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 the energy of the arts at Oberlin
Adam Kander ’07
“This is Oberlin at its best. The constant performance, observation, and absorption of art in all its various forms. Oberlin is a place where art and creativity thrive, as long as there are students...
On spending a semester in Tunis
Rachel Colwell ’10
“Intrepid or crazy, there I was, jumping off the deep end, learning to swim, learning about other people and about how to be myself in a new place.”
On finding the lull in the storm
Lena Glickman ’15
“I have learned the value of quiet... that taking a break from thinking so hard to just feel for a moment is what makes me happiest at Oberlin.”
On leaving Oberlin and returning
Emily Nord McClintock ’76
“What I thought must be standard fare at all colleges - the excellent music, the spectacular art museum, the earnest students - proved not to be standard at all.”
On discovering the community of Afrikan Heritage House
Ambre Dromgoole ’15
“I had found a community that I knew would have my back, a community that I have now come to love and am unable to see myself without.”
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 the lasting effects of her time at Oberlin
Martha J. Tenney ’83
“Years later I have a career in public health and the things I love are the things I loved that helped create the squiggly route to NOW. ”
On road trips with lacrosse teammates
Hank Willems ’76
“As we were passing the Firestone tire factory, I remarked, “All I can smell is burning rubber.” A minute later a car passed, the driver gesturing frantically. Glancing around, we realized that our...
On answering the “What’s your major?” question
Ashwin Kambhampati ’14
“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...
On the Oberlin Catholic community
Shane MacDonald ’08
“I discovered that it was exactly the type of diverse community I was looking for. People of all religious stripes were there: converts, lifelong devotees, Anglicans, and even spiritual hobos such as...
On skills learned in the Conservatory
Michael Vito ’04
“In [performance], we must take all of the experience and ability we have attained through our own development and integrate it with that of others... an exercise in fluid, nonhierarchical leadership...