Oberlin Blogs

Eli Goldberg ’12

Hey there! I'm Eli. I grew up in Shelburne, Vermont (a little town with a big teddy bear factory), and came to Oberlin basically on a whim. I've been here for three years now — minus a stint abroad at University College London — and haven't regretted it for a minute.

As a double major in archaeological studies and ancient Greek, I'm fully qualified to translate Athenian legal speeches and squint at potsherds under a petrographic microscope. I've spent the last three summers doing field work in Italy with the Sangro Valley Project, where I stumbled on the honors project that's currently swallowing my life: a geochemical analysis of Roman terra cotta tiles.

My other love is sexual health and education: in the evenings you can find me in the HIV Peer Testing office or the Sexual Information Center, planning workshops and running counseling role-plays. After that, it's off to bake vegan treats in Harkness Co-op, sip tea with friends, or catch a folk show or a contra dance. More rarely, I have been known to retreat to my room on Classics Hall for some much-needed sleep...

When I first came to Oberlin, I was amazed to find so many delightful people and exciting opportunities. Now I'm in my last year here, and I've got no intention of leaving until I've done everything and met everyone. I'm excited to tell you all about it — and if you see me around campus, please say hi!

Entries from this blogger

Honors: The View from the Far Side

June 16, 2012

There are a lot of stories that I could tell about the process of writing my thesis, but I'll just share one piece of advice: if you doze off during a late night in the library, when the building closes you will get locked in.

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Some thoughts on liminality

May 20, 2011

Earlier this week, Brandi asked all of us what our favorite word was. My answer: "liminality" -- the state of being in-between, caught between two states of existence, on a threshold...

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How tofu got me into college: my Common App essay

December 17, 2010

If you applied Early Decision for the class of 2015, here's a small distraction from the long, painful wait by the mailbox! And if you're working frenetically on your Regular Decision essays, hopefully this will serve as inspiration ... or maybe a model of what not to do ...

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Shelter from the storm

December 9, 2010

I am beginning to think of Oberlin as a secret society, or a religion, some bizarre underground cult. Once you discover that it exists, you can't go anywhere without running into fellow initiates.

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Hark is where the heart is

June 5, 2010

I've spent the last week preparing to leave Harkness, the co-op where I've lived since my freshman year. So - to alleviate my own nostalgia, as well as give some info to folks who are filling out their housing forms - here's a little bit about Harkness.

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Guys and Dolls

January 12, 2010

Roman roof tile, Radio Free Association!, the Ladies' Home Journal, and more affairs of Winter Term living

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