Need sensitive admissions and the Oberlin community: How students feel about the implementation of the policy.
Toby Daly-Engel is a College junior:
I probably wouldn�t be here if admissions hadn�t been need-blind when I applied, and I am a fantastic person and an asset to this school.
Andy Bayer is a College junior:
It�ll turn into more of an ivy league reject school. The quality of students is going to go down. It�s bullshit we�re getting rid of need-blind admissions.
Angela Howard is a College sophomore:
I think a lot of people will be mad. I think it�s really going to change a lot of financial aid packages, and a lot of people won�t be able to come here. That is not fair. How is Oberlin College supposed to say they�re going to change the world and be so different when they seem to be the ones acting like they want to change? Does Oberlin not care about the poor person who has talent in their soul, or do they care about the rich person who has money in their pocket?
Emily Hague is a College sophomore:
The composition of the student body will be changed. I think the composition is already a little dependent on financial status but that it will change more. My personal opinion is that the whole economic system as it is, with the college board creating the platform on which tuition is based, is irrational. And I think the change is not going to make it any more feasible for students to be able to put themselves through college, to get a higher education. I�d like to know their motives. I don�t think they�re hurting for money, so I don�t know why they make this change, especially being a �liberal institution.�
Gil Saenz is a College senior:
Goals of colleges vary. Texas A&M-Kingsville for example, aiming for a noble cause of inclusivity, practices an open-admission policy. "It is important to give everyone a chance to get a college education," said Marc Cisneros, A&M-Kingsville's new president in a recent article in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Other colleges like Harvard prize prestige and academic tout which places them on the other end of the spectrum. What are Oberlin's goals as an academic institution? Do we want to give more students who have had to struggle financially a chance to get a "progressive" Oberlin education? Or shall we resort to admission requirements to boost our economic base; perhaps to pay for our upcoming facilities? If Oberlin has financial problems, there is a better way to resolve the predicament. Need-sensitive admissions is not that way; quintessentially, progressiveness does not equal need-sensitive.
Erin Shiba is a College first-year:
Growing up with a lot of friends whose families don�t have a high financial status, it really saddens me that their opportunities for furthering their education are getting slimmer and slimmer because of administrative decisions like these.
Beth Kontrabecki is a College junior:
I�m deemed a low-income student and thank God there was enough financial aid for me to come here. I have just as much brain power as other Oberlin students, but I may not have been able to get in because of my financial aid status. The College says they want diversity but all they�re going to get is a bunch of affluent, spoon-fed rich kids.
Leslie Korein is a College first-year:
It will obviously draw a richer crowd and discourage some people from applying. I don�t think these are necessarily good things.
Cindy Lai is a College senior:
It�s unfortunate that Oberlin no longer has need-blind admissions. Over time, it will limit the diversity of students on this campus, both economically and ethnically.
Neal Schindler is a college junior:
When something like this happens, I�m curious as to how the students can better understand how the College finances work. I would like to see a student/ faculty/ administrator forum to increase awareness and communication regarding the College�s fiscal situation and decision-making processes. How will the student body be affected? I suppose it will depend on how the new policy works, but hopefully it will prompt students in general to become better informed about Oberlin�s administrative finances.
