<p>How hard is it to be an Olin student?</p>
<p>It really depends on who you ask. Some people totally throw themselves into their work and get no sleep and are kind of unhappy, and some people do the same thing and totally love it. There is a lot of work, and it's hard, but there are so many people to support you. Most everyone is really motivated to help each other here; we all help each other get through it. The professors are also really supportive and open to feedback. The classes are changing all the time, so if there's a stretch where you and others think that there is just too much to do, the prof will generally be receptive to changing deadlines. So it is very hard, and can be frustrating, to be an Olin student, but there is always someone around to help.</p>
<p>-Molly '09</p>
<p>Molly's post is in line with my daughter's experience as an undergraduate at Olin. </p>
<p>I think that being an engineering student at any university is a lot of hard work, more than most in-coming students imagine.</p>
<p>Chrisd,</p>
<p>I believe your daughter now attends MIT. Can you elaborate on each school please?</p>
<p>Kaman,</p>
<p>I'll try, but I don't think I can tell you much that would be helpful for a student looking to compare Olin and MIT. </p>
<p>My daughter was an undergrad at Olin. She worked very hard, many hours, on her Olin projects and classwork. The first semester was very daunting, and she (along with numerous other freshmen) considered transferring elsewhere. (I don't think any one in her class actually did leave after the first semester.) Each summer, she had good internships, one summer a study-abroad session.</p>
<p>She's a grad student at MIT, in technology policy. Class work includes economics, public policy, etc--very different than engineering undergrad. She works 20 hrs a week in a lab, as a research assistant. She's thrilled with the connections and opportunities that being at MIT open up to her. </p>
<p>In summary. . . . . at Olin, she had an education and experiences that helped her decide what she wanted to pursue as a career. With her Olin education, she was able to get into the grad program she really wanted. Her lab work and connections from MIT look like she'll be able to get into the career field she wants. </p>
<p>Regarding student life, I can't compare. She lived in the dorm at Olin for four years. At MIT, she's off campus, living w/ other grad students--not a comparable experience at all with undergrad life at MIT.</p>
<p>"Work, sleep, friends: pick two" is a very good description, although the two that you pick vary from time to time.</p>
<p>The workload is difficult at times but is nothing to be afraid of. Your friends will be there for you.</p>
<p>katherine</p>
<p>Can anyone comment on the average hours of sleep they or their friends get nightly? (Forgive the awful grammar.)</p>
<p>It really depends on how much you value your sleep. During the semester, I make sure to give myself time for 8 hours of sleep at least 5 days a week. I have only pulled one all-nighter during my first two and a half years at Olin, and that was my fault for not managing my time well enough to avoid it.</p>
<p>-Molly '09</p>
<p>I think my average over my four years at Olin was around 6.5 hours of sleep a night. For the most part, my schedule was get up at 6 or 7, go to class, go to clubs & committee meetings, work on projects, prepare for shooting a movie on the weekend, and go to sleep around 1AM-2AM.</p>
<p>Kevin '06</p>
<p>What kind of grades, GPA, should student expect at Olin? Is all As possible?</p>
<p>um... I know people have done it at the end of freshman year...? I think that me having absolutely no idea is a testament to how people are very personal about their own grades, and how, for most people, getting all A's is not necessarily reasonable or expected. Just because getting all A's is possible doesn't mean you should necessarily go for it; I'm sure there are some people who get all A's who don't participate in college life and don't make the most of their experience. I personally do not want to look back on college and say "Man, I got good grades. That was awesome." It took a good, long while for me to take the ego hit and realize this, but I think it was worth it. You should try your best, but keep balance. Learning the material and improving non-gradeable skills like teamwork, communication, and all those other competencies we love so much is just as important. Just my two cents; anyone, feel free to disagree. :)</p>
<p>-Molly '09</p>
<p>I went to a public school with a decent AP/Honors program. I got all A's in high school. 1st semester at Olin was pass fail. 2nd semester of my freshman year, I got my first C. It was quite a shock. Olin is difficult but a lot of the difficulty is learning time-management, learning priorities, when to stop doing work and sleep. My freshman year taught me that I could actually get better grades by sleeping more and studying less.</p>
<p>That being said, my GPA improved all 8 semesters I was at Olin. But at Olin, grades are just not that important. Sure, everyone wants to get A's. But it's not all that matters like it was in high school.</p>
<p>I have NO CLUE what GPA any of my best friends had while they were at Olin except for a few who had me review their resumes. It's nice. Sure, you can tell who is a physics wiz or who spends all their time talking about Material science, but other than that, you just don't know. I'm sure there are some kids who got a 4.0. I don't know how they did, but I'm pretty sure there were a few.</p>
<p>But it is very reasonable to get a 3.5 or 3.0 at Olin. If you get accepted, you have the smarts to do well there.</p>
<p>I love the culture Olin has about grades. After a test is returned, unlike in high school where everyone was trying to figure out what everyone got, people may ask each other how they felt they did. But usually it's more about wow, that problem was crazy, how did you figure it out.</p>
<p>At Olin I experienced a certain freedom from grades I never had before. It's much more about learning than letters.</p>