Resources for New Students

This page is intended to introduce you to some of the most commonly accessed websites and tools you’ll need to succeed during your transition to Oberlin College and throughout your first-year.

We are incredibly excited to welcome you and help ensure success as you begin this journey!

Academic Resources

Academic Advising Resource Center (AARC)

The Academic Advising Resource Center (AARC)/Office of the Registrar supports academic advisors and students on issues related to academic success, progress toward degrees, courses, grading, and academic standing.

Admitted Students Portal/Forms

Your entry point to a variety of required items and resources.

Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research

We work with students, faculty, staff, community partners, and alumni to facilitate common efforts that address the most pressing challenges of our time.

Career Development Center

Oberlin College’s Career Development Center helps students and recent alumni identify and achieve meaningful career objectives that build upon their Oberlin education and experiences.

Conservatory Student Academic Affairs

This office and the Student Academic Affairs (SAA) team helps with tasks related to many of the academic requirements and regulations for conservatory and double-degree students. 

Libraries

The Oberlin College Libraries consists of the Mary Church Terrell Main Library, Terrell Special Collections, The Oberlin College Archives, The Clarence Ward Art Library, The Conservatory Library, and The Science Library.

Office of Undergraduate Research

The Office of Undergraduate Research provides intellectual and administrative support for students conducting research with faculty members at Oberlin College.

Peer Advising Leaders

Once you arrive in Oberlin, you will meet your assigned PAL—Peer Advising Leader—from either the College of Arts and Sciences or Oberlin Conservatory. These PALs are trained to support you during your transition to college life—how to get around campus, offices to frequent for academic advising and personal assistance, best places to study alone or with a group, where to buy (or attain for free) essentials, how to manage your time, and much, much more. PALs also help first-year students use Oberlin’s academic and developmental advising system to its full potential.

Read more about PALs

Through our PAL Program, we want to:

• improve the quality of students experience, learning, retention, and success
• support students in learning to take advantage of the great range of educational opportunities and developmental support at Oberlin
• help students gain skills in interacting across our diverse student body within a supportive environment

Essentially, PALs want to show you how Oberlin works so that you can fulfill your academic goals and flourish both developmentally and socially while you’re here.

Meet this year’s PALs:

College PALs
ConPALs

Technology for New Obies

There are a few steps you’ll need to go through to get access to all things technological on campus, beginning with activating your ObieID.

Campus Resources

Campus Dining

Oberlin has a contract with AVI Foodsystems to operate the dining halls on campus. AVI is an on-site restaurant company that provides café and catering services to the college. It is especially committed to cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients in an environmentally sustainable fashion. AVI is committed to providing the best services to Oberlin students.

Campus Safety

Campus Safety remains open 24-hours a day to provide assistance and respond to immediate health and safety concerns from the faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center provides psychological support to students as they pursue their academic and personal goals, and strives to enhance the quality of each student’s experience at Oberlin.

International Student Resource Center

At the International Student Resource Center, a holistic approach empowers students to actively focus on the ongoing processes of self-exploration and reflection. 

Office of the Dean of Students

The Office of the Dean of Students has as its mission to lead and inspire the Division of Student Life and to foster a sense of community in this residential college in which students build lasting relationships 

Multicultural Resource Center

The Multicultural Resource Center, or MRC, provides programs and services that affirm and promote equity for students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and first-generation college students. 

ObieSafe

This website gathers the planning, guidance, and support we all need to make good choices and live out our pledge to one another and to our community.

Orientation

You can plan to begin your Oberlin transition during the summer as our Orientation Program will include a range of remote activities before the fall semester even starts. 

Residential Education

“ResEd” maintains a personal presence in students’ lives through its staff of resident assistants (RAs) and village assistants (VAs), full-time students who help build community.

Student Employment

The Student Employment Office is committed to promoting student employment opportunities that can provide valuable work/education experience.