<p>Well, I can say that I'm not a hardcore entrepreneur type. I want to learn about business, but not so I can start one. In my opinion, you have to know the enemy! : ) I want to work for a non-profit company, so I need to know how big businesses work so I can either convince them to donate money or prevent them from manipulating my clients. Small business tactics are important for things like microloans to help people in third-world countries start up their own enterprises.</p>
<p>Basically, I'm not going to start a famous business, but I am interested in learning a lot about it. I don't know what category that would put me in.</p>
<p>valerie, what if the small enterprises you'd like to stimulate end up being really good ideas and become big businesses? There's nothing inherently wrong about being big, if you're a business... unless you're against the concept of success. Dont expect donations if you hate your donators.</p>
<p>It's hard to imagine a woman opening up a cart that sells blankets turning into a huge corporation. And of course there's nothing inherently wrong with a successful big business, but in my experience they open the doors to corruption and abuse, because there's not as much communication and singular control once you pass a certain size.</p>
<p>Either way, I don't fault anyone else for wanting to start up a big business. Many large corporations have done a lot of good, I just don't think I would enjoy being a part of one.</p>
<p>Well, then you can be the one person who starts a big business with strong morals and good inter-departmental relations. </p>
<p>If you decide to start a small non-profit organization, it isn't going to go far. You have too little influence to be able to do much.</p>
<p>A large non-profit organization has the same problem as big business and it doesn't bring in revenue of its own. </p>
<p>The best thing would be to make a successful business that you can control. Keep in mind that successful does not necessarily mean large. Google isn't that big really. Then, you wouldn't have to rely on donations and you can really make a difference in the world.</p>
<p>oh, wow. this really brings back memories from last summer with Mountains Beyond Mountains.... good times... anyway, you don't have to start anything if you don't want to, and many people would agree that big businesses can certainly harm more than they would help, though that isn't always true. Vela, when you get to CW, you should check out Olin Students for Awesome, which I am technically a part of (?), though I don't go to meetings... but there are a lot of people in it who are very active about similar views such as yours. and for those of you who disagree, check out babson or the republican club (joke!!!). :-)</p>
<p>Oddly enough, I would vote Republican if given the choice. But maybe that's just because I want John McCain to be our next president.</p>
<p>I would disagree with Naezen, who says I'd have too little influence to do much with a small non-proft organization. Things don't change by themselves; people change them. Granted, I can't do much by myself, but I can drag other interested parties with me and do something. Even if nothing changes in my lifetime, perhaps my influence would have started the ball rolling to something really important.</p>
<p>Although an influential, yet moderately-sized business (i.e. Google) would be great, at this point I don't think I'm heading toward business management. I want to understand economics and business, but I don't think I'm well-suited for a career in that.</p>
<p>I will be out of town until I return just to get on a plane headed for Olin! For those of you going to the first Candidate's Weekend, I look forward to meeting you all!</p>
<p>I don't think the Corporation is all that black and white. A company can have very virtuous people and still do bad things... it's the nature of the Corporation itself, really; it's almost illegal to do something that doesn't maximize profits for your stockholders. </p>
<p>I don't know if I count for hardcore entrepeneurship, but I'm definently into business... I want to be the one to market my product.</p>
<p>Wow, CWE is getting close. I'm getting all excity inside.</p>
<p>I just read the most recent entry on Emily's admissions blog, about CW coming up soon. I've been to two CWs, once as a parent of an applicant, and once as a parent volunteer. </p>
<p>There will be current Olin students, and parent volunteers who are there for the sole purpose of answering questions applicants and their parents may have. Take advantage of them!</p>
<p>At my daughter's CW, my strongest impression of Olin came from a current student (now a senior) at CW who approached my daughter and myself and talked to us for about 20 minutes. Such conversations are the best way to find out if the Olin environment is what you'd like in a college.</p>
<p>Taking this post a bit off-topic here, but I have been getting a little nervous about Candidate's Weekend...</p>
