The OLINformer

I bet you’re wondering what happens after you click the “SEND” button on your application! So here’s the low-down on our application review process…

Early December through early January - APPLICATION PROCESSING:

1. You submitted your electronic application (with uploaded résumé and essays). After we receive your application, we go into our files and pair your application with any other credentials you have sent us: your transcript, your standardized test scores, secondary school report (Form A), teacher recommendations (Forms B & C), current senior grades (Form D or equivalent) and any supplemental materials.
2. You check your status online. After submitting your application, you can see what credentials we have received by logging back into your application account and checking your status page. We update these accounts as soon as we can, but please be patient! I cannot stress this enough! Every piece of mail must be manually opened, sorted and entered in the database - so it takes some time. Remember that, in contrast to other schools you may be applying to, we are a VERY small Admission Office. So be kind to us!
3. You’re complete! When our office has received all the required pieces of information, your status page will show your application is complete. Your application folder (containing all the cool and interesting stuff you’ve sent us) is then ready to be reviewed and your folder is assigned to a reading team….

…So what the heck is a reading team?!? There are four reading teams made up of about seven faculty and staff members and, in some cases, alumni! Each reading team is captained by a member of Admission Office - Dean Charlie Nolan, Assistant Directors Emily Moscol or Caitlin Snow, or myself. Applications are divided amongst the reading teams based on where you attend high school; each of us takes a diverse group of states as well as a portion of the overseas students.

NOW through late March - APPLICATION REVIEW, CANDIDATES’ WEEKENDS and FINAL DECISIONS:

1. Right after the deadline, we actually started reading some of you eager-beavers who were already completed! Throughout December and January, we will read ALL of the applications.
2. At least once a week (sometimes more) during the month of January, the reading teams meet to discuss the applications assigned to their team.
3. In the last week of January, the reading teams make recommendations to the Admission Committee regarding which applicants should be invited to Candidates’ Weekends (CW). The Admission Committee is made up of 5-6 members including faculty, the Dean of Students and Dean of Admission - all of whom also serve as readers on the aforementioned reading teams.
4. The Admission Committee determines which applicants will become “Candidates” and will be invited to CW. All students are notified of their status in early, early February - we’re shooting for February 1st but that’s not a guarantee at this time! We’ll keep you posted on that timeline…
5. Candidates flood campus for CW (February 29-March 1 or March 7-8) and learn more about Olin, participating in a design/build exercise, interviews and group exercises.
6. The Admission Committee reconvenes to review information gathered during Candidates’ Weekends by the CW interviewers - a group of faculty, current students, staff and/or alumni. The Admission Committee determines which Candidates will be offered admission, who will be placed on the waitlists and who will be denied.
7. Notification letters will be sent sometime toward the end of March.

As elementary as I’ve tried to make sound above, it is insanely difficult to do! While this process is not exactly “rocket science,” it is very nuanced, subjective and agonizing at times. Because we strive to create a holistic approach to the application process, it is not as cut-and-dry as admitting all the students with perfect SAT/ACT scores or those with straight-A’s on their transcripts. That would be too easy and far too simplistic… and not very Olinesque! Our review process is extremely labor-intensive but it is the best way for us to build the kind of intellectual and creative community that makes Olin unique!

Learning about each of you is fascinating; the hard part is that we feel like we’ve really gotten to know you after reading your essays and hearing what your teachers have to say about you (or if we’ve met you in person). The reality is that we only have a small number of spots in each class… and unfortunately we just don’t have room for everyone.

I constantly have to remind myself (and others!) that things typically happen for a reason, even if the reason is not clear at that moment… When I was a high school college counselor, one of the most heart-wrenching aspects of my job was when student came to my office devastated by a disappointing decision from their dream school. It makes my heart ache just thinking about it now (melodramatic, but true, I swear). But the funny thing was that in the vast majority of those cases, the college that a student ultimately chose to attend was just as good for her/him as the original first-choice institution… and in some cases, it was an even better match!

Our applicant pool is one of the strongest in the nation and each of you will have tons of amazing opportunities come April - whether at Olin or somewhere else. I truly believe in our application process; it is perhaps one of the most personal ones out there. And though no admission process can be perfect, I think Olin’s process is pretty darn good!

I hope you feel a bit better (or at least better informed) about our process. I really want to convey the level of dedication that the entire Olin community puts into our approach to admission - from the application readers to the interviewers and presenters at Candidates’ Weekends, we put a lot of ourselves into the process.

Whew! I’m exhausted. That’s it for now. I’m working on posting more pics soon…

Enjoy the weekend and Happy New Year!
Allison

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