<p>I'm sure there are many HS seniors out there applying to Olin. Does anyone have questions, concerns? Ask away.</p>
<p>Yes! PM sent :)</p>
<p>I’m the mom of an Olin freshman who loves math and is majoring in mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>I’m also willing to answer questions. :-)</p>
<p>Cool. I do not a have a question off the top of my head, but thanks for doing this.</p>
<p>Hello, my son has applied for the class of 2017 and is very excited but knows how difficult it is to get in. One question, I know they will send out letters in early Feb for CW. Do they only send letters to those invited? Trying to take one step at a time and he is hoping for the invite to CW.</p>
<p>momengineering --</p>
<p>I believe they notify everyone.</p>
<p>momengineering - I hope you are enjoying the college process with your son. I found it (generally) a very positive experience. I enjoyed getting to know him through reading his essays and I espec liked our visits to colleges. I saw so much growth during senior year which has been repeated over these first 18 months of college. Good luck to him on all his applications. And YES, mathinokc is correct…everyone is notified.</p>
<p>momengineering - Good luck to your son for making the cut for CW and for acceptance too 
The Olin parents have researched and visited MANY engineering schools. Down the road when he knows his options and needs to make a decision, we can help you compare/contrast factors. </p>
<p>In the meantime, enjoy senior year! It’s a great feeling once all the apps are submitted.</p>
<p>Thank you all. Actually my son has visited a number of engineering schools and Olin is his number one choice since he made a visit to the school. I think it would be a great fit for him but we will have to see. I know he is trying not to get his hopes up too much. Olin is committed to trying to keep the classes at 50% female and 50% male. Do you know if CW is set up that way as well?</p>
<p>I imagine they try to keep each of the three weekends approx same splits (though they do allow weekend swaps if there are critical student conflicts). But I don’t know of the CW offers are 50/50 . It probably depends on the year. </p>
<p>I’ll try posting this blog link, in case it is helpful for appilcants.
[Candid</a> Candidates - The OLINsider](<a href=“Blogs | Olin College of Engineering”>Blogs | Olin College of Engineering)</p>
<p>Colorado Mom - thanks for posting that great link. It really captures a lot of the Olin essence. </p>
<p>One point to add to the Olin student’s blog post is that b/c Olin is such a small school, it is impossible to invite all of the awesome applicants to CW or to accept all of the students who attend CW. </p>
<p>Seniors…please don’t judge yourself by where you are accepted. Cast a wide net and be sure to include schools that accept a high percentage of students with your credentials. You will create your own success no matter where you are eight months from now.</p>
<p>One thing I have noticed is that Olin-like project based engineering education is catching on. That is a cool thing. At one college a few years ago the dept chair said it was coming a that college … but more the impact would be more for students younger than my son (hs 2010). It seems same is true at my own engineering college and others we toured.</p>
<p>My D is interested in Olin and I think it suits her style too with the project based engineering. We will be really busy next year same time.</p>
<p>Momengineering- my D has also applied to Olin for fall 2013. We haven’t been to visit the school but from what she’s learned it’s with her top group of 2-3 schools. I think that’s something considering she immediately removed several traditionally “elite” colleges after visiting or attending presentations. She was seriously impressed with Olin!</p>
<p>I am not trying to be discouraging, but I believe there will be only a very small number of students accepted for Fall 2013. The admissions director mentioned that students who are wait-listed have guaranteed option for admission the following year and approximately 10 places are already taken with these students. That leaves about 72 openings in the 1st year class. I don’t know the gender mix of deferred students, but I understand the overall goal is to have an even split based on gender. Bottom line, less than 40 male and 40 female 2013 high school grads will be enrolled at Olin in Fall 2013. That’s a low number.</p>
<p>I think everyone understands that it is insanely competitive. ;)</p>
<p>Question for Olin parents: should an initially shy introvert even bother to apply? Our student is highly qualified, would thrive in the environment, is a real team player and a very active (and vocal) class participant highly respected by peers, but the student takes a little while to get comfortable in a new environment. With like-minded peers (read brilliant nerds with wide range of interests), our student warms up quite quickly and is extremely outgoing. But the student needs to take a little time to assess the social dynamics before jumping into a new environment, and I wonder if this will be a major disadvantage during CW (if student were to be invited). Could you ask your student children if there are any Olin students who seem to be outgoing introverts who need a little more time to assess social situations before jumping in? Just wondering…</p>
<p>LlantwitMajor - the Olin community is very accepting and kind. If your student feels that Olin would be a good fit for him/her then s/he should definitely apply. There is no template of a typical Olin student. Each individual combines to make a beautiful mosaic.</p>
<p>My son is an second year Olin student. Feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>LlantwitMajor --</p>
<p>I would describe my daughter as a shy introvert. 
She’s enjoying her first year at Olin. She does intentionally push herself to be more outgoing in situations like Candidates Weekend, but she definitely wasn’t one of the ones staying up all hours in the BECC with her new best friends.</p>
<p>LlantwitMajor - Yes, your D should consider applying. If she gets invited to CW and is energized by the environment/peers (a likely scenario), then you and Olin will know it is a good fit for her.</p>