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 spending a winter term in France
“There was certainly a lot I didn’t know when I got off that plane in the Paris airport. If my time in France taught me anything, though, it’s that there’s a certain beauty in not knowing.”
Megan MacDonald ’13
On his voice teacher, Kendra Colton ’83
“She taught with a firm, guided, and encouraging hand, but always listened openly to my thoughts and ideas. She allowed me to find my own voice instead of telling me what I should be.”
Jeffrey Hill ’09
On living in tiny communities
“They are exhausting and overwhelming and stressful in a way that only intense familiarity can be. They are also wonderfully intimate and deeply comforting and rewarding.”
Celina Siegel ’18
On Oberlin students singing Sondheim songs... for Sondheim
“The students sang some of the more difficult songs in the Sondheim canon and nailed each one - fully knowing that he was backstage listening to them.”
Steven Roth ’77
On college and community radio
“While my interest in WOBC started with a desire to pore through the seemingly endless music library, it ultimately made possible the most significant part of my Oberlin experience so far: meeting...
Nandita Krishna ’16
On his January spent underwater
“Thanks to the Winter Term opportunity at Oberlin ... I’ve had the opportunity to see a manta ray in Hawaii, turtles in St. John, garden eels in Saba, docile sting rays in Cayman, and the most...
Joshua Levy ’94
On learning to bake bread in a co-op
“Once I got over the fact that I could fit a few Hansels and Gretels inside the oven, it was just like any other kitchen, just larger and more awesome.”
Connor Lee ’09
On embracing public speaking
“My tenure on the Student Union Board helped me to know with certainty that I wanted to enter a world of pivotal dialogue with a firm, clear voice, and gave me confidence that I could.”
Ty Diringer ’14
On bonding with professors
“On bowling night, anyone interested in the History department can come to the College’s bowling alley and bowl for free! Why is this fun? Because most of us can’t bowl to save our lives.”
Patrick Doherty ’11
On his poem about football at Oberlin
“The moment of revelatory tenderness I try to capture in this poem, exposed as it was by this rough game, meant as much to me as anything else I experienced as a student and remains very poignant to...
Dore Kiesselbach ’88
On joining OSteel
“I loved that I began to feel like a good musician even though my musical experience had been limited since age 10, when I quit piano.”
Alicia Dudziak ’13
On a day in the life of a double-degree student
“I was congratulated by friends who had either attended my honors economics presentation or had played my piece in the orchestra... how impossible my life would have been had I taken my diverse...
Woan Foong Wong ’09