<p>I realize that the Internet can deceive us when we are trying to read people's emotions or attitudes, especially when we've never met each other before. Through conversations with current Olin students, discussions on various forums, etc., I get this sort of condescending feeling from some people. Almost as though they are counting strikes against you every time you express the "wrong" opinion. I guess it's hard to describe. I could be way off the mark here, as I am an overly sensitive person by nature, but I was wondering if anyone else ever got that feeling, because I haven't thought it was specific to me. If I were a particular few forum users in some discussions (not here at all), I would definitely have felt attacked at times.</p>
<p>This very well may be just another disadvantage of the Internet, but I wanted a current student's perspective on the issue. In person, do you ever feel attacked for saying something politically incorrect or feel that your intentions are misinterpreted? I don't want text-based inferences to affect my perception of Olin, so any insight someone could give would be great, even Candidates who have either felt very accepted or intimidated.</p>
<p>In reference to CC in general, I do get intimidated sometimes and feel that some people are "showboating". This is not the case with the Olin candidates or current students I have talked to. I have talked to about 7 candidates and my overall feeling is that everyone is incredibly well-rounded, down-to-earth, and have great personalities. When I talk to Olin candidates and students everyday, it makes me want to go to Candidates Weekend even more.</p>
<p>I felt exactly like you did when I was a candidate; we had xforums back then, and I felt chewed out when I got nervous about whether I would measure up at Olin and went so far as to presume that SAT scores would have any bearing on that :-). When I got here I relaized that if people were being too direct about some things, it was either because they were trying to help, or they didn't realize how I might be interpreting what they said. And I remember something being e-mailed the other day saying that people generally feel very confident about the intended tone of electronic messgaes, but they are only right about 50% of the time. So don't get discouraged, and have fun at candidate's weekend! :-)</p>
<p>Text can be tricky since you have no tone of voice and expression to go along with it.
I promise you none of us bite, at all. (well, I bite, but only when you're trying to restrain me, and then its in self defense, just ask my ex-boyfriend). Have fun this weekend. I'm excited to meet y'all.</p>
<p>Thanks, that makes me feel better. I will try not to worry about judgments while I'm at CW this weekend. I am a hyper-sensitive person and tend to assume people hate me (because at an all-girls high school, even your friends talk meanly behind your back), so I will do my best to internalize my fake outer self-confidence over the next few days! I also look forward to meeting everyone. It will be interesting to see people face-to-face whom I have only spoken to online.</p>
<p>V0- I also went to an all girls HS. I noticed when I came here that something felt different and I didnt have to try to be falsely confident. I just was who I was and was happy with it. Something just feels so different being in a co-ed enviroment that my all girls school side changes.</p>
<p>Vela... Don't be worried about Candidate's Weekend. It should be a time to have fun and just be yourself. What impressed me the most about Olin was how well all of the students got along. People at Olin tend to be very accepting of their fellow students and their divergent beliefs. One of the strengths of Olin is the fact that students come from all over the country and have many different perspectives. The atmosphere there is one of cooperation, and everyone wants you to succeed and is willing to help. Enjoy your Candidate's Weekend. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Please let us know your perceptions after your visit.</p>
<p>hey everybody still on this forum; i would really encourage you to migrate yourselves and your questions/concerns over to the olin portion of xforums.net. It's generally a much more active community, and is seen by the students as the official olin forum. of course, admissions and administration does not see it at all, so feel free to be yourselves and talk about whatever you want.</p>
<p>Yes, I think they wanted to make sure you could make friends. Literally.</p>
<p>There were a number of kids eating alone even on saturday night, and if you don't get in there and start introducing yourself to everyone and all, you're ruining your weekend and your chances.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I had an amazing time. Most fun I've had since the summer. What a great weekend!</p>
<p>BTW hey Matt Bowes. It's Erik. In case you don't remember (I met pretty much thirty people in 24 hours and my head is filled with names and faces I can't connect haha), I was at the lounge both nights and sat on your left dinner saturday. I'll PM you my SN. I'll help you get that email/sn database together if it's not being done already.</p>