Oberlin College in (you guessed it) Oberlin, Ohio (groundbreaking) is a small, private liberal arts school and music conservatory. Founded in 1833, Oberlin is the oldest co-ed school in the United States, the first college to admit Black students (1835), and the first college to admit women (1837), so it’s safe to assume that progressive politics and student activism are a huge part of the school’s culture.
If you’re transferring to Oberlin, it’s good to know the stats, so here they are. Oberlin has a first-year acceptance rate of ~30ish percent each year, but their transfer acceptance rate is in the low 20s. Transfer applicants fill the spots of students who leave each year, and a low transfer acceptance rate means that not that many students leave Oberlin each year.
Don’t fret though, if you want to transfer – it’s not impossible! We’re going to walk through Oberlin’s requirements, as well as our tips and tricks to have the most compelling transfer application possible.
Oberlin’s Requirements
Here’s how Oberlin states their eligibility requirements:
“You should apply as a transfer student if you meet one of the following criteria:
You have been enrolled in a degree-seeking program, regardless of how many credits have been earned.
You have earned more than 30 semester hours of credit without being enrolled in a degree-seeking program. This is determined on a case-by-case basis, so if you fall into this category, please contact us to discuss your situation.
Transfer students may apply for either the spring or the fall semester. If you are currently in your first year of study at another college, you may only apply for fall admission.”
Here’s a list of what they for sure want from you:
Transfer Common Application
Essay
Official high school and college transcripts
Recommendation letters (2)
Transfer college report (a Dean or advisor has to fill this out)
Transfer mid-term report for your in-progress grades
SAT/ACT (optional)
Additional recs (1 more, optional)
Art or performance supplements (optional)
More on their requirements and process for transfer applicants here.
Pick the Right Classes
Outside of music performance, majors like bio, psych, and neuroscience are extremely popular at Oberlin. So that’s what we’ll be using for our examples (a little inside baseball for you). If you’re applying to Oberlin for bio, you want the classes you choose to take your first year at college to be mostly bio-focused.
Oberlin is, however, a liberal arts school. They want you to not just take your required classes, but also show an interest in a range of topics:
“We prefer applicants to have maintained breadth in their college curriculums to the extent permitted by their current programs.”
So when we say bio-focused here, that means we want you to take classes that fit into the niche you want to pursue within bio. If you want to be an oncologist, biology classes about various fungi might be interesting, but don’t really tell your story.
Get Really Good Grades
You need to get good grades! Duh! That’s the point of school! Oberlin says they do look at your high school transcript but “we do place more weight on the work a student has completed in college.” So yes, grades in college are very important.
One way to help your grades is by forgoing any classes that you struggled with in high school. There are many ways to show breadth, and taking an American history class again is not necessary if you know you’re not going to do well.
And make sure to head over to your professors’ offices for office hours. This not only helps your grades, but those relationships will come in handy when it’s time to ask for rec letters.
Develop Your Niche
Securing a spot at Oberlin isn't just about taking the correct biology classes; you need to reveal depth in your chosen major. Convince them that your passion goes beyond mere words on an application – show them. Sticking with the biology theme, engaging in research with a biology professor, joining or starting clubs, writing for the undergrad medical journal, securing an internship etc.
It's not just about beefing up your application; you need to get involved at your current school. If you don’t get in as a transfer, you should have some community to fall back on.
Write Good Essays
Oberlin has one essay. Or as they put it: “You’ll need to write a personal essay as part of your Common App. Oberlin does not require any additional supplemental essays (hooray!)”
Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve. (500 words)
Use this essay to show that you're an Oberlin expert and convince them that Oberlin is the perfect fit for you. Dive into their website, find professors and awesome upper-level classes that align with your interests, and work out how they fit into your grand plan. Now, when you're chatting about why you want to transfer overall, here's a very important tip: no need to throw shade at your current school. We understand there could be various reasons, both good and not-so-great, but for this essay, let's focus on the academic side of things. Specific advice on this prompt here.
Good luck with your Oberlin application and make sure to keep your grades up, get plugged into your community, and dive into your passions.
If you need help with your transfer applications, reach out to us today.