Olin College

Dear Prospective Parent:

Not so long ago my wife and I were in much the same position you probably find yourself in today: your son or daughter is considering Olin, a new college you may have never heard of until recently. As a parent who’s been there, and who has also been involved with Olin as member of the Parent Advisory Board since my son’s freshman year, it’s a pleasure to share my perspective on the College as you learn more about Olin yourself.

Olin is a young institution, yet one that has evolved and matured dramatically since we (my son Connor – Olin Class of 2012, my wife Dana, and I) first learned of the College in early 2006, during Connor’s sophomore year of high school - - before Olin had even awarded its first degree.

Since that point in time, Olin has awarded nearly 500 engineering degrees to the graduates of its first six classes, received accreditation, and continued to improve its exceptional educational program. The College has also strengthened and expanded its cooperation with nearby Wellesley and Babson Colleges, and formed collaborative alliances with both the University of Illinois and Stanford to design innovative new curricula and teaching methods intended to help transform engineering education more broadly.

Olin’s graduates have begun careers in world-class companies large and small, continued studies in pursuit of advanced degrees at many of the nation’s leading universities, joined or founded start-ups, and even gone into some surprising fields for engineers (e.g., theater, religious studies). Along the way, Olin students and alumni have also earned an impressive number of postgraduate fellowships and honors for a small school, including 35 NSF program fellowships and grants, 8 Fulbright fellowships, and other similarly prestigious awards.

Yet, given the extent to which the College has developed and matured over the past several years, one thing has remained constant: the spirit of the Olin community, and the excitement and engagement of its students, faculty, staff, and parents in this educational experiment is truly amazing.

Almost everything about Olin is different, starting with its mission: to prepare students to become exemplary engineering innovators. Combined with a highly innovative curriculum, a commitment to gender balance, wonderful facilities, outstanding faculty, staff and students, an involved and supportive parent community, and its unique application/admissions process, all have contributed to the success of the college.

As a result, Olin’s reputation has grown at an astonishing pace. Every year prospective students and parents concerned with the question of “What’s Olin?” have grown increasing comfortable with the decision to attend. Merely an idea less than 15 years ago, today Olin is widely recognized as being on the cutting edge of engineering education, as the increasing number of companies that come to campus to recruit, the collaborative efforts with Stanