Oberlin Stories Project
We have collected hundreds of personal narratives from students, alumni, faculty, and staff that explain the merits and strengths of Oberlin through the eyes of those who have experienced it firsthand.
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On Oberlin’s composition students
“It’s routine for me to be told by our guests that our students are the best they encounter anywhere in the world, not just for the quality of the works they display but also for the incisiveness of...
Prof. Lewis Nielson
On mouthing off in public
“If I hadn’t said it and it hadn’t been heard, I’m not sure I would have met Professor Whelan in the way I did or formed a friendship with her.”
Kepler Mears ’17
On clarity and falling down
“...In this moment I became aware of how much more comfortable with being alone I had become during my time at Oberlin.”
Eliot Hart-Nelson ’15
On being a docent in Oberlin’s world-class art museum
“I have been leading tours of the museum’s broad and overwhelmingly impressive collection for almost four years now, and the joy of engaging visitors in discussions concerning art has only...
Ally Sterman ’09
On becoming a writer
“This piece was not just a reflection of my own competency, like other formal essays had been; this was someone else’s story entirely.”
Zoe Gould ’14
On finding an alumni mentor
“What will always remain the most important aspect of the relationship are the stories we have shared, the lessons I have learned, and the friendship we have formed across the generations.”
Robert Palacios ’13
On the culture of Oberlin
“We carry ourselves with an air of courtesy and responsibility to others that shows itself daily in both our smallest actions and in our viewpoints about the way the world should be.”
Louis Grube ’09
On a foundational winter term project
“Under Professor Matlin, I gained confidence in my lab work and got to befriend older student researchers who were already engrossed in the chemistry department and greater scientific community.”
Gabrielle Walsh ’18
On habits developed at Oberlin
“I spent mornings at Black River, nursing coffee and developing an addiction from which I have no intention of recovering. I read political theory that made my brain feel like it was on fire. I read...
Anne Hoffman ’08
On learning from peers
“My education at Oberlin has occurred not only in the classroom, but through living and constantly engaging with so many different people from so many different life contexts.”
Sarah Cheshire ’14
On conducting a youth orchestra
“Music is a living art, not to be kept in the glass cases of history museums...I can help foster that kind of energy and excitement about performing in another generation of musicians.”
Maurice Cohn ’17
On the universal language on soccer
“Intramural soccer has given me a new knowledge base... I’d be lying if I said that my current appreciation for soccer hadn’t solidified my choice of pursuing Hispanic studies at Oberlin.”
Max Hovey ’13