Blog Entries Related To This Topic:
posted by
Ruby Turok-Squire '16 | Oberlin's dirty secret, and why it must be stopped.
posted by
Simbarashe Runyowa '15 | The Clinton Global Initiative brought together over 1000 students, social entrepreneurs, and changemakers from around the world to Washington, DC, this weekend.
But first, thoughts on the Hunger Games.
posted by
Tess Yanisch '13 | The time has come to welcome Spring! Oberlin's recent good weather has made the campus even more beautiful than usual. Green is on my mind in another way, too, as my ecopsychology research intersects with Ecolympics, Oberlin's resource-use reduction competition.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | This will probably be a first post of many discussing the most terrifying word in an Oberlin student/young alum's vocabulary: networking.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | In which my Oberlin family and I team up to send you a slightly belated valentine.
posted by
Emily Wilkerson '15 | ...I wanna write you a (winter term) blog post. That's how the song goes, right?
posted by
Joe Dawson '12 | With some pretty provocative pictures inside...
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I have been told that if you see a white squirrel on an Oberlin tour, it's good luck. I never went on a tour as a pre-Obie, but I know that seeing one (or five!) in Tappan Square truly makes my day every time.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Obies just make Thanksgiving better. I think that might sum up this entire post in one sentence.
posted by
Tess Yanisch '13 | The dilemma I am attempting to resolve is whether or not I should buy an e-reader, and, if I get one, what kind I should get. This might seem like an oddly personal and peripheral topic, but it is not. I tell you now, without any exaggeration whatsoever, that my dithering represents the struggles of our society's collective conscience.
posted by
Jacob Lamoureux '12 | Ain't it funny how the night moves? And the day? And the weeks?
posted by
Ruby Turok-Squire '16 | The womb chair, taken on the macro-scale, is an analogy for the soft, supportive, wonderful, dreamy bubble of Oberlin.
posted by
Simbarashe Runyowa '15 | On many an occasion during and after orientation when I have had to introduce myself, I have encountered a number of interesting scenarios in which my first name ignited a hilarious chain of events.
posted by
Emily Wilkerson '15 | A brief introduction to me, for you.
posted by
Eleanor Bronder-Major '15 | Or, why calculus is not for me.
posted by
Alanna Bennett '13 | I made the choice to stay on campus this fall break, partly to decompress from midterms and gear up for the next half of the semester, and partly just to embrace that deceptive stillness.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I am learning to fully embrace my membership to an exclusive 40,000 person club.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | We may not wear our Oberlin pride as sleeve tattoos, but we will drape them on our torsos in a wide array of colors and designs.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | An attempt to collect my own personal (and your!) Oberanthems. Full of music and playlists!
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I'm celebrating my 100th blog post on the Oberlin blogs, which includes a FABULOUS CONTEST with a sweet prize.
posted by
Chinwe Okona '13 | Your parents aren't lying, college IS the bee's knees and all that. I'm just making sure you start it off right, okay!?
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | The class of 2015 made us such awesome videos demonstrating their enthusiasm for Oberlin. Watch them!
posted by
Tess Yanisch '13 | Yes, college is expensive, but you have some control over
how expensive.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | In which entomology and creativity meet for a three-part manifesto on foolish things.
posted by
Patrick Doherty '11 | Several people have blogged about their journeys to Oberlin. I've decided to add myself to this ever-growing list. Partly because my journey was not what some of you might expect and partly because I've avoided telling this story in its entirety for far too long.
posted by
Christine Chang '13 | "When did you come home?" she asked. "When I say home I mean back to Oberlin."
And I thought, yes, it is in fact home.
posted by
Harris Lapiroff '10 | In five years, how am I changed?
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | In which I attempt to share my glorious friends with the world.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | In which I embrace my future as a possible spoon player in a bluegrass band (though it's still more likely that I will be a teacher).
posted by
Prof. Steve Volk | I always enjoy hearing Oberlin mentioned in the news, even the fake news, but I was particularly pleased with this Daily Show moment.
posted by
Brandi Ferrebee '10 | A series of vignettes on my Oberlin birthdays.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | New Year's with Obies, and a year-end list of things I am proud of from the past year (with related links) and resolutions for a new year.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | During finals, study breaks are most necessary. Sometimes they're planned, sometimes they're surprises, but they're always welcome.
posted by
Patrick Doherty '11 | There's nothing like listening to "Just Dance" on repeat to get up the energy to pump out the last few pages of a paper.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | A post and a toast to families away from families: Thanksgiving is what you make of it. Or make for it.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Brothers (and bikes) are pretty cool. I'm very glad I have both.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Another open letter to my family: being a big kid is eye-opening and good. Much love-profession enclosed.
