One thing about Oberlin is that no matter the season we always have tours running for prospective students and their families. I know that the decision to tour a school is a big one, and is also an exciting step towards your future life! I also know that deciding what year and what season to visit is also a big choice. I wanted to write a blog with both my personal advice as well as general observations that might be useful as you make your decision about if you should tour Oberlin, what year to tour, and what season. Before I begin I want to recognize that many students (including myself!) aren’t always able to be this precise with when they plan their tours. This is completely okay, and therefore I hope this blog serves more as guidance as to what you can plan to expect whenever you do end up visiting.
Should you tour Oberlin? If you have the means to visit I highly recommend touring. Our online resources are great, but there truly is nothing that compares to physically being on campus. There are so many students I’ve heard from that said they ended up choosing Oberlin as their first choice college after touring. Maybe it’s the tour guide, maybe it’s going to an event, or maybe it’s simply just getting to experience Oberlin in person.
We offer tours year round, and also some specialty visit programs! One that I highly recommend to admitted seniors is our All Roads Lead to Oberlin program. This is an amazing opportunity to audit classes, speak to professors and current students, as well as make friends! A very similar opportunity is our Junior Visit Program, which is good for students that want a very in depth perspective of Oberlin.
This all being said, if you aren’t able to tour in person on campus then I would suggest checking out online resources as well as scheduling a virtual interview. Not only is it a great way to find out about Oberlin but it’s a great way for us to learn more about you!
What year of high school is best to do college tours? Most students tour during their third or fourth year of high school. However, some students visit earlier with older siblings or just to simply get ahead of the crazy whirlwind that is college application season! I personally recommend touring closer to college applications as opposed to earlier. I toured Oberlin during 9th grade and then again during 11th grade. My perception of Oberlin was very different during my tour senior year because I had grown more as a person and narrowed in on what my priorities were in choosing a college. As a result of my tour during 11th grade I decided to apply early decision to Oberlin!
What season should you visit? There really isn’t a wrong time to visit! All of the seasons are beautiful at Oberlin and bring their distinct beauty. This being said, oftentimes families are disappointed when they visit campus during breaks given that they didn't expect a decrease in student activity on campus. For some people it’s really easy to imagine what areas of campus are typically busy, but for others they need to see it to believe it. Therefore I recommend checking the academic calendar before you visit, they way you know whether to expect classes to be in session or not. Other than this tip, you can’t go wrong with your choice!
Summer- Campus is a bit quieter, but the weather is warm which makes exploring campus by foot very pleasant. Outdoor dining, picnics, and other seasonal events are plentiful!
Fall- The leaves are beautiful during fall, and the weather is perfect for walking around with a warm cup of coffee. Campus is bustling and there is a good mix of indoor and outdoor events.
Winter- Campus looks beautiful in the snow! This being said, most students will be inside so you’ll have to be willing to explore and poke around a bit to get a good sense of where students hang out during colder seasons (or just ask current students!).
Spring- The weather is very spontaneous, but it’s kind of fun that way! The flowers are also gorgeous.
I hope this gives you some guidance as to visiting campus and I can’t wait to see you around at Oberlin sometime soon!
