When I originally began my college search I went in with the intent of finding a college that was completely my own. I didn’t want to go somewhere where friends or family attended, and carefully selected schools that matched this criterion. While many students discover colleges through connections like these I avoided them at all costs. I wanted an experience that was entirely my own and one based around novelty, risk-taking, and uniqueness.
This being said, after reading through the entire Fiske Guide to Colleges I realized that Oberlin pretty much exactly matched with what I was looking for in an undergraduate institution. I wanted a small liberal arts college in the upper half of the U.S., small class sizes, a unique and engaged student body, and a school that encouraged academic exploration across disciplines that were equally valued by the college.
Oberlin checked all of these boxes and more, but I still couldn’t get over the fact that my mom was not only an Oberlin alum, but a dedicated and devoted fan of all things Oberlin, keeping up with every webinar, magazine, and news article. However, so as not to inadvertently self-sabotage myself I decided to tour Oberlin during my senior year and instantly fell in love. Not only did Oberlin perfectly align with my pre-determined requirements for a college, but also far exceeded them by exposing me to a funky and devoted college community, professors that went beyond their responsibilities of teaching and became active participants in their students' lives, and a campus that valued agency and activism both individually and as a community. After that tour I decided to apply Early Decision to Oberlin and haven’t looked back since.
This is all to say that, while I’m aware some students might be hyper-focused on finding a college that is completely their own, going to my mom's alma mater has had so many unexpected surprises and benefits. I’ll start by saying that there is not just one definition or experience to Oberlin. Oberlin means a different thing to every single student; students frequent different dining halls and buildings, take different classes, participate on campus differently, etc. How I experience and engage in the Oberlin community is completely different from my roommate, my classmates, and in the case of this blog, my mom.
Oberlin is constantly changing, growing, and re-evaluating. People come and go, buildings are added, policies are changed, the list goes on. But the core values and guiding principles have remained unchanging, and is the reason both my mom and I ultimately prioritized Oberlin above any other school.
There is no person more interested in my experience at Oberlin than my mom. She is interested in my classes, my hobbies, clubs, friends, even what I ordered at Feve for dinner. It’s fun to compare our shared experiences together, but more so my mom is interested in my experience. And I think that somehow hearing about my time at Oberlin has only added to the memories and her continued time at Oberlin.
When she visits campus we visit old favorites like the Feve or Apollo Theater, and also try new favorites like Thi Ni Thai or Kim's. We joke about the Biology department curriculum, how the dorms are exactly as she remembered them, or how she wishes Umami existed during her time on campus. When she’s not visiting, our shared experience of being Oberlin students still has a beautiful unexpected presence in my life. I imagine her walking down the science center hallways on her way to lab if I’m having a tough day and need some motivation, can call all of the buildings by their nicknames when I’m talking about my day, and try to not only get as much out of Oberlin as she did, but also give back to campus and leave it better than when we both found it.
Oberlin is all the more special to me because it is my mom's college too. We have different experiences and memories, but Oberlin belongs to both of us. And that is more special than high school Chloe could have ever imagined.
