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.
Add your story
On singing with Collegium Musicum
“Monday and Wednesday afternoons, beginning promptly at 4:30 in Fairchild Chapel, were brief windows of respite from our otherwise whirlwind college lives.”
Martha Cargo ’07
On answering the “What’s your major?” question
“I am an economics and mathematics major. I feel, though, that I am an Oberlin major; the liberal arts approach helping me discover the subjectivities involved with looking at the world though...
Ashwin Kambhampati ’14
On Oberlin being a Division III school
“This means that athletes are not allowed assistance in the admissions process or monetary incentives to come to a school, [which] meant that everyone on our team was participating purely for love of...
Shira Korn ’11
On becoming a scientist
“Oberlin taught me to view the natural world with wonder and curiosity, and gave me the tools to pursue that curiosity in a systematic way. This isn’t to say that Oberlin turned me into a data-loving...
Jake Grossman ’08
On the larger Oberlin Community
“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.”
Miata Rogers ’14
On attending the Tank pig roast
“Events like this, where wildly different people end up hanging out together, are common at Oberlin.”
Brook Luers ’12
On coordinating alternative spring break trips
“I appreciate the drive of everyone in the IYS leader group and their willingness to continue reflecting and moving forward with our ideas and work. ”
Sylvia Woodmansee ’15
On training
“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)...
John Shaw ’07
On finding community
“For me, La Casa has been an important touchstone with which to keep in contact with my Latino heritage and language--all too easy to lose sight of in the hustle and bustle of pursuing academics and...
Nico Lara ’18
On the lifelong connection to Oberlin’s values
“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...
Christopher Sanders ’08
On organizing a mentoring program in Lorain, OH
“The culture of Oberlin encourages students to get deeply involved in what they are passionate about and to make a difference.”
PJ Carter ’09
On his work at the Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research
“Working for eco-social transformation in Oberlin is endowing me with a far deeper understanding of many things, including how to write a grant proposal, build a project vision, and seek to change...
David Fisher ’12