Anonymous
09/15/2025 00:55
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Thanks! He will 9 APs total after senior year and only 80 percent of his HS is college bound. Very few leave the state, so...it is really his immediate friend group w/ the grind culture. No course data in CDS but the admit rate for men is 28 percent and for women it is closer to 35 percent--not what I expected. But I wonder if the women applying, overall, had higher grades...
Anonymous
09/14/2025 22:50
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know how hardcore they are on their language expectations? Our son took through Spanish 3 in 10th and is taking 11th grade off from Spanish at school with our support because he just wasn't learning ANYTHING...his junior schedule includes AP Lang AP CALC AB, and APUSH but also regular physics, Choir and PE. He's worried that Oberlin won't think this is enough rigor. Math is hard for him, and he's consistently a B student in math, 28 on math ACT (35 English)
so we wanted him to have space in his schedule to get extra help as needed to get through calculus. If Spanish 4 is THAT important I guess he could pick it back up senior year if he doesn't take another science. Or he could try to do a summer course before senior year. He did ask the admissions counselor and heard back that taking Spanish 2 and 3 only counts as 2 years so he's def. got less language than they want. It is highly likely he'd take AP Lit and AP Stats and AP CS as a senior which would mean no lab science and no history--again, that might also be...not great. I took a far less "rigorous" HS schedule and now have a PhD so...I am convinced he'll be fine, he's just very stuck on schools like Oberlin and Macalester, and that may just be unrealistic.
My kid was also one of the early RD admits on this thread. They ended up getting into their ED school the following day so we had to say no to Oberlin’s generous offer. My kid’s situation was a little different because their DMV area charter is very AP forward. Students must take and sit for at least 6 APs, one of which must be Calc AB or BC and one lab science. Students aspiring to selective colleges must take 10 plus APs to be competitive from that school. Most if not all students take AP language or language IV in 11th and a language capstone in 12th. I suspect this is more than what most schools are looking for. Oberlin’s CDS should give some insight into which courses they think are required for admission.
Anonymous
09/14/2025 21:08
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Thank you! He was saying "I don't want them to think I'm lazy..." I hate living in a world where a kid taking APUSH and AP Calc is worried about that, (or any kid!)but he does have friends taking 5 APs and no lunch, early bird classes etc. So grind culture does breed anxiety...
Anonymous
09/14/2025 13:49
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know how hardcore they are on their language expectations? Our son took through Spanish 3 in 10th and is taking 11th grade off from Spanish at school with our support because he just wasn't learning ANYTHING...his junior schedule includes AP Lang AP CALC AB, and APUSH but also regular physics, Choir and PE. He's worried that Oberlin won't think this is enough rigor. Math is hard for him, and he's consistently a B student in math, 28 on math ACT (35 English)
so we wanted him to have space in his schedule to get extra help as needed to get through calculus. If Spanish 4 is THAT important I guess he could pick it back up senior year if he doesn't take another science. Or he could try to do a summer course before senior year. He did ask the admissions counselor and heard back that taking Spanish 2 and 3 only counts as 2 years so he's def. got less language than they want. It is highly likely he'd take AP Lit and AP Stats and AP CS as a senior which would mean no lab science and no history--again, that might also be...not great. I took a far less "rigorous" HS schedule and now have a PhD so...I am convinced he'll be fine, he's just very stuck on schools like Oberlin and Macalester, and that may just be unrealistic.
My kid, who was one of the early admissions on this thread (is not attending) took 2 years of one language in HS and 2 of another. Got her worst grades in language classes (languages were just not her thing).
Anonymous
09/14/2025 13:46
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know how hardcore they are on their language expectations? Our son took through Spanish 3 in 10th and is taking 11th grade off from Spanish at school with our support because he just wasn't learning ANYTHING...his junior schedule includes AP Lang AP CALC AB, and APUSH but also regular physics, Choir and PE. He's worried that Oberlin won't think this is enough rigor. Math is hard for him, and he's consistently a B student in math, 28 on math ACT (35 English)
so we wanted him to have space in his schedule to get extra help as needed to get through calculus. If Spanish 4 is THAT important I guess he could pick it back up senior year if he doesn't take another science. Or he could try to do a summer course before senior year. He did ask the admissions counselor and heard back that taking Spanish 2 and 3 only counts as 2 years so he's def. got less language than they want. It is highly likely he'd take AP Lit and AP Stats and AP CS as a senior which would mean no lab science and no history--again, that might also be...not great. I took a far less "rigorous" HS schedule and now have a PhD so...I am convinced he'll be fine, he's just very stuck on schools like Oberlin and Macalester, and that may just be unrealistic.