posted by
Tess Yanisch '13 | I did a lot of stuff in my first year of college, activities that people usually don't get into until their later years. But more relaxed involvement takes me longer--it is, in fact, my big goal for this year.
posted by
Harris Lapiroff '10 | Zooming in and zooming out.
posted by
Will Mason '10 | Thoughts on a tough summer job, watching my friends graduate from a remove, and feeling old.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Facebook isn't how college will be, but it'll still be your one of your favorite procrastination devices when you get there.
posted by
Harris Lapiroff '10 | On coming home.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | With this Oberlin story (with penguins!) in my possession, I had to share it with everyone. I put out an all-call on Twitter and Facebook whenever I was sitting in the library working and knew that people needed a distraction.
posted by
Karl Orozco '13 | What being a Filipino American has meant to me.
posted by
Aries Indenbaum '09 | On stereotypes, underlying truths, how college is different from high school, and why we are (and aren't) a hipster school.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | When my dad graduated from Oberlin, he went to Kentucky with several recent alums and set up permanent camp on several tracts of farmland in Hart County, Kentucky. When I graduated from Oberlin, I went on a two-week trek with my family to my old Kentucky home. For me, memory lane is paved in green.
posted by
Abby Ryder-Huth '13 | On the truth behind Fearlessness, and why freshman year is not a fearless time.
Also includes: Sex and The City 2 spoilers, chasing a hen, and the best American film scene ever.
posted by
Abby Ryder-Huth '13 | Dear Oberlin,
please come back.
Love, Abby
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Four shows over two days is a big ole exhausting run, but we got the show down to an art form. It was gorgeous. (Many pictures for your enjoyment inside!)
posted by
Abby Ryder-Huth '13 | This being my first Oberlin blog entry and all, perhaps some introductions are in order.
posted by
Alice Ollstein '10 | Times in recent memory where my brain has screamed I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW LUCKY I AM TO GO HERE
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Some advice from a student who wished she could have visited Oberlin during All Roads and has subsequently enjoyed every All Roads since follows here.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | This New York spring break was defined by seeing as many Oberlin things in the real world, to complement bringing as many Oberlin things with me on breaks. In this post: The Allen Art Museum at the Met, an alumni musical revue, the Obertones in Washington Square Park, and many photos!
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | As part Oberlin public relations obsessor, part awesome big sister, I made beautiful detailed schedules that kept Ben busy and experiencing all the best things Oberlin had going on this weekend.
posted by
Elizabeth Houston '06, Admissions | In a 4-1 vote, leaders of the universe this morning elected current Oberlin College president Marvin Krislov to the post of Supreme Leader of the Cosmos.
posted by
Sam Jewler '10 | I spent the last two years of my life learning journalism at the Oberlin Review. But the time came for change, and now I've used what I learned there to help create a new environmental magazine at Oberlin.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I've been feeling introspective (as well as a bit distant as a result of way too many missed phone calls and opportunities to talk to my family) so I composed this open letter of realizations and thanks to my family.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | A rundown of my final semester of classes... featuring lots of amazing things. Movies! More movies! Things that involve cinema and not necessarily movies!
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I finished off my Winter Term with a foodie flourish and a fashion show... lots of photos included!
posted by
Marsha Lynn Bragg | This experience taught me that new and improved doesn't mean it's better. Faster is not always efficient. Cool is not always pertinent. Flashy can simply be annoying.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | On Friday, January 22nd, I saw Barack Obama, much like Mr. Hedgehog of Striking Viking Story Pirates fame. Words to describe this experience: cold, line-y, hilarious, inspiring, cameratastic, fan-tastic, fun-tastic.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | What did Obama do? He brought people together, not just the diverse group at the Stocker Center this afternoon, but two very alike people who had never talked before as well.
posted by
Sam Jewler '10 | What's the right way to protest when the stakes are highest? From Vietnam to climate change, Obies are constantly testing the boundaries of this question.
posted by
Joe Dawson '12 | "My manager told me, Mitch, don't use alcohol as a crutch. I can't use alcohol as a crutch because a crutch is something that helps me walk. Alcohol severely f____ up the way I walk. It's more like the step I didn't see."
