When I committed to Oberlin and set up my email address, I began to receive the Campus Digest every weekday in my inbox. The daily announcements email told me about fun events happening on campus, achievements of students and staff, and opportunities to travel to Cleveland for concerts, performances, and sports. Reading about all the incredible things going on at Oberlin made me so excited to take advantage of everything Oberlin had to offer. I pictured myself going to every possible event, exploring every opportunity, and traveling to Cleveland every week, and it seemed perfect.
When my first semester began, though, I realized that my academic and social life would keep me busier than expected. I got involved with a cappella and choir pretty quickly and made a great group of friends, and once my classes got underway I was frequently in the library studying for hours at a time. Don’t get me wrong, I went to plenty of events on campus, but I definitely wasn’t going to Cleveland often—there just wasn’t time.
However, a few weekends ago I got an email from the Oberlin Program Board with signups for upcoming events, including a trip to Playhouse Square for SIX, one of my favorite Broadway musicals. SIX is basically a cross between a pop concert and a traditional Broadway show, reimagining the six wives of Henry VIII as pop singers as they tell their life stories. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for years, so it felt like too good of an opportunity to pass up. I signed up almost right away; after all, it’s not every day that one of my favorite Broadway shows is in town!
The week leading up to my SIX show was one of the most stressful weeks of the semester thus far—I had a paper and a presentation coming up in one class, an exam in another, and rehearsals for a cappella and for choir, meaning I was pretty much constantly busy. Most of my friends also had a lot of work, so even in my limited free time I didn’t have many chances to see them. By the end of the week, I doubted whether I even wanted to go to see the show. I thought it might be better to spend the night working on my paper or studying for my exam. However, I’d also been really, really looking forward to it, so I decided to give myself a break in the hopes that the trip would relieve my stress, and I'm so glad I chose to attend!
First of all, the show was incredible. The music was amazing, the performances were even better, and I had a great time! At the end of the show, I cheered so loudly my throat was sore on the bus ride back. That alone would have been worth the trip, but it also reminded me of how many opportunities I had at Oberlin. The Oberlin Program Board is seriously great—they organize so many cool trips, and they’re often discounted! I paid around $35 for my ticket to SIX, which is much cheaper than a typical Broadway tour ticket, and most paid Program Board trips are at a similar price. I hope to see other shows in Playhouse Square soon, and I’d encourage anyone to take advantage of Program Board events! If Broadway shows aren’t your thing, they have lots of other events throughout the year—orchestra concerts, sports games, outdoor events, and trips to destinations in Cleveland. You don’t even have to leave campus; the Program Board also organizes fun on-campus events like holiday parties.
Perhaps most importantly, though, I realized how important it was to take time for myself. In the weeks leading up to the show, I hadn’t been the best at that—I’d been going nonstop trying to get my work done, but the night was a really nice mental break! I’d also gotten caught up in trying to do everything with my friends because I didn’t want to miss out on anything, which was both fun and exhausting. In the days since, I’ve been trying to do better at striking a balance between having fun with my friends and taking time to relax or do something alone every once in a while, and I think it’s helped me a lot. The moral of the story? Treat yourself every once in a while, too! There’s so much to do at Oberlin, so you’ll definitely find something fun that fits your interests, and you won’t regret it.
