The OLINformer

… my vote goes to anyone involved in FIRST Robotics!

I’ve just returned from my second trip to the National FIRST Robotics Competition in Atlanta, GA. This year, I definitely had a better idea of what to expect but the energy and passion of everyone involved in FIRST never ceases to amaze (and inspire) me!

So I now present the weekend in pictures:

For those of you living under a rock (or don’t listen to the news much) downtown Atlanta was hit pretty hard by a tornado last month, and I must say, several buildings looked rather beat up… okay, that’s perhaps the understatement of the year. But at least the hole in the GA Dome was fixed and folks were able to find other hotel arrangements - I cannot imagine what would have happened if such a large even would have been canceled! Anyway, a shot of the downtown skyline (courtesy of Ash ‘09, from whom I’ve stolen many pics since she let me share her camera over the weekend - THANKS, ASH!)…

Nerd trading cards… (that’s what Ash called them)…

(more…)

Hi!! I am a little bit tired this morning, mostly because I was up late last night making sure that the student-led chats were working correctly. The chat went for 2 hours (!) and I don’t think that any question went unanswered. Our moderators this week were Erik Kennedy and Jennifer Keene, both Class of 2010, and they discussed Student Life at Olin. We will have the transcript of the chat up early next week, so if you missed it you can catch up. You can read the transcript of last week’s chat on the admitted student site with Alyssa Levitz and Kaelyn Stadtmueller, Class of 2011. The theme of that chat was ICB and First Year courses. Next Thursday, April 24th at 10 pm (I know, Lost is back, but you can TiVo Lost, right? And then watch it in slow-motion to catch even the slightest clue fast forward the commercials?), the moderators will be Michael Ducker (’09) and Nikki Lee (’10). I urge everyone who has been admitted to use this resource to your advantage. No one knows Olin like the students, and they are an invaluable source of information.

That being said, Spring is finally (and hopefully firmly) here! It has been so nice out lately, and everyone has been trying to get outdoors as much as possible. I have seen several classes held outside, with the Academic Center windows doubling as dry-erase boards! When Spring comes to New England after a long and cold winter, the good weather seems like a reward for making it through. Plus, the campus is being prepared for Commencement, so everything looks beautiful. It’s a great time to come and visit, so if you haven’t yet, try and make it.

See you soon!!

~ Emily

On Monday evening, an epic culinary battle went down at Babson’s Trim Dining Hall. The teams had one hour to create an appetizer and a main dish for the judges. The teams were judged on cleanliness of work stations, teamwork, plate presentation, and of course, taste. Many members of the Olin community showed up to cheer on our team, which consisted of George (’10), Jen (’10), Connor (’08), Rachel (’11), Steve (’09) and Jeff (’08). The team was supervised and assisted by Lam, one of our fabulous cooks from the Olin dining hall, and advised by Shane Caledonia, the Executive Chef at Olin. Olin won by a margin of five points, and we now have a beautiful trophy displayed in the Dining Hall. Below are some pictures from the event- enjoy!

-Caitlin, Emily and Allison

From Left to Right: Lam, Steve, Connor, George, Jeff, Rachel, Jen, with Shane down front

Hard at work….

Three of the judges, including our own Matt Jadud (visiting Computer Science professor) and Nick Tatar (Assistant Dean of Student Life)

Olin students watching/cheering/eating ice cream

The winner is announced!

The victorious team with (big!) trophy.

So sometimes we forget how confusing and unclear the admission process can be… and I thought it might be good to talk a little bit about what it means to be admitted or waitlisted.

So you’ve been admitted…

First of all, congratulations! And I mean that with regard to all of the schools that sent you the “fat envelope.” And if you’re planning on joining the Olin family in the fall, head to your application account to let us know and pay the enrollment deposit.

So you’re on one of our waitlists…

…Now what?