--Mitch Hedberg
posted by
Tess Yanisch '13 | Plus a note on ObieTalk, which was written last and comes first, because it's most helpful to you prospies.
posted by
Aries Indenbaum '09 | At Oberlin, my friends are my family. They're all different: what they look like, what they care about, where they're from. But they're my people.
posted by
Sam Jewler '10 | Then a woman in the front row stood up. She was sobbing. The Lieutenant Governor couldn't ignore her emotional plea.
posted by
Alicia Smith '10 | US News and World Report is not the Bible.
posted by
Farah Emeka '97, Admissions | And of course, what did I find at the top of Black Butte mountain?--well... crazy aggressive chipmunks and a fellow Obie.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | As it is this wonderful tradition to bring as much as possible of Oberlin to New York, I implemented a plan last fall to bring as much of OCircus! to New York as possible. In this post: Circus! Photos! Autumn!
posted by
Will Mason '10 | On performing at CMJ over fall break
posted by
Isaac Yoder '13 | Isaac reflects on his first impressions of Oberlin after flying back home for fall break--only to find that his real home is at Oberlin. Awww.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | ...but it wouldn't have mattered because I probably wouldn't have listened anyways.
posted by
John West '10 | In this post: whining, zingers, too many words, neuroses, a moral, unplayable atonal blah blah blah, a payoff for those who wade through 900-odd words.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | As I mentioned before, I was back early as an academic ambassador, a friendly, name-tag-emblazoned helpful upperclassman to help the overwhelmed freshmen during their first academic duties. Other than the perk of arriving back on campus early, I got to meet a number of extraordinary new students.
posted by
Prof. David Walker '72 | On theater, travel, and the Oberlin connection.
posted by
Alice Ollstein '10 | Sure, there are a few bloodthirsty, ambitious climbers at Oberlin, and a few deadbeats content to coast on their parents' funds, but the majority have found a healthy middle path.
posted by
Leslie Braat, Admissions | I headed to a small coffee shop and discovered that it really is an Obie world after all.
posted by
Daniel Tam-Claiborne '09 | Think of it as essentially this blog (more long-form stories, anecdotes, photos), but with a slightly different focus. Now that I have graduated from my dear alma mater, I figured it was time to branch out a little on my own.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | No matter how far away you go from Oberlin, you're still going to crave it.
posted by
Daniel Tam-Claiborne '09 | It turns out that for a pair of liberal college campuses, both boasting large feeder populations from elite(ist) NYC high schools, Cornell and Oberlin couldn't be more different.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I've been working at the Decafe ever since, my hours fluctuating every semester, but I still keep signing up for hours because I truly love working there. I love playing with food, I love making people happy with their food, and I love being creative. And here is where the adjective sandwiches come in.
posted by
Aries Indenbaum '09 | Say "commencement" and I think of the iconic hats in the air, traditions, pomp and circumstance, formality... But Oberlin students don't really DO traditional.
posted by
Yitka Winn '09 | Holding that cap in my hands again this weekend and reading that message made me feel like I was getting hugged by my 17-year-old self.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | If there is one thing I learned how to do better at Oberlin that wasn't advertised at first was that I am now very good at applause.
posted by
Aries Indenbaum '09 | Oberlin students have a certain spark. It's not snark or cynicism, it's more of a slightly pointed... silliness. Weird implies non-functionality; uniqueness is too bland. Eccentric? Zany? Jaunty? Quirky? .... Does anyone have a word for us?
posted by
Joe Dawson '12 | Why is it a concession stand? What exactly are you conceding? Except common sense in what a slice of damn pizza should cost.
posted by
Daniel Tam-Claiborne '09 | The experience served to strengthen my conviction as an omnivore and made me truly realize the importance of the hunter-gatherer culture that had been passed down by our forebears. It didn't hurt that the chicken was also some of the best I had ever eaten.
posted by
Daniel Tam-Claiborne '09 | If someone told me six months ago that for spring break of my senior year I would be living on a farm in rural Kentucky for nine days with scarcely any internet or phone and sharing a room with eleven people I had never met before, I would have laughed in their face. All I can say is what a difference a week makes.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | You know that one, the one where you're scrambling to get things done and say goodbye to everyone, and y'know, pack? I like that day, but I don't.
posted by
Aries Indenbaum '09 | Spring break in Mammoth Cave! Featuring: flutes, food, camping, kodama, hiking and super-cool people.
posted by
Joe Dawson '12 | I love warm weather. Everything feels better when you can walk out the front door and realize you're wearing
too many layers.
posted by
Aries Indenbaum '09 | Some people speak Spanish, French, Chinese. My friends speak Science. If I didn't speak at least some pidgin Science, I couldn't understand them at all.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Personally, I was completely terrified of the concept of office hours my freshman year. The professors were amazing and awesome and being in the same room as them one-on-one just seemed like a god-given experience, something not worthy of a lowly freshman. So, baby steps.
