Introducing...

By Joshua Henry on May 14, 2012 10:22 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Allow me to introduce the 85 members of the Olin College Class of 2016! Our one-of-a-kind admission process produced another great class of students who are sure to continue Olin's tradition of excellence and innovation. Here is some more information on who they are and where they come from:

  • 48 men and 37 women
  • 22 States are represented, including: California (23); Massachusetts (11); Texas (7); New York (6); Hawaii (4); Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia (3 each); Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin (2 each); Connecticut, Iowa, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Rhode Island (1 each)
  • 5 students from foreign countries: India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan
  • 17 National Merit Scholars.
Additionally, one admitted student and 13 students who remained on Olin's waitlist have indicated an interests in taking a gap year and becoming the first members of the Class of 2017.

We'll learn more about the newest members of the Olin community over the summer, and we'll be sure to share more of their distinguishing traits, accomplishments and experiences as we do.

In the meantime, on to the Class of 2017...

The Olin Journey

By Joshua Henry on May 8, 2012 2:51 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
The college admission process may seem complex, but did you know that it can be fully explained in just 35 seconds? Our students did! Check out this video from members of the Class of 2015, depicting the Olin admission process, start to finish, with a little help from Google:


Thanks to Shane Skikne, Lyra Silverwolf, Kevin O'Toole, Greg Edelston and Chani Martin for creating the video and sharing it with us!

What do you think? If you applied to Olin this year, does this video accurately capture your experience? If you're considering applying to Olin, does this make the process seem less daunting?

Done, Done, On to the Next One.

By Joshua Henry on May 4, 2012 1:39 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
The 2011-12 academic year at Olin College is nearing its end. Wednesday was the last day of classes, today was the last day of campus tours and next week our students will be busy taking finals - mostly final projects and presentations. SCOPE and commencement occur the week after, followed by the annual exodus of students from campus for the summer.

It's an ending of sorts in the Olin Admission Office as well. We're counting deposits and putting the finishing touches on the fall's entering class - more details about this coming soon - and starting to think towards projects for the summer and preparing for next year. For instance, today I'm celebrating Star Wars Day* by interviewing students for our campus tour and overnight visit coordinator positions. It's exciting to talk to students who are excited to be a part of our process next year, and think about the ways we can innovate and improve our campus visit programs. It's also exciting to start thinking about getting to know a new crop of prospective students.

*I toyed with the idea of writing this entire post in Yoda-speak, but there are only so many hours in a day.

Both the beauty and the burden of admission is that it never stops. As we work diligently to admit and enroll the Class of 2016, the Class of 2017 is busy visiting campus, planning to take SAT and ACT tests and thinking about how best to spend their summers. It's a lot for high school juniors to digest, especially in addition to worrying about papers, tests and finals, the spring musical, printing and distribution of the yearbook, the state athletic tournament, and possibly sitting for your first AP exams.

And that's why we want you to know that we're here to help. We encourage your questions about Olin College and our one-of-a-kind admission process. Be sure to reach out to us via email (info@olin.edu) and connect with Olin through Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on what's happening on campus and within the Olin community. When you have questions, reach out to us - we're here to answer.

Best of luck to all the students out there gearing up for the end of their school years. May the Fourth be with you!

Bonus points if anyone catches the musical reference in this post's title.

May Day

By Joshua Henry on May 1, 2012 10:24 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
May 1 is an ordinary day for most, but for many high school seniors and aspiring first-year college students, May 1 is the day on which they title the next chapter in their young lives. Many of you are in this position, making your final decisions between Olin College and the other outstanding institutions to which you've been admitted. We recognize how difficult this declaration may be and appreciate the consideration you've given to attending Olin in the fall. When you do make your enrollment decision, please don't forget to let us know by completing the response form online at my.olin.edu.

Whether you choose to attend Olin or not, we want to congratulate you once again on navigating the college admission process successfully and making a decision to continue your education in the fall - though we hope you do choose Olin!

Confirming Your Decision

By Joshua Henry on March 23, 2012 10:30 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
By now, all of our Candidates for the Class of 2016 have hopefully received and had time to digest your admission decisions. We hope those of you who have been admitted to Olin College are still excited about the opportunity, and we hope those of you who received less fortunate news from us have been able to move on and focus on the amazing offers you are surely receiving from other outstanding colleges and universities across the country and the world.

Many of you may still be trying to decide between Olin and other institutions to which you have been or will be admitted. We encourage you to take your time and make the decision that is best for you, and we will be following up with you regarding opportunities to visit campus again in April, participate in online chats with current Olin students and more.

For those of you who are ready to declare your decision to attend Olin, we want to remind you that you can do so via our online portal starting next week. As of 10:00am on Monday, March 26th, you can visit https://my.olin.edu to confirm your enrollment and pay your deposit.

If you have any questions about this process please do not hesitate to contact us at apply@olin.edu.

Best of luck to all making your college choices this spring!

This Too Shall Pass

By Emily Moscol on March 16, 2012 2:10 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Sometimes we experience such joyful moments, we wish they would last forever. Most of the time, life is filled with the mundane minutiae of everyday tasks. Getting from point A to point B, doing your chores, making sure the cat is fed. And sometimes, hopefully not often, we experience disappointment. Your brain tells you that "this too shall pass", but your heart feels as though the trials of youth will continue, unrelenting, for years.

