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 her first-year dorm
“I hope that incoming Obies who decide to live in Barrows or Dascomb will experience the same feeling I felt often my first year... It was simple, but I felt like I was home. I think that’s good...
Anna Ernst ’10
On being part of a team
“I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find every single Horsecow who had come out to practice that day staring back at me. The Flying Horsecows [make] everybody love to play Ultimate, even when...
Luke Herrine ’10
On being part of the Posse scholarship program
“The other students who received a Posse scholarship to go to Oberlin that year were incredible leaders in their communities; I was proud to be included alongside them.”
Hope Rehak ’11
On teaching the Planet Earth ExCo
“Most students at Oberlin are conscious of environmental pollution and the rapid depletion of resources. I wanted to tap into that awareness and help it manifest.”
Sarah Fries ’12
On the lessons learned working for the Oberlin Review
“[I’ve taken] with me the grinding productivity, invention of necessity, and constant grace under constant pressure that I acquired down in Burton basement.”
Ben Newhouse ’04
On finding a musical community
“The music, the dancing, the performers--all components of the show emanated pure joy. I hadn’t overlooked, however, that OSteel was quite advanced musically, so it never even crossed my mind that I...
Maya Zeemont ’16
On studying abroad
“I embraced that experience because it helped me learn a lot more about myself. I found my voice, my interest in learning different languages, and my interest in teaching.”
Jessica DePaz ’14
On implementing Oberlin ideals
“As a reporter, I have the power to actually change the world. I can uncover corruption and expose it. I can discover things and show them to people, change the world by spreading knowledge.”
Steve Bagley ’06
On making new friends on a service trip
“Everyone was open to each experience we encountered, greeting each inevitable trial with a smile, a shrug, and a “we’ll figure it out.””
Charlotte Landes ’13
On living the double-degree life
“There was no holding me back, and I plunged into both areas of study. My weekday schedule was intense ... the discipline to practice and study, the drive to learn came from inside.”
Nancy Chapple ’83
On the way we treat writing at Oberlin
“I was so deeply engaged and tangled up in writing as a living, morphing entity, that when I got to graduate school I couldn’t tolerate the aridness of what passed there at the time for intellectual...
Judy Karasik ’75
On academics at Oberlin
“Understanding the subject matter of any class at Oberlin is an undertaking that requires a deliberate purpose of mind. Professors bring you to understand a subject without ever just giving you the...
Toussaint Mears-Clarke ’09