posted by
Max Strasser '09 | A rather esoteric blog post in which I discuss postmodernism, historiography, the Middle East, new professors, great professors, and the true beauty of a liberal arts education.
posted by
Prof. Sebastiaan Faber | Why do so many Oberlin students double or triple major? I really want to know.
posted by
Prof. Sebastiaan Faber | My colleagues and I looked at each other in astonishment. No, we mumbled almost apologetically, we're sorry, but that is not a problem we tend to have.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | Tomorrow will be my first opportunity to listen to my completed mix, The Long Road Home. That last leg that seems to last oh-so-long will be much quicker this time.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | So, when everyone started talking about their plans for winter term in that "I'm really trying to avoid my finals work so I'm going to talk to many people I haven't talked to much this semester" time in December, I had a great name to toss into conversation, even if I didn't really know what I'd be doing yet.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I've been running this entire last year on pure adrenaline. I know why, though, and it's because the life of an artist is a long and penniless road.
posted by
Daniel Tam-Claiborne '09 | I don't know what it is about giving a speech that makes it so affecting, its ability to connect with and instill hope and pride in the hearts of listeners. All I knew at the time was that it was something I had to experience doing.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I know your parents don't want to hear this, but Oberlin students use a bunch of dirty language. One of our favorites is
work.
posted by
Yitka Winn '09 | Once people get over the novelty of Dorothy jokes and tornado questions - inevitable, I've learned, when I'm outside of my home state and meeting new people - it's actually pretty cool to be from somewhere unusual. Especially when I get the opportunity to share my hometown and state with other Obies, many of whom have never even been so far west.
posted by
Ben Jones '96 | I've been having fun reading about everyone else's paths to Oberlin, so I thought I'd throw my own story into the mix.
posted by
John West '10 | I think a die a little bit every time someone uses the word
Obie to describe
a person who goes to Oberlin (as in:
We Obies love to hate things). I think
The Grape--one of Oberlin College's many publications--described the word as (and I'm paraphrasing here) "used only by
The Review and the Admissions Department."
posted by
Chris Gollmar '10 | A couple days ago, I decided that I would take advantage of all of the free time I have on my hands and set out to Tigre, a city located in the delta of the Paraná River, a half-hour train ride from downtown Buenos Aires. I got lost exploring the island, but it was worth it.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | I took a few shots of the bells, of campus, of the students headed down the ladder. A different perspective. I live for this.
posted by
Alice Ollstein '10 | Dear Obies: Yes We Did.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | During fall orientation, while moving all my belongings from storage to my room, I got a phone call inviting me to Thanksgiving. And due to the sheer wonderfulness of this family, and their foresight, I accepted. I knew that my Thanksgiving would feel like home with the Albrechts.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | It's been over a week since the final performance of the Johnson Family Circus. I'm in an extraordinary position to continue reliving the show for days, weeks, even months after.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | It smelled of summers, winters and places I thought of as home too, though she and I only had Oberlin in common.
posted by
Joe Dawson '12 | We went back and forth for quite some time, coming up with quality lines for the ladies, and some lame ones as well.
posted by
John West '10 | So, yes, I'm eschewing that obligatory
hello my name is John. I'm a blogger. I'm really cool. Here's some stuff about me post, at least for the time being. Bios are dreadfully difficult to write, and, though my fellow bloggers have been covering Oberlin's reaction to this latest election pretty
darn well, I figured I might as well add my two cents.
posted by
Will Mason '10 | Like most people in America (I gather), I thought Obama was going to win but also was distrustful enough of my fellow citizens that I had to wait until it was announced on the news to believe it.
posted by
Ma'ayan Plaut '10 | When I tell my kids where I was when this part of history was made, I will say this: I was in Oberlin. The best place in the world.
posted by
Max Strasser '09 | "Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe not." -New York Times "Am I supposed to be surprised? No." -Me
posted by
Alice Ollstein '10 | When confronted with wastefulness and hostility, what's an Obie to do? It ain't easy being green...
posted by
Will Mason '10 | Find out more about the catch phrase sweeping campus.
posted by
Max Strasser '09 | I somehow missed this in the Washington Post on Saturday, but it's exciting: Our own Marvin Krislov, Oberlin College's president, wrote an op-ed about voting rights for students.
posted by
Alice Ollstein '10 | My packed day of activities this weekend was a perfect example of Oberlin's environmentalism, and I'm glad there were a ton of prospective students (aka prospies) here to see them.
posted by
Will Mason '10 | I'd like to use this post as an opportunity to further introduce myself (past the perfunctory greeting and awkward head shot provided by my profile).