My Obie had 3 years of French when she applied but one of her friends only did one year of Spanish, so I'm not sure it's that strict.
Anonymous
09/14/2025 13:36
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anyone know how hardcore they are on their language expectations? Our son took through Spanish 3 in 10th and is taking 11th grade off from Spanish at school with our support because he just wasn't learning ANYTHING...his junior schedule includes AP Lang AP CALC AB, and APUSH but also regular physics, Choir and PE. He's worried that Oberlin won't think this is enough rigor. Math is hard for him, and he's consistently a B student in math, 28 on math ACT (35 English)
so we wanted him to have space in his schedule to get extra help as needed to get through calculus. If Spanish 4 is THAT important I guess he could pick it back up senior year if he doesn't take another science. Or he could try to do a summer course before senior year. He did ask the admissions counselor and heard back that taking Spanish 2 and 3 only counts as 2 years so he's def. got less language than they want. It is highly likely he'd take AP Lit and AP Stats and AP CS as a senior which would mean no lab science and no history--again, that might also be...not great. I took a far less "rigorous" HS schedule and now have a PhD so...I am convinced he'll be fine, he's just very stuck on schools like Oberlin and Macalester, and that may just be unrealistic.
so we wanted him to have space in his schedule to get extra help as needed to get through calculus. If Spanish 4 is THAT important I guess he could pick it back up senior year if he doesn't take another science. Or he could try to do a summer course before senior year. He did ask the admissions counselor and heard back that taking Spanish 2 and 3 only counts as 2 years so he's def. got less language than they want. It is highly likely he'd take AP Lit and AP Stats and AP CS as a senior which would mean no lab science and no history--again, that might also be...not great. I took a far less "rigorous" HS schedule and now have a PhD so...I am convinced he'll be fine, he's just very stuck on schools like Oberlin and Macalester, and that may just be unrealistic.
Anonymous
12/14/2024 21:24
Subject: Re:Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:Perhaps they are workshopping an EA model.
I agree - maybe they’ll start offering EA in a few years. At a lot of LACs with EA, the acceptance rate is quite a bit higher than RD. This May in part because stronger, more interested students have their act together and turn in applications earlier.
Anonymous
12/14/2024 20:26
Subject: Re:Oberlin admissions
Perhaps they are workshopping an EA model.
Anonymous
12/14/2024 19:43
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It’s smart of Oberlin to admit top kids ASAP. I wonder if more schools will start doing this.
I bet this ED thing might become popular.
This is better than ED, the kids got the early acceptance without making a commitment.
Anonymous
12/14/2024 19:35
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:It’s smart of Oberlin to admit top kids ASAP. I wonder if more schools will start doing this.
I bet this ED thing might become popular.
Anonymous
12/14/2024 19:31
Subject: Oberlin admissions
My kid got in yesterday, too, with an RD application. DC independent 3.8UW, 34 act, works, volunteers and plays music but didn’t apply to conservatory. Also got a sweet scholarship…we were so surprised!!!
Anonymous
12/14/2024 16:30
Subject: Oberlin admissions
It’s smart of Oberlin to admit top kids ASAP. I wonder if more schools will start doing this.
Anonymous
12/14/2024 16:21
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:If they play ann instrument, what instruments do your kids who got in play?
No instrument, science kid
Anonymous
12/14/2024 13:02
Subject: Oberlin admissions
As an Oberlin alum from way back, congrats to your kids!
Anonymous
12/14/2024 12:51
Subject: Oberlin admissions
Anonymous wrote:If they play ann instrument, what instruments do your kids who got in play?
I’m assuming pp’s have been talking about the college, not the conservatory.