Day 2 - Ohio Six Counselor Tour - Oberlin and College of Wooster

Interior of the Library at College of Wooster.

Today we had the chance to see Oberlin College and the College of Wooster.

I was fortunate enough to already have had the chance to visit Oberlin this fall before NACAC, so you can read about that campus here. I can confirm that all the great things I saw in the fall were still there today and I was again reminded of why so many ElRo students have applied to Oberlin (the most of any schools that are a part of this tour). I did also get the chance to see the interior of the new music building, which was a lovely space.

College of Wooster

In the afternoon we made our way to the College of Wooster. I'll sum it up by saying: I was super impressed with this campus. The vibe is a unique combination of academic seriousness (warning-- if you aren't looking to grow as a student, don't look here) and a lighthearted point of view (students, faculty, and staff all shared a jovial sense of humor).

The tagline of College of Wooster is "America's Premier College for Mentored Undergraduate Research." Every student completes a senior Independent Study (I.S.) project prior to graduation. This is an opportunity to conduct research and work one on one with a professor on a long term project (this work lasts approximately 18 months). The seniors we met had fascinating projects. The fact that it is a universal shared experience at a school that admits a little over 50% of their applicants is a testament to the idea that with hard work and diligence a space for diverse learners can in fact be a place with a very high level of academic rigor.

About one third of students at Wooster are from Ohio (in contrast, Oberlin's Ohio representation is under 10%) but there is also a growing international population and I was struck by the racial and ethnic diversity that I saw on campus. It was my favorite kind of diversity where students were intermingling and it felt like students from multiple backgrounds could find a place on campus. I specifically asked our tour guide if she felt one type of student dominated the campus (theater kids, athletes, members of the Greek community, political protesters, etc) and she said that there really was room for everyone.

While I'm certainly no fan of rankings, a point of pride at Wooster is the fact that only two colleges have been ranked every year as a top school for both undergraduate research and a capstone project: Princeton and College of Wooster.

Located about one hour from Cleveland, Wooster has a lot to offer. For more information, I encourage you to read the chapter in Colleges That Change Lives. They also offer both merit and need based aid, so it is a great way to round out a list of liberal arts colleges and potentially get a fair financial aid package.

Our final day of the tour is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to our last two schools!