<p>To those kids who are on the wait list:
Once you get past your initial sadness of not be accepted outright, please understand that there is only one reason you were not in that group...size. Olin is tiny. There is a set number of spaces available which can't be budged b/c Oliners cannot live off campus and rooms aren't tripled up assuming some kids will leave after a few weeks. </p>
<p>One advantage of Olin's wait list philosophy is that you can start Olin in a year. So, if you choose, you CAN attend Olin just with the addition of an interesting gap year in your experience arsenal. You will be attending college with an increased level of maturity and focus.</p>
<p>One disadvantage of this philosophy is that some of the 80-something spots allocated for each class can already be filled with gappies from the prior year's wait list plus kids who chose to take a gap year. Each gappie reduces the number of available spots for new applicants. </p>
<p>Another plus is that gappies bring different experiences to Olin. Some attend a different college, some travel, some work which eases the cost of college and may make getting a summer job easier.</p>
<p>My son was sitting where you are two years ago. I know how you feel. I think 20 spots his year were filled by gappies leaving only 60-something for his class. April was a looooooong month waiting to hear whether or not a precious spot would open up for him. I read about Olin when he was a HS freshman and knew then it was the right fit for him. When he started going through the college process as a HS junior, he agreed. Our visit to Olin that year and his time at CW solidified those feelings. Every other school was a distant second.</p>
<p>As May 1 got closer and closer, Charlie told my son to be patient. As soon as the accepted students sent it their Yeses and Nos, he could start telling those on the wait list that they could start Olin sooner vs later. </p>
<p>So, be patient. I know it is hard. Stay busy. May 1 will be here and you will be able to exhale, move ahead, putting one foot in front of the other.</p>
<p>FlMathMom, thank you for the private message and for what you wrote above. When my son’s waitlist notification arrived I was sad (whole family was sad) for him. I read the letter but failed, on first reading, to comprehend Olin’s unique approach to waitlists. I knew Olin was unique overall, but deferred admission is a feature I was not aware of. </p>
<p>anyone else out there considering taking the gap year? my mind’s set, Olin 2018… now only to find something cool to do next year (any suggestions welcome!)</p>
<p>Congrats to those accepted and WL… and to the others to who probably have some pretty awesome options. </p>
<p>As you all ponder Olin and/or other options… take advantage of the collective knowledge here. Most of us have done extensive research on a variety of engineering programs. We know factors that have synergy with Olin and sometimes even potential advantages over Olin.</p>
<p>Any students considering a gap year may want to speak to current or alumni Oliners who did the same. They are probably a great source of ideas and can tell you the pros and cons of their choice. </p>
<p>For those who have scholarships, you might want to check the impact a gap year has on your scholarships. For those of you who did not have time to apply for scholarships, a gap year might provide the time and end up paying for your college education.</p>
<p>I believe Olin is a need only college. Good idea to check, but most likely a gap year won’t affect Olin scholarships (other than the student’s EFC going up or down). It might help it for the better if Olin reinstitutes full tuition scholarships, or for the worse, if Olin reduces the 1/2 tuition scholarships for all students.</p>
<p>OperaDad - sorry for being unclear. I was referring to outside scholarships. Some outside scholarships do not provide the option to take a gap year.</p>
<p>You are correct that all incoming Olin students will receive a half tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>If student has an outside scholarship, then it is only helpful to the extent that it exceeds your need. Otherwise, there is pretty close to a dollar for dollar trade off ($1 reduction in scholarship results in $1 more need, which Olin meets). But, you should still check with Olin. If they meet the need with loans, that is much worse than meeting the additional need with grants.</p>
<p>Too early. I would guess the week of April 22nd at the earliest. Even if they start seeing declines now, with Olin’s small sample set, it won’t be that significant (from a statistical stand point). Olin doesn’t have that much room for error in accepting too many kids. A school like MIT can suffer a few over admissions because they know they will have a few summer melt, and a bunch of drop outs once classes begin. When you only have 70 kids in a class, you do not have much room for error.</p>
<p>Not that I have a problem with it, but doesn’t posting the list (names) violate FERPA? I suppose they are not “students” (and thus subject to FERPA) until they enroll. Or, is it only partial names?</p>
<p>Hopefully students will be making their decisions in the next day or two and releasing their spots to the students on the Wait List. Praying that everyone’s dreams come true.</p>
<p>Has anyone heard of any movement off the wait list? For those who have chosen other schools, please let Olin know that you will not be attending. This opens up a spot for someone else who is anxiously waiting for an email admitting them.</p>