They don't.

Sure, life changes. Worries about friends turn into worries about children. Worries about school turn into worries about work. But there's something specifically wonderful about growing up, and it's the moment you realize that the only thing that matters AT ALL in your life is that you're happy, and that happiness does not come from things that other people can give or take. It comes from your heart.

Rejecting applicants that we have met, interviewed, and have come to like as much as those we have accepted is, by far, the most difficult part of my job. I often wish that we could just admit everyone we bring to Candidates' Weekend. But the way that I keep my own head high is that I know that every single person who got a rejection letter this week will end up at another college that is a better fit for them. You won't care next year that you weren't accepted to Olin because you'll be planning the summer and wondering which internship or job to take. Seattle or Mountain View? NYC or Chicago? The world will be filled with choices but you'll know what to do.

Follow your happiness. Follow your heart.

Decisions are Made!

By Laura Cotten on March 14, 2012 12:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
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It's another busy day in admission!  We have established an assembly line in our work room to mail out our admission decisions!  Both admitted and wait listed students will receive a UPS envelope.  Denied students will receive a regularly mailed letter in the mail.

You will also be able to check your status on the portal - with the username and password that was given to you earlier.  However, this will not be available until March 26th since our portal is currently undergoing an upgrade.

We would like to say again how much the staff, faculty and students enjoyed meeting you all during your visit to campus.  We had an incredibly hard year making admission decisions since our pool of candidates was yet again exceptional.  For those of you who accept our offer of admission, we look forward to seeing you again in the fall!


Take a bow!

By Joshua Henry on March 5, 2012 11:07 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
Candidates' Weekends for the Class of 2016 are over! Over 240 students traveled to Olin to participate in Design Builds, group exercises, individual interviews and much, much more over the course of three weekends, and all have now returned (or are returning) home to wait for their final admission decisions. The wait shouldn't be too long as we hope to send out decision letters by the end of next week. In the meantime, we hope everyone enjoyed terrific experiences visiting Olin and came away with new friends and fond memories.

Our one-of-a-kind admission process is highlighted in the Boston Globe*, and the reporter includes quotes from some of the Candidates on my interview team from this past weekend!

*One quick point of clarity: the Design Build, which is an essential component to Candidates' Weekend, is not an evaluative activity. It is meant to be fun and build team dynamics among groups of students who just met the day before.

Having now completed my first foray into the world of Candidates' Weekend, I can confirm that there is nothing else quite like it. The art of selecting and building an entering class of students is a profound experience, and being able to do it first-hand, in person is truly a rewarding experience. I wish all colleges and universities could experience the benefits of what we do here at Olin. But Candidates' Weekends are as much a result of Olin's innovative characteristics as they are one of them. Candidates' Weekends are possible because of who and what Olin is, and that is a school like no other.

And on behalf of the Admission team, I want to offer my sincerest thanks to the many, many students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents who volunteered their time to help make Candidates' Weekends successful. Like many other things that happen at Olin, we could not achieve what we do without the support of Olin's fantastic, extended community. Thank you!

Next up - Admission Committee... and digging out from underneath the logjam that now is my email inbox.

February Vacation

By Joshua Henry on February 22, 2012 12:19 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
High schools across New England, and several other parts of the country, are enjoying February vacation this week, resulting in a steady flow of prospective students and parents into the Olin Admission Office. We're excited to have visitors again after the winter lull and will do our best to make ourselves available to answer any questions you may have about the College and our one-of-a-kind admission process.

At Olin, we're coming up on the second of our three consecutive Candidates' Weekends beginning this Friday afternoon. These weekends require intense planning and preparation, and we rely on the entire Olin community, especially our students, to make them happen. That is why, when you visit Olin this week, you'll be taking a self-guided tour of campus - or you could opt for our QR code guided tour of campus!

Our regular campus tours will begin again in mid-March - Monday, March 12th to be exact - after we've all had the chance to catch our breath from Candidates' Weekends. But don't fret - Olin students are a passionate bunch, and if visiting campus this week I encourage you to be outgoing and approach our students with your questions about their experiences here. Enjoy lunch in our Dining Hall, sit and chat with current students. Sometimes the most illuminating experiences occur when you remove the guise of formality.

Enjoy your days off and safe travels!

calm before the storm

By Joshua Henry on February 17, 2012 12:02 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
The Olin campus is quiet at the moment...

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...but it won't stay that way for long.

Eighty Candidates (approximately) for admission to the Class of 2016 will storm the campus this afternoon for the first of three successive weekends. They'll be welcomed by the Olin community, bond with each other, have a lot of fun, and participate in evaluative activities all for the sake of the Admission Committee being able to determine if they are good fits for Olin, and for the Candidates to determine if Olin is a good fit for them.

We'll have more updates on Candidates' Weekends as they happen, and will be sure to let everyone know when final admission decisions are available. In the meantime, enjoy the show, either in person or from afar - follow Olin on Facebook, Twitter and our blogs for continuous updates.
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