Oberlin Blogs

What's the point of that extra application essay, and what should you write?

I just wrapped up a week's worth of travel in Dallas, my first trip of the '09 travel season.

In this post: the Montreal International Recorder Competition, recorders that look like plumbing, apocryphal stories, adorable taxi drivers, the death of punk, and Glenn Beck killing a frog.

Once upon a time (specifically, January 14th, 2006), I was a more-confused-than-usual high school senior applying to Oberlin.

If we don't know that you're interested in Oberlin, how can we tell you about all the cool admissions events that happen each year?

I have the unique perspective of having gone through two applications processes and now introducing new applicants to Oberlin, and so I want to give prospective students (or "prospies," as we fondly call you, in reference to our own nickname of "Obies") an idea of what it's like to visit Oberlin as a prospective student.

I headed to a small coffee shop and discovered that it really is an Obie world after all.

I love being a tour guide. The job is to share what you love while walking backwards, connecting with people from across the country and the world. What's more rewarding than that?

These aren't secrets to getting into your dream college, I apologize. I don't think there is a formula for that. What I'm offering in the following post is an approach to making your application a solid representation of yourself.

Or, why we've all been too busy to blog lately.

Wayyyyy back when I was a wee 'un, I wanted to go to a glorious place, one I had read about in books and seen in movies. College! It was everything I wanted! But first, I had to apply. And applications require writing.

"You know," one of them said, "Chewbacca is the only one in his family with a normal name."