So things are crazy busy here in anticipation of the 2007 Candidates’ Weekends! Can’t really talk now, but I thought that any Candidates out there - as well as anyone else! - might be interested in the updated (but still officially tentative) schedule for the Weekends. Here you go… my Valentines gift to you all!
2007 CW Schedule
And on a different note…we’ve finally got our first REAL snow of the year!!
Happy V-Day everyone,
Allison
allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu/
… It’s about our STUDENTS!!
So go check them out at their new-but-still-a-work-in-progress BLOG!
http://studentblog.olin.edu
Happy reading!
Allison
allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu/
Dear Applicants,
This note is one of warm appreciation.
We received 1054 applications for 73 places in the Class of 2011 at Olin College. That figure represents a 34% increase in applications over last year and nearly double in the last two years. We have been overwhelmed with the response from prospective students interested in attending Olin. The quality of the applicant pool can only be described as breathtaking! Your accomplishments inside and outside the classroom are very impressive, making our decisions as to whom to invite to Candidates’ Weekends exceptionally difficult.
We are honored that you have chosen to apply to Olin College. Be assured that every application was carefully evaluated.
I want to wish you the very best in your college selection process. No doubt you will have many options, and whichever college or university you ultimately attend will indeed be lucky to count you in its student body.
Sincerely,
Charles S. Nolan, Ph.D.
Vice President of External Relations and Dean of Admission
So consider this a special treat for those who read this blog (thank you!) and the CollegeConfidential college forum… If you can’t wait for the old-fashioned mail (and I completely understand)… 
Decisions are now available online at http://apply.olin.edu
Not to worry - I’m not leaving anyone out! I will send an email to all applicants about this by the end of the day!
Y’all are phenomenal and I wish each and everyone of you the very best, no matter what happens or where you go to college!
Take care and go enjoy your weekend,
Allison
allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu/
Not to worry, my growling is not directed toward anyone in particular! 
However, for those of you dying to know EXACTLY how many applications we received this year, your wish is about to come true…
I want to make it very clear that I’m all about transparency in the admission process (hah! no pun intended) - I don’t like a whole lot of smoke and mirrors or doubletalk. I do believe in giving people accurate information, and sometimes that isn’t necessarily available when YOU want it! 
I’m sure a few of you are wondering why I haven’t answered the comment (regarding the tally of applications) from my last post. The reason is that I’m not a big fan of throwing a bunch of numbers around with being able to put them in context, especially with regard to our rather “unique” admission process. Several of you who have been on CollegeConfidential noted the number of applications posted by members of the Olin community right after the January 1 deadline; however, those numbers are not quite right and I really wanted to wait until we were finished processing and reviewing applications before posting anything about that.
That said, there will be a guest blogger on Monday, February 5th - Charlie Nolan, our Dean of Admission. So check back on Monday to see what he has to say! And, yes, he will “reveal” our final application total.
And one final thought…[warning - big pet peeve alert]… Lots of applications + low admit rate = highly selective institution. That’s all. Remember that selectivity does not equal quality!! The “best” school in the nation may not be the best school for you - no matter what your friends say, your parents think, or Newsweek/U.S. News/Princeton Review sells you.
My goal in life is not to freak you out! I promise! So please be patient a bit longer.
Allison
allison.bahme@olin.edu
781-292-2203
IM: OlinAdmission
http://www.olin.edu/
