<p>Well, D did an overnight, and got a much better feel for the normal life. Really likes the teachers, kids, and teaching style.</p>
<p>What may really make a difference in her final decision: She likes the food. She even asked the other kids if this is the regular food. Who would have thought that my 3 D’s would have such strong culinary interests. I guess growing teen boys will eat anything put in front of them. Girls must have the luxury of being a little more discerning.</p>
<p>Can’t say that I approve of the reason. Fortunately, she can’t make a bad decision.</p>
<p>Next up: MIT’s Campus Preview Weekend. Probably won’t give her a “normal life” experience, but she will get a feel for the other kids there.</p>
<p>Olin food - Most students say it is pretty good. But they admit that there is not as much choice as at some bigger schools, so monotony is a factor. Since the students are required to live in the dorms for 4 years, it’s great that they have excellent food. It is pricey, but that is often the case for dorm food. </p>
<p>MIT food - They seemed to have the most flexibility of all schools. (Actually, I was not crazy about it. But it seems popular - kids often prefer fast food). I think traditional food plan is optional, only available in some dorms. I had a concern that this would encourage loner tendencies, but not sure if that is the case. The MIT approach probably saves money, except for students that eat out a lot.</p>
<p>Colorado<em>mom - it required serious juggling. With one, she had to go to a </em>-in-a-day program instead of their admitted students weekend & the other school had several dates available. I’m hoping she realizes how unrealistic CPW is right now. LOL!!</p>
<p>April seems to be the month of juggling for many hs seniors. </p>
<p>DS had many commitments with ECs. He had to do his re-visit to Harvey Mudd during spring break (as part of family trip) before knowing if he had been accepted. We decided he needed to go back and see the “gold standard” that set his ideas on college, even if he didn’t get accepted. It did help him realize that Olin really was The One.</p>
<p>For people wondering about Oliners after graduation, be sure and check out the PGP (Post Graduate Planning) blog. Their office helps students with getting summer jobs/internships, interviewing skills, resume preparation, etc. and runs the career fair each semester. </p>
<p>Recent posts have included info on an Oliner who went on to medical school, a current senior who received a Gates Cambridge scholarship to get her masters at Cambridge, info on taking a leave of absence for a semester, the Baja team’s trip to Boeing, and lots of other interesting things.</p>
<p>If you have specific questions or want stats, you can contact their office.</p>
<p>One thing to consider is where does your student want to end up (geographically) after college. If they want to end up in Boston, San Francisco, LA, Seattle, etc, many people have heard of Olin. If you want to end up in small town Oklahoma, many companies will have never heard of Olin. They will have heard of MIT. SO…if someone wants small town life far from the city, I would honestly recommend MIT. Olin hasn’t hurt my chances of getting a job that I know of but no employer I’ve applied to in smaller towns has heard of it. The Olin network of alumni, parents, etc is strong and growing stronger, but you will still have better luck finding a job in a big city or place where many Olin students are from or where alumni live.</p>
MIT! I’m a current Oliner. I visit MIT quite often. I wish I went there. More diversity of classes, more diverse research opportunities, better social life. Especially if you are a minority or an international student, do not come to Olin! You will feel so out of place and discriminated against at times.
I’ll throw in my two cents. I chose Olin over MIT and that has been the best decision I ever made. I don’t care about prestige that much (although Olin really is up there in rankings and such) and I wanted to go to a school where I wouldn’t be lost in a crowd. It also came down to fit, and I am not looking for a super competitive environment in a college. At Olin, competition is removed in a way that encourages students to help each other, something that you will not find at schools like MIT.
@Oliner - I am sorry you are not happy at Olin. Candidate Weekend is supposed to (in most cases) help students understand whether they will like it there or not. If time permits. you should post some retrospective thoughts that \ could help other students deciding next April.
If I could add my two cents also (and fyi, Colorado Mom was an awesome resource for me!), I know this discussion is old, but I actually have a student that attended Candidates Weekend and was rejected, and he was accepted to MIT and loves it. He works on problem sets in groups, and they never discuss grades (this is early in to Freshman first semester, of course). I definitely think fit comes in to play when looking at these two schools. I thought if my son made CW, there was no way he would get rejected. I think I wanted Olin more than he did. I think it is a great school though, and we are grateful to have gone through the process. I also think MIT can be misrepresented at times. They are both great options, but one student may thrive in one environment, but not the other. Interestingly, some get accepted to one or the other, some to both. It would be a tough choice, and in some ways, I am glad my son didn’t have to make that choice.
@Texasmom12. That’s great to hear your son was admitted to MIT. Sometimes I do wonder about the emotional investment made by the students who attend CW at Olin only to receive the rejection notice a month later. I imagine it can be really hard to get that close only to be denied.