Admissions sees an improved year

The college and Conservatory have both exceeded target enrollment rates for next year's incoming classes. The Conservatory had the largest number of applicants in its history and an admit rate of around 30 percent. The college's admit rate is 62 percent, a decline of 10 percentage points over the last two admissions cycles.

Director of Conservatory Admissions Mike Manderen said the Conservatory anticipates a yield - or percentage of accepted students who choose to attend Oberlin - of around 50 percent. Director of Admissions Debra Chermonte would not name a yield rate for the College. Last year's yield was 27 percent.

"For the institution we have exceeded the target, which was 800 new students," Chermonte said. "The yield is not finalized yet, but up," she said. She said numbers tend to shift slightly over the summer.

Chermonte said she did not expect the college to turn to its waiting list for further enrollment. She said deposits are coming in every day, and that at this point "it would be a little premature to run to the waiting list."

Chermonte said she expects 18 percent of the College enrollees to be people of color. The figure, about the same as last year, is compositionally different, with more African-Americans and Latinos but fewer Asian-Americans than the year before.

Manderen said he was delighted with the spread this year, saying that almost all instruments were well covered. "We did remarkably well in some difficult to recruit areas," Manderen said. He said organ, percussion and bassoon, areas the Conservatory had hoped to improve in, did well.

Mandaren said the Conservatory is now overlapping with some of the highest ranked Conservatories in the country. He said he is pleased they are attracting students as well as they are. He expects the yield to be the best it has been in the past six or seven years.

Standardized test scores remain close to where they were last year, when the average verbal score of the incoming class was 674 and the average math score was 640.

President Nancy Dye said she "certainly feels good about the progress admissions has been making." She attributed the improvements to more focus on the messages and stories the College presents about Oberlin.

"[When I arrived in Oberlin] I was struck by the lack of focus," Dye said.

"This college has a tremendous character and a tremendous mission," Dye said. "We need to talk clearly about that in admission."

This year the College took steps to send prospectives information about Oberlin's progressive and unique nature. Every admitted student received a copy of Follow the Morning Star, a video documenting Oberlin's history as the first school to admit African-American students, and a packet containing information about Oberlin academics and some of the less studious aspects of student life.

The packet contains about 15 items, including letters from Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Clayton Koppes and Dean of the Conservatory Karen Wolff, an academic calendar, an activities calendar, information about the Multicultural Resource Center, a copy of Around the Square, a t-shirt, a letter from Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's with a coupon for free ice-cream and a phone card allowing the admitted student to inform friends and family of their acceptance at Oberlin.

Mandaren said, of the packet, "It's a box of goodies. It has information, but a fun tone as well."

Admitted students filled out surveys stating whether they liked the packet or not, and over the summer Admissions will figure what sort of impact it had in students' decisions to attend Oberlin.

Dye said admitted student opinion has been overwhelmingly positive. Some students, Dye said, have said they loved the packet, but were going to Wesleyan anyway.

There have been a few negative responses as well, saying that the packet was too commercial.

A group of Oberlin students, calling themselves trembles our rage, also feel that Oberlin presents too commercialized an image of itself. During All Roads Lead to Oberlin, the College's largest recruiting drive, the group distributed about 500-550 packet of essays critical of Oberlin to prospectives. Many of the pieces were critical of Oberlin's dedication to minority and lower-class students' concerns.

The packet was produced and distributed anonymously. It contained 16 student produced pieces and several cartoons and graphics.

One essay reads: "We are talking about the College's lack of commitment to its students of color and the queer community."

Junior Naomi Buck, who wrote a letter included in the packet, said it was her understanding that the packet was to serve as "an alternative view for prospective students." Buck said another student asked her whether her letter could be included. "It sounded like something we really needed. When prospectives come here they get certain things that are slightly misleading."

Dye said, "[The packet] seemed to express a lot of frustration on the part of students. I was disturbed to read it."