Since the letters dropped, we’ve been trying to give y’all some space (sort of…) to let your decisions sink in. Regardless of your decision, you have a lot to think about. Please know that our staff is here if you have any questions. Feel free to contact me or any other admission officer if we can be of any assistance to you or your family.

No surprise, there are usually questions about the waitlist. I completely understand. When you’re on a waitlist you do feel a little like you’re in limbo. I’d like to try to clear up some confusion about our waitlists.

• All waitlisted students must let us know (email Dean Charlie Nolan at charles.nolan@olin.edu) if you wish to remain on the waitlist; if we did not hear from you we must assume you are no longer interested in Olin College.
• For those of you who are on the waitlist with defer option, you do not need to choose between remaining on the waitlist and deferring for a year; if you expressed an interest in deferring and we are not able to offer you admission for the Class of 2012, we will offer you a spot in the Class of 2013 and officially confirm your deferment in May or June.
• If you choose to defer to the class of 2013, we will require a $1000 deposit.
• Deferred students will be asked to submit a plan for their sabbatical year. The plan should detail your goals and tentative schedule for the year.
• We encourage deferred students to do something meaningful- this could be learning a language, traveling, getting a job, writing a book, studying an instrument, joining the circus, taking classes or anything you want (but remember that you won’t get transfer credit for any courses you may take!).
  
• Staying on our waitlists means that you will likely need to make a commitment to another college/university, especially since we probably won’t be able to make any offers until May 1 or soon after. Consequently, you may lose that deposit to the other school if we have a spot for you in the Class of 2012 and you accept our offer!
  
• Historically, we have gone to the waitlists so there is a good chance that we will need to do so again this year. I wish I could give you a more definite answer, but unfortunately the waitlist is, well, about waiting.
  

I hope this helps clarify some of the fuzziness surrounding the waitlist. I think that’s all for now.

Be well,
Allison

allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu

(cue annoying game show theme song)

Friday, March 21st

Actually, that’s the answer… and I’m sure y’all already know what the question was! Decisions will be mailed tomorrow, as Dean Nolan outlined during Candidates’ Weekends. Some of you will receive your decisions - yes, in large envelopes! - via UPS while others of you will receive standard-sized envelopes via USPS. Please note: Some of those “thin” envelopes will contain an offer for a spot on one of our two Waiting Lists - so don’t immediately think the worst and rip it to shreds!!

In addition, your decisions will be available online at https://apply.olin.edu as of 10pm EDT on Monday, March 24^th. If you have been admitted, you can use the website to give us your reply to our offer of admission, as well as pay the enrollment deposit should you choose to join the Olin College Class of 2012 (and we hope you do!).

Don’t forget that you can always contact us if you have any questions or concerns about what happens next in the process.

Try to relax and enjoy spring!
Allison

allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu/

Most of our students departed last Thursday or Friday for a well-deserved week off. As a result, it has been very quiet here at Olin this week. We’re still giving our daily info sessions to juniors doing their spring college tours, while also getting our decision letters ready to mail. This is a funny time of year in admission offices around the country- we’re finishing up this year’s admission cycle while also beginning next year’s. Both groups are incredibly important, but it can be hard to switch back and forth each day.

There are still some students on campus- those who didn’t want to make the long trek home, or those who have projects here on campus that they want to work on. I just saw the Human Powered Vehicle team out on the Oval, even though it’s currently 33 degrees and sleeting. Several of the students who give tours have been kind enough to come in each day at 3 to show our visitors around, and I am very grateful for their help. Sophomore Andy P. just dropped in to take our prospective junior and his mom on a tour- hopefully they’ll be able to stay relatively warm and dry.
-Caitlin

781-292-2212

caitlin.snow@olin.edu

For the past two weekends we have had the pleasure to host our annual Candidates’ Weekends at Olin College. Candidates’ Weekends are a chance for those Candidates selected by the Admission’s Committee to come to Olin to meet us.  We showcase Olin’s unique community through a Mini Expo, Faculty Chats, Variety Show, and tours. Candidates are interviewed, both individually and in groups, and participate in a Design Build exercise that is not (really, it’s not!) evaluated!
This year, both Weekends were equally fantastic. I got to meet people whose applications I had read, saw a FWOP show for the first time (Into the Woods), and connected with people in the Olin Community that I hadn’t had a chance to work with yet. One of the most special things about Candidates’ Weekends is that the entire community gets involved. Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, and Parents all help out to make the weekends informative and exciting for the Candidates and their families.
Hopefully, if you came to Candidates Weekend this year you had a good time. We are hoping to post some pictures on the blog, so if you have one that you would like to see here, please email it to me. I can’t promise to post every picture I get, but I will try to pick one or two that most reflect this year’s Candidates’ Weekends.

Now, we just have to wait………
Emily

emily.moscol@olin.edu

The admission office has been a very busy place this week, lots of last-minute meetings, furious copying, and hammering out details for those of you traveling alone. We’re incredibly excited to meet all of you coming this weekend, and we know that the frantic organizing will pay off as soon as we see your smiling faces tomorrow. It’s quite chilly here, so if you’re traveling from a warmer climate, make sure to bring a hat, scarf, mittens, warm socks and a nice warm coat. Seriously. It’s supposed to snow Friday night and into Saturday, so warm water-proof boots would probably be a good idea as well. As the person in charge of “orphans,” I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the snow holds off until everyone is safely landed at Logan. Stay warm everyone, and safe travels to all who are making their way to Needham today and tomorrow!

-Caitlin

781-292-2212

caitlin.snow@olin.edu

This is, by far, one of the hardest parts of our jobs.

After spending 6 weeks poring over essays and transcripts, recommendations and resumes, DVDs and newspaper clippings, we had to narrow the field from 965 applicants to 180 Candidates.

There are hundreds of truly deserving candidates.

There are hundreds of students who could be amazing contributors to the Olin Community.

You are all talented and incredible people.

As trite as it may sound, we wish we could bring you all to Candidates’ Weekends. But being the tiny institution that we are, we can only bring about 180 to campus.

We know many of you would like to know the EXACT reason why you were not invited to Candidates’ Weekend. And yet, as unsatisfying as it may be to you, it ultimately boils down to the numbers… 180 spots waiting to be filled by 965 talented, extraordinary people. We agonized over these decisions – there were tears and tantrums, and even some marathon team meetings. Please know that there was nothing “lacking” in you or your application. The letter from us should have no bearing on how you see yourself as a student or a person. In the end, it isn’t about what you “didn’t do” or could have “done better” but that there are just too many terrific students applying for only a handful of spots.

We hope that others are telling you this as well: you will have plenty of great college options this year. Next August you will be schlepping your laundry basket and your computer into a dorm room somewhere, and you will embark on a fun and exciting four-year journey. You will stay up late having philosophical discussions about crunchy Cheetos vs. puffy Cheetos and you will learn the true meaning of the “all-nighter.” It will be fun, and you will be happy. It’s hard to picture it now, but take it from us…your determination and hard work are what make you successful in life, not where you go to college for four years.

Take the same passion for learning that you shared with us, and carry it with you, no matter where you go in life. It will serve you well, and in the end, that’s way more important than a letter from a college.

Stay well, and best wishes from the entire Olin Admission Team.

~Emily, Caitlin and Allison

Just a quick FYI regarding Candidates’ Weekends notification, as we receive many questions about how/when we mail the decisions:

1. We mail invitations to Candidates’ Weekends via UPS overnight for domestic students and USPS International Express for overseas students. Sadly, it is not unusual (due to things beyond our control!) that the packets don’t arrive the next day.
   That said, see #3.
2. All other decisions are mailed via standard US Postal Service.
3. Decisions will also be available online through your application account on Monday, February 4, 2008 at 9pm EST.

We will mail ALL decisions no later than Friday, February 1, 2008.

Regards,
The Olin College Office of Admission