Though I don’t have any direct first hand experience at Olin or GT, my D faced a similar decision. She was waitlisted at Olin and accepted into the GT honors program. So her decision was between a gap year + Olin vs. GT honors so not quite the same.
I agree with the veterans on this forum that the “fit” is extremely important. My D did love the Olin culture and family feel, the unique approach to engineering education etc. Only you can decide if there is a good fit. Both of these schools are outstanding and though GT has a more recognized brand, most who know both schools know they are excellent and consider them peers. (I’m an engineer myself).
My D decided on GT. The gap year definitely played a role but she also felt like she will get the best of both worlds at GT honors - a small community with some small honors classes but in a larger school in a large city that has more opportunities. She knows she will have to seek out many things that would come easier at Olin though, e.g. she will need to get her project experience from clubs, etc.
“she will get the best of both worlds at GT honors - a small community with some small honors classes but in a larger school in a large city that has more opportunities.” - That’s a great combination. Best of luck to her!
Thanks @colorado_mom. She was initially upset by the Olin waitlist (there were plenty of tears) but I’m glad to see that she bounced back quickly and is really exited about GT! We ordered her GT swag and she is ready to go!
@NoVADad99@colorado_mom I honestly went into my overnight visit ready to confirm my idea that I didn’t want to go and would be happier at GT, but I really enjoyed the community, and I now see why grades aren’t relevant here (students told me there were so many offers, diversity of skills, and the power of Olin in that they didn’t even need to put their gpa on their resume to get jobs). Many students heavily vested in technical research spoke to me and made me feel hopeful about that whole concept. Thank you so much for all the insight throughout this thread. I was wondering if you could share (if your children are older) the extent to which students become cynical and jaded about Olin: I know that happens at all schools, but I could see it being extreme in small schools
My son has not become jaded at all. He knew since first year of HS he wanted to be at Olin and was happy to have his gap year to get in. He has some very close friends with whom he goes out all over the area with, and the 50-50 gender ratio also helps in the social life. He spent his gap year at a very large state flagship university and did all the traditional college things there so he can easily compare the differences, and he still chose Olin after that year.
Jaded? Since my Oliner is a first year I can’t be authoritative on what will happen later. But I have already seen some healthy skepticism about some Olin things (in other words he hasn’t completely drank the Kool-Aid). And when I have seen him hanging with Olin friends they all seem to have a good sense of humor about Olin’s uniqueness. This is not to say they don’t love the culture, it is just that they are self-aware and mature about it. My guess is that for the first couple of years Oliners think and talk about the culture a whole bunch. But by years three and four it is just part of them. I’m not sure if this at all answers what is a very good question.
@NoVADad99 - Just wanted to add that my D would have likely considered a gap year at another school but Olin no longer permits that as an option… You can’t enroll part time either but you can take a summer class or something similar. I suspect that they have lost a few gap year kids since they get attached to their school and don’t want to leave.
@fatherofsam I don’t think a fear of “losing” students is why Olin discourages signing up as a matriculating student at another school during gap year. It is an ethical issue because the other school thinks they have a new student – but really doesn’t. Besides taking a spot from another student, it has a negative impact on the other school’s stats. I could be wrong, but my understanding is that Olin doesn’t have a problem with wait list students taking classes during their gap year – it is just that they don’t want them accepting an admission offer from another school.
@HeloDada - I would understand that if Olin permitted part-time enrollment at another university, which they don’t. I wouldn’t think it is an ethical issue to take a few classes in the fall and spring of your gap year as a part time student. I’m taking this thread off topic though, so I apologize for that.
Cynicism is natural and not necessarily a measure of reality. My son goes to Cal Poly. It’s the only program he knows. He takes for granted the class experiences he gets as typical of everywhere, but they aren’t. His school has a lab for every engineering class. They have 5 wind tunnels in their fluids lab, a rotational dynamics and vibrations lab, all in all over 80 dedicated engineering only labs. It’s their unique thing. Olin has it’s unique thing. At the end of the day, they will all mint new engineers who can talk the talk and work the work. How you personally get there is a matter of choice. Just remember, if a student gets jaded about the their program, they probably haven’t been at another to know how special their situation is.
@fatherofsam I’m not sure why you think Olin doesn’t “allow” students to take classes during their gap year. My understanding is they do allow it, and even if they didn’t they couldn’t police it anyway. And here’s a link to a gap year blog on the Olin site that talks specifically about taking classes: http://www.olin.edu/blog/olin-admission/post/gap-year-part-2-time-flying/ And I share in being sorry for the thread hijack, but I couldn’t leave the bad info up there.
@Helodada@fatherofsam I was at CW1 this year and the Dean of Admissions said at one of the presentations that they don’t want to have gap year students enroll at another college before starting at Olin. I took that to mean full time enrollment like my son was able to do. I think this was a change in policy that was just announced for this class. I am not sure though of their position on part time classes. I would direct you to call the admissions office if you are really interested in an answer for that. Good luck to your daughter at GT.
I love it when people jump in when they don’t have all the facts. For 2017, Olin does NOT permit part-time enrollment, which is what I stated above. This may have been different in year’s past. This is directly from Olin:
Are there any restrictions on what I can do during my gap year?
You may spend your gap year traveling, working, volunteering or studying (and that’s just to name a few ideas!). While you may take a course at another university, you may not enroll as a part-time or full-time student.
Again, I’m not bashing Olin - it is a fabulous school that my D would have very likely attended if not waitlisted. But I wanted to state the facts.
@HeloDada@NoVADad99 Thank you for all of the insights throughout this thread; you, as well as many of the students at my overnight, changed my entire understanding and perception of Olin culture: I frankly did not realize how genuine everyone was (or at least seemed). I’ll definitely let this thread know what I decide.
And in terms of the gap year comment @fatherofsam@NoVADad99
Emily Roper-Doten specifically said, at least during CW1, that you couldn’t formally enroll as a student at any other school: she said it was because she didn’t want students to start at another school and then leave that unfinished, though surely losing students is part of it too. You could probably get away with one class as part-time enrollment (at least around here) requires 2 classes.
My Oliner was never jaded (heck he still has Olin roommates, even though graduated). But it he did appreciate the opportunity to do semester abroad junior year for a change of pace. However, I can see how most students would prefer a larger and more varied campus.
A traditional gap year at this academic stage is getting admitted, asking for a year’s deferral, and taking a gap year. There’s another kind of gap year at Olin. Waitlisted students are told they might get in for the coming fall semester but, if not, they are guaranteed admission the following fall - after a full academic year. This is still called a “gap year” but it’s clearly different. I don’t think Olin is worried about losing these students to other colleges. They wish them the best. If some of them end up at another school, well, Olin has many other students available to fill a freshman class. My waitlisted son knew he wanted to attend Olin. During his gap year he took manufacturing technology courses at a local community college and brushed up on math and Spanish at a local 4-year school. The community college courses especially helped him realize he’s more passionate about mechanical engineering than computer science and software engineering. He also worked and lived at home. Not what he or we would have chosen but, looking back, an ideal year in his and our lives. It would have been less-ideal without taking those classes.
After some serious soul-searching, I’m excited to say I have decided to enroll at Olin! Thank you so much to everyone in this thread for advice and for helping me understand what I wanted in a school.