<p>Alright, all you Olin veterans. DD and I are headed off to Olin this weekend for Candidate's Weekend. Anything she ought to know or keep in mind, other than to be her usual charming self and have fun?</p>
<p>Note: I haven’t interviewed at Olin recently so it’s possible some things have changed but I have friends who have interviewed as alumni and in general it seems the basic processes are still the same. I interviewed at about 9 candidate weekends between 2002-2006.</p>
<ol>
<li>Have fun</li>
<li>The design build (blue foam) activity is NOT graded. The main purpose is for her to get experience working with her team who she will later interview with and to get a sense of what project-based learning can be like. So have fun!</li>
<li>She is not competing with her teammates for spots. Yes, each interview team only sees those 4-6 kids and yes they are supposed to rank them, but you get much more than a number (think paragraph) and I have been on teams where we give more than one rank #1. If the team likes your child they will champion for her regardless of how many others they likes as well. We regularly have times when the whole time (4-6 students) gets invited to Olin and times when only 1 person does. So she can feel free to collaborate and work with her team even in the interview without fearing she is helping someone to her own detriment. Olin is always about helping each other succeed and never about trying to hurt others for your success (which can be the case at schools with strong bell curves and class rank).</li>
<li>Parents: give your kid some time alone with other students and such at meals if your child feels comfortable and go sit with some other parents or a professor. And don’t be surprised if your kid gets so excited they go off and seem to forget about you (I know I did!).</li>
<li><p>Parents: Be careful. Its fine for you to be super excited about Olin and wish it was around was around when you were young but especially around your child’s interviewers, don’t let it look like your kid is only there because you are living through them. It’s a big turn off if the kid doesn’t seem into Olin and is there because of their parents.</p></li>
<li><p>Interview tips:
a) Make sure DD has a good answer to “why Olin”. What specifically drew her to Olin? I’ve often interviewed students and at the end when the team is discussing we realize…this kid would be way happier at X State University which is a big research university with a good football team. If we think they are a good fit but don’t really need/want what makes Olin unique, they may get ranked below someone who “gets Olin” and we think would truly be happier at Olin than elsewhere
b) DDs grades/SAT no longer matter once you get to candidate’s weekend. You wouldn’t be there if we didn’t think DD couldn’t handle the work
c) Make sure DD has considered how she can uniquely contribute to Olin. Does she want to start a new club? Is she passionate about juggling fire while unicycling? Does she want to help shape the honor board?
d) She will likely be asked a question about time when she worked in a team and things didn’t go well or something along those lines. Think of a good story.
e) In the group interview, there are no wrong answers. We mainly want to see the group dynamics. Who dominates? Who doesn’t speak at all, etc. However, if DD is painfully shy in the group and doesn’t contribute much but opens up and is articulate in the individual interview, that can be OK. Olin wants a variety of personalities. Your current student interviewer will be thinking, would I want to work on a team with this person?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>All great advice. Above all else, have fun. Whatever the outcome, CW is a unique and lasting experience to enjoy.</p>
<p>Wow-more info than I dared hope for, JoyJoy! Thanks so much.</p>
<p>I think the ‘Why Olin’ question will not be a tough one for my daughter. She was totally taken with the place when she did an overnight there last fall.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>I’d add one more bit of advice, for the parents - </p>
<p>I remember a particular moment at the very end of the weekend, when everyone (parents and candidates) was gathered for the last moment - and Dr Nolan gently reminded the room that only about of third of the kids would be offered admission. That was hard - because after all the fun and excitement and bonding of the weekend, many/most of the kids were clearly very enthused about the school. There was a moment that felt like shocked silence —</p>
<p>Parents, be ready to help your kiddo see that, no matter how great it seems, it is not the only or best school in the world. Kids that go to Candidates Weekend are going to be strong contenders at many schools, and the sense of community and the excitement he/she felt can also be found at other schools. And parents, you have to mean it when you say that - because you’ll probably want that offer just as much as the kid!</p>
<p>Enjoy, and good luck to you all!
mom of Olin '15 kid</p>
<p>Sound advice, but I’m puzzled by your statistics. Olin invites around 240 kids to CW. Of those, judging by the last available common data set, it looks like Olin offers admission to a bit over two thirds (171 in 2010, or 71%). Those are actually pretty good odds, but no guarantee, of course.</p>
<p>If they meant that only about a third would actually ATTEND Olin, that would make sense.</p>
<p>All that being said, I entirely take your overall point.</p>
<p>Oh, you’re probably right about my numbers! Our year was an odd one - 2015 was the year that the number of available spots was reduced by a surprising number of kids who had opted for a gap year/deferral from the previous class (2014 was a bumper crop!). We were reminded at CW that it was an extra tough year - this year’s odds should be more “normal”!</p>
<p>Enjoy the experience! </p>
<p>Take note of which aspects energize your DD. That will help at decision time, even if Olin is not in the mix of choices. But I hope it is! Good luck.</p>
<p>As a P’15 mom, I especially reiterate memo’s thoughts. It is very hard not to ‘drink the cool ade’ and get Olin fever. I made the horrible mistake of getting overly invested in the decision and regret it to this day. Find a way to quiet your feelings (write in a journal), and keep your child enthusiastic but calm about all her choices. Enjoy the weekend, be thankful for no white ground cover.</p>
<p>Isn’t that the strangest thing??? No snow for CW - wow!</p>
<p>About taking note of what excites the student about CW, that’s great advice.</p>
<p>I’m already way too invested!</p>
<p>Will start journaling!
PS</p>
<p>Well, it’s the morning after. Generous quantities of Kool-aid were served…and quaffed :)</p>
<p>In addition to, of course, serving it’s primary purpose of providing Olin an opportunity to meet applicants face-to-face and evaluate them on some criteria that can’t be conveyed fully on a paper application, it’s a tremendous marketing opportunity for the college, and they take full advantage. The amount of information we gleaned about Olin this weekend is almost of an order of magnitude greater than even our most successful other college visits.</p>
<p>I’ll probably share a few more reflections later, but now it’s time for breakfast. Thank again for all the helpful advice from the participants of this thread (though honestly, be yourself and have fun pretty much covers it, as far as the kids or concerned) :)</p>
<p>Here’s a few of the dominant impressions that I took away from CW…</p>
<p>First, I was struck by how intentional everything about Olin is. Nothing is being done because that’s the way they’ve always done it. No one is there because they’ve always been there. Everything seems to be under constant examination, and constant optimization. There’s a lack of complacency or inertia that would be admirable in any institution, but is truly remarkable in a college.</p>
<p>On a related note, it occurred to me how much Olin reflects the administration and staff’s engineering mindset. One gets the sense that the entire school was ‘engineered’, and continues to be so. They thought about what outcomes they wanted, designed an environment and curriculum that they thought would achieve those outcomes, built a prototype, tested, refined, etc. And that process is ongoing. I thought that was pretty cool.</p>
<p>The third thing that kept coming up all weekend was just how danged impressive everyone is. First, I thoroughly enjoyed President Miller’s presentations and those by the admissions staff. Then, we got to see 6 different professors speak about either the curriculum or their areas of interest and they were all amazing. It seemed to me any kid would be extremely lucky to have any of them as instructors. But the students! They were perhaps the most impressive of all. I kept thinking “Well, here’s ANOTHER bright, together, engaging, articulate, interesting and friendly young person–the place is crawling with them!”</p>
<p>As for my daughter, honestly, she was already pretty sold on Olin’s merits by her overnight last fall. The things that probably had the greatest effect on her this trip were the awesome performances we were treated to, from the Conductorless Orchestra and The Power Chords (A Capella) to the grand finale on a perfect February night: the Olin Fire Arts Club! Great stuff all around. Then, of course, she stayed up until nearly 3 am last night hanging out in the hotel with her fellow candidates. She had a blast.</p>
<p>March 15th is going to be a very interesting day in our household, one way or another. Here’s hoping Olin will be an option for DD. She’ll be okay if the answer is no, but it would be awfully nice if it were yes :)</p>
<p>Welcome to Olin admissions, Rayrick…you said it all! These are precisely the impressions we had back at DS’s CW 5 years ago…and the impressions that continue to grow on us. Pres. Miller is soft spoken, but incredibly effective, and he sets the tone for the entire college. Each professor and student you meet is more interesting than the last! </p>
<p>I hope March 15 brings good news for your D. She should know, however, that if she can bring that kind of engagement and passion into whatever path she follows, the results will be impressive!</p>
<p>Fingers crossed…</p>
<p>Quote -
On a related note, it occurred to me how much Olin reflects the administration and staff’s engineering mindset. One gets the sense that the entire school was ‘engineered’, and continues to be so. They thought about what outcomes they wanted, designed an environment and curriculum that they thought would achieve those outcomes, built a prototype, tested, refined, etc. And that process is ongoing. I thought that was pretty cool.
/end quote</p>
<p>This is music to my ears. I wish there were K-12 schools with this sort of engineering orientation. Olin School of Education, anyone? </p>
<p>Good Luck Rayrick’s D - I hope March 15 brings good news!
Smiles
PS</p>
<p>ParentSparkle, I think there are a number of charter schools in the k-12 range that have something of the same of mindset, though few that seem to carry it out as successfully. In a way, Olin is kind of a ‘charter college’, if you will.</p>
<p>I just saw this article on the same topic, and it mentions that Engineering perspective to designing education - </p>
<p>[Would</a> You Hire Your Own Kids? 7 Skills Schools Should Be Teaching Them - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.](<a href=“http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/would-you-hire-your-own-kids-7-skills-schools-should-be-teaching-them-291.php]Would”>thedailyriff.com)</p>
<p>From what I’ve read about Olin, they are all over these issues.</p>
<p>Smiles,
PS</p>
<p>On a side note, I can’t imagine a better president than Rick Miller. He is amazing. And so personable. At Olin, I was constantly amazed how the president of the college, the dean of professors, ect, cared what I thought. They are great people and great listeners. I really appreciate Rick Miller’s constant openness about the colleges finances and goals as well. As students, we always felt we had influence in top level administrative decisions and this feeling has continued as an alumni.</p>
<p>“I can’t imagine a better president than Rick Miller.” - Yep.</p>
<p>Just saw this on the Olin website - Olin President Miller Elected Member of the National Academy of Engineering</p>
<p>[Olin</a> College : About Olin : Press Release](<a href=“http://www.olin.edu/about_olin/olin_news/olin_press_release.aspx?id=467]Olin”>http://www.olin.edu/about_olin/olin_news/olin_press_release.aspx?id=467)</p>