<p>So I just got into Olin as an Electrical Engineering major. I love the campus, the people, the environment, their academic goals. However, I'm a bit wary about the opportunities that Olin has for me.</p>
<p>I want to get into an elite PhD program-- most likely Media Lab, and I want to work on groundbreaking research in AI, bionsensors, and a lot of other things! I know Olin professors are really open but does Olin have a good reputation for research, or will I have to do this at nearby schools? </p>
<p>Hi! My friend is an undergrad at Olin and she had the opportunity to do some pretty cool research over the summer and throughout the year working on Olin’s Living Lab. They flew her out to Hawaii for five weeks to work at my high school studying our energy lab, and she’s been applying what she learned during this school year, working closely with some of the professors. I know she is having a blast doing it and from what I’ve heard there are many, many options open to students at Olin and professors are always looking for students who want to get involved. </p>
<p>I’m still waiting to hear if I got in… I’m guessing UPS takes longer to Hawaii but I might see you there next year!</p>
<p>Olin students have amazing opportunities. My son worked a large co after freshman year. They never heard of Olin til he applied. During his interview, the interviewers thought he was a junior based on his resume. Last year he chose to work at a startup. This summer he has a great job at a mid sized co that hires lots of Oliners. </p>
<p>If you go to the Olin website and look at the articles, videos and blogs in the PGP section, you will be amazed at what Olin students and alum do. Also check out Sailbot and the Human Powered vehicle. Let me know if you need the links. Feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Oliners are happy and work super hard, but the environment is collaborative not competitive. </p>
<p>Check out our website for the most up to date information. Also, if you want to communicate with us in a more timely manner, please use <a href=“mailto:apply@olin.edu”>apply@olin.edu</a> or <a href=“mailto:info@olin.edu”>info@olin.edu</a>. We don’t check CC every day.
Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m a former Olin student (class of 2012) who’s now in grad school.</p>
<p>Olin has a lot of strengths. I’m sure you’ve heard of these by now. Community, project based learning, hands on experience, etc etc. However, I think grad school preperation and placement is not one of them.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, Olin is a great school, and people can get to grad school coming out of Olin. But there are some downsides. Research experience (true research, beyond just cool engineering projects) is limited, especially if you are interested in something that isn’t super popular. This isn’t an indictment against Olin; it’s simply a consequence of having a small school, hence not that many faculty members, hence not that many research areas. You’ll see some projects in robotics, for instance, but no research in biosensors (at least that I was aware of during my time there). On top of that, students don’t have the benefit of working with a grad school lab with well established and funded projects that have been ongoing: most research projects at Olin had a one-off feeling. In a grad school lab, there’s a feeling of connectedness between the different projects going on, tied by some overarching theme or goal. </p>
<p>Additionally, the coursework was great for breadth, but didn’t offer as much depth as a bigger school would allow. Like above, this is especially true if your interests don’t exactly align with any of the faculty’s. For example, I’m taking a machine learning class with several undergraduates, but there was no such opportunity at Olin. </p>
<p>I think Olin’s strength really lies in industry placement (just check out the PGP listings). That being said, don’t avoid Olin just because of these factors. You can make it work, especially if you are willing to put in some extra effort. Just know all the facts as you weigh the pros and con’s of a bigger university vs Olin.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you want more details.</p>