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 learning to cook in a co-op
“But in a co-op, plan incorrectly and you could be swimming in pinto beans, have enough lasagna to cover a mummy, pop enough popcorn to fill a bathtub - or not prepare enough vegetables to feed a...
Jenny Bower ’13
On falling in love in Russia
“I brought my dictionary everywhere, but sometimes I was amazed that two people could connect in a way, especially with humor, that didn’t always involve complete cognitive understanding.”
Stephanie Patterson ’07
On Oberlin’s inclusive music scene
“Collaboration plays a fundamental role in the community’s constant appetite for great art. This inclusivity is indicative of the communal Oberlin personality that makes it such an incredible place.”
Charles Abbott ’14
On America’s first black president
“I’m glad and proud that I … and countless other Obies who have also shared their stories here all rejected the paralyzing fear of “otherness” that keeps people apart and keeps our world fragmented.”
Myrina D. McCullough ’69
On organizing a Bassoon Quartet tour of China
“As someone who was reluctant to go to college “in the middle of a bunch of cornfields,” I now can’t imagine having gone anywhere else for school ... no other institution would be so supportive of my...
Joycelyn Eby ’09
On finding his “voice” again after so many years of medical training
“I am blessed that I remained firmly committed to my seemingly disparate passions for voice and medicine. Professor Miller must have been able to see something then that I never could have...
Tom Carroll ’96
On the improv scene at Oberlin
“[It] is so accepting and completely full of fantastically talented and inventive people who want nothing more than to “yes” what you give them.”
Corina Bardoff ’07
On her semester abroad
“What does dancing on the bar of a rural Austrian disco have to do with an Oberlin education? (Answer inside!)”
Nora Frederickson ’10
On a second home
“In addition to the rewarding experiences I’ve gotten from my service sites, over the past two years, the little house known as the Bonner Center became my go-to place.”
Eint Kyi ’16
On finding her path
“Oberlin opens up so many opportunities and challenges for students to explore life choices that even if you have absolutely no idea what you are heading for... you will always somehow find your...
Qian Cheng ’13
On the Oberlin Journalism Workshop
“Meeting and working with some of the best in American journalism, many of them Oberlin alumni, was truly inspiring.”
Alicia Smith ’10
On coordinating the Light Bulb Brigade
“Ten months, 10,000 light bulbs, and one bachelor’s degree later... this is something that for me has come to define Oberlin.”
Kristin Braziunas ’08