Oberlin Blogs

Prospies Ask What?

April 27, 2023

Natalie Frank ’26

As an admissions ambassador who hosts, tours, and shares meals with prospective students (prospies), I’ve received a rainbow of questions I am delighted to answer. Chances are, if you are a prospie, you’ve wondered a few of these yourself.

Here, I’ve collected ten random questions that prospies have asked me. Of course, there were many more that I’ll cobble into another post, but here are some of my favorites! 

What is the best dining hall?

The best dining hall is obviously Heritage, our kosher-halal dining hall, but don’t tell Heritage that I ate at Lord/Saunders (soul food) for dinner and Stevie (general college food) for lunch. I’m not cheating on Heritage, I promise!

(Follow-up question) What was that really amazing juice that I had?

Passionfruit + orange + guava juice. Find it at Stevenson, and thank me later.

Do you have a car?

I don’t have a car. Oberlin is a walking-biking campus, meaning we don’t have many parking lots. Instead, we cluster our parking lots on the edges of campus, so we have space for green space, like Wilder Bowl, Tappan Square, the koi ponds, the Arboretum, The koi pond next to the ConservatoryNorth Quad, South Quad… you get the picture. One of my prospies said it best: “I love the grass.” We have grass because we don’t need cement lots for cars. 

In other words, everything is within walking or biking distance. It would take me thirty minutes to walk from the far end of campus to the other end. For my friend Isa, who’s from New York City and calls me the slowest walker ever, it would take twenty minutes. Whatever, I like walking slowly.

Where are you from?

I’m from Wisconsin. No, I’m not from Madison. You know Milwaukee? Fantastic, I’m still 1.5 hours from it on a good day. If you know the Green Bay Packers, winners of the 2011 Superbowl, I’m thirty minutes from Green Bay. I live in Neenah, Wisconsin, a small city in the Fox Cities, a cluster of towns, villages, and cities along the Fox River. My high school has around 2,500 students, and Neenah is four times the size of Oberlin. Neenah and Oberlin are similar, but they are eight hours apart. While cities hold allure to me, I wanted a community at college, and a small town was a way to ensure that.

So, you’re in Circus?

Fine, fine, because you are all clamoring to know. I am in the circus and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ll write a blog post about it one day, but until then, I can give you the TL;DR (too long, didn’t read). I didn’t do circus before I came to Oberlin, but I was looking for a community and friends like all the other first-

A man on a rope in circus
My friend Jude on silks in our fall show.

years here. Circus seemed like the elite sport to join, so I did. There were seven days of practice every week, and I went to most of them. Within three months, I learned how to juggle three balls, then four, then clubs. I became an acrobat too, which was more of an accidental decision than anything else. Three (four?) circus shows later, I’m learning to unicycle and have the pleasure of training in a gym full of my friends. If you’re looking for a D1, highly competitive, and athletic activity to join, I’d recommend OCircus!. (I’m just kidding, we aren’t a division sport.)

Is there a crocheting or knitting club on campus?

We have Kit and Knit nights at the Dionysus Disco Club, Oberlin’s campus bar and music venue on campus. At the Art Library, there are knitting nights, and we also have a local yarn shop. I’d recommend checking out Kate’s post for more details. (: 

Does Oberlin have a climbing wall? 

Not only do we have a climbing wall, but we have a climbing wall, a bouldering cave, and a team of qualified students to help get you in the air! My friend Isa works there, so I am highly qualified and unbiased to tell you that the student staff there is incredibly welcoming and friendly. Check it out.

Can I take a picture here?

Of course. If you’re visiting, I’d recommend taking as many pictures of Oberlin as possible. There’s a reason Tappan Square is popular for wedding and graduation photography. Who doesn’t love bronzing leaves in autumn, fluffy snow in winter, or budding flowers in spring? Oberlin in summer? *Chef’s kiss.*

Tappan Square in fall
Clark Bandstand, Tappan Square.
Where do you recommend eating lunch?

Personally, I love Aladdin’s Eatery. Wait, no, I love Lupita's Mexican Restaurant. Or Lorenzo’s Pizzeria. Don’t make me decide! The point is, you can’t go wrong here.

Do you like Oberlin?

No. I love Oberlin. If this blog didn’t convince you, I’ll return with another post like this soon. 

Do you have more questions? Ask them in the comments below, or find me around campus when you visit!

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