink students should also check out Interlibrary Loan (ILL), you can request photocopies of journal articles, conference papers, books, etc. that if you can't find them on campus, in our databases or on OhioLink you have another source.
Posted by: Alex on May 18, 2015 5:46 PM
Leave a Comment