I was so excited when I got accepted to Oberlin in 1987. For over a year I thought about nothing other than going to Oberlin.
I spent 4 years there and there was good and bad to it, like anywhere. But overall, I thought it was a good experience.
And then, I went out into the real world. And I slowly realized that I had gaps. There were basic elements in my education that were missing and I had no real training or capabilities to function in the real world.
So, I spent 2 years at St. John's College in Annapolis MD filling in my education gaps. And, I spent a number of years learning how to get a job, build a career, handle taxes etc.
That's not necessarily unusual: many people coming out of college have the same problems with learning about real versus academic life.
But, it is a different thing when you've paid the kind of money you do for Oberlin then (and more especially now). You walk out into the real world with a lot of debt and that really does impact how you can get along when you really do being your life.
The really hard, grown-up question you have to ask is this: is an Oberlin education REALLY worth that cost when you can get an education at a solid state school for a fraction of the cost?
My answer is no. Especially since, the secret no one tells you is that once you're out of college, no one cares where you went: they just care that you went somewhere.
So, my recommendation: go to a good state school and save the mountains of debt you'll incur for something that really matters like a house.
If I had kids, I wouldn't send them to Oberlin (or any other school of its kind).
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