Talk about under appreciated gems in Cleveland. There are so many Clevelanders who have never visited the campus of Oberlin College let alone consider it one of the great assets of our region.
Granted, Oberlin is about an hour drive from downtown Cleveland and, thus, easily forgotten. Being a far westsider I can get there in a little under half an hour, about the same time it takes for me to get downtown.
I go there to visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum or simply sit, read, and people watch in Tappan Square. There's also free summer theater to be taken advantage of. Not to mention the terrific concert schedule.
A look at notable alumni of Oberlin reveals that many fairly famous people lived for four years in the Cleveland market. There's Ed Helm of "The Office" and "The Hangover", novelist and playwright Eric Bogosian, the co-hosts of the terrific public radio program "Radiolab" Jad Ebumrad and Robert Krulwich. There's also plenty of musicians like Josh Ritter, Liz Phair and Lucy Wainwright Roche to name a few. Here's a list of alumni.
Mostly when I'm in Oberlin I think enviously of those involved or enrolled in the Oberlin Conservatory Of Music. Just look at the amazing new music building, the Bertram and Judth Kohl Building. And now, in that space they've created a state of the art recording studio, the Clonick Studio.
To be sure, like any top notch college, one has to have very good grades to become accepted to Oberlin, but did you know your kid could go there for free? It's a gamble, but if your child is gifted you may consider it.
Here's how it works. Your child would have to attend Oberlin High School all four years while you resided in the city of Oberlin those four years as well. If your child is then accepted admittance to Oberlin College all tuition room and board would be free. You'd still have to reside in Oberlin during your child's college years as well. It's a commitment and no guarantee either, but look at it this way, would living in Oberlin really be a bad thing regardless of the outcome?
The Bertram and Judith Kohl Building