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 collecting stories in Nepal
Sage Aronson ’12
“I had this fantastical notion that I would just walk up to someone, and be like, “Hey man, you have any stories?” Then, I would sit back, regaled by their idiosyncratic tales. This was not to be the...
On singing with Collegium Musicum
Martha Cargo ’07
“Monday and Wednesday afternoons, beginning promptly at 4:30 in Fairchild Chapel, were brief windows of respite from our otherwise whirlwind college lives.”
On learning Russian during Winter Term
Gwen Krosnick ’08
“Sharing, with two of my best friends, those moments of joy and frustration, hilarity and utter confusion - it is something I could never have dreamed of anywhere but Oberlin, something I will...
On discovering intramural sports at Oberlin
Ashley Docherty ’13
“At Oberlin, I expected to just exercise my mind; playing intramural basketball gave me a chance to get moving and be a part of a team.”
On learning to be a writing tutor
Sean Nagamatsu ’07
“It was not simply a course in how one tutors. It was an exploration of writing as a catalytic form of expression and interaction. It was the complete taking apart of how I put together words and...
On the larger Oberlin Community
Miata Rogers ’14
“I was looking for a college with a town...I wanted to be able to engage in a community outside of the college itself. I found that when I visited Oberlin.”
On Oberlin’s life preparations
Jacob Myers ’12
“Oberlin’s crash course in cultural understanding gave me open eyes, open ears, and an open heart, and at the end of the year, that’s what helped me learn the most from my own experience.”
On the Music in London winter term project
Brianna Murray ’18
“During this three week trip, I was able to experience life outside the United States for the first time as well as immerse myself in the musical culture of a vibrant city.”
On being a non-traditional student
Sue Angell ’99
“I came to Oberlin in 1995, as a 22 year-old transfer student and the mother of a two year-old boy... determined to get the type of education that would help me raise my son as a single mom.”
On the ExCo Program
Netta Rappaport ’12
“What other place allows any undergrad student with a decent idea to create and teach their own course?”
On training
John Shaw ’07
“With the curtain obscuring most of the fieldhouse from view, the track became a tunnel that my distance mates and I would fly around countless times at every imaginable speed and level of (dis)...
On the lifelong connection to Oberlin’s values
Christopher Sanders ’08
“Oberlin instills in each student a dedication to improving the lives of others... I continue to incorporate my four years of experiences into my everyday life while working in the U.S. House of...