Why I Chose Oberlin
From time to time we will feature articles from our writers or guest bloggers on why they chose their college. Isadora is a recent grad from Bronx High School of Science, and will be attending Oberlin in the fall.
My choice for Oberlin as a college may seem strange to some, because it is the polar opposite of the high school I attended for the past four years. Coming from a large specialized high school, I was used to the class size always reaching and going over capacity. I was accustomed to the feeling as if I was one of many, and that there was going to be no hand holding. So what I looked for when I began my college search was a small school, where there was a small professor to student ratio and small classrooms sizes.
Then, I had a dilemma. One of my main academic interests that I wanted to pursue was the Japanese language. In a small college, specific subjects like that are sometimes not easy to study extensively, as it depends on the amount of resources or if there are any professors that specialize in the subject.
With a certain interest in mind, I picked out schools where I would be able to pursue Japanese. That’s how Oberlin wound up at the top of my list of colleges. It is a small school with an enormous number of resources. While the size of the college is the same as my high school, around 3200, that does not stop the school from having 6 levels of Japanese and programs to study abroad. When I visited, I found that many of the classes have less than 15 people and are discussion based and very intimate. Along with a lot of other things that enticed me about Oberlin, it was the school that solved my problem.
While it is a good idea to not be too pre-professional and be open to finding what you really want to study during your college years, you should do some research to find out what each school offers in the areas that interest you. The best way to do this is to visit the actual school, attend a class or ask a professor or student about their programs so you get a first hand opinion.
The next best way is to explore the website of the college. Most colleges have websites for each of their departments. On these sites you can view a number of things. Oftentimes the courses in the department are shown, and you can see how many there are. For example, with the schools I was looking at, I looked to see how many levels of Japanese they had to offer. There are also usually links to tell you about study abroad programs, or connections to internships or projects to supplement your learning of the subject. Lastly, you can research the professors on ratemyprofessor.com and find out what students have to say about their teaching abilities.
Do not be afraid to let the college that your applying to know that you have a strong interest in a certain subject, it can often be a way to sell yourself to the college. For example, when I wrote my supplement for Oberlin I wrote that Oberlin seemed as if it were the perfect fit for me because I could pursue what I really wanted to study. I wrote about my experience studying Japanese in high school and my trips abroad there. The essay probably showed them that I had something to offer the college, that I was a student with experience and an idea of what I was going to do at Oberlin. The colleges want to hear that their resources and facilities are what you are coming to use, and that you have true reasons for wanting to attend their schools.
The process of selecting schools to apply to is a scary one, but you can save yourself time and energy if you cut to the chase. Whether it is marine biology, Arabic, history or English that you see yourself studying extensively, it pays to find out more about what your schools have to offer in that area. And exposing your interest in the subject to the college, will help the admissions officers learn a little bit more about you, which is always a good thing!
Related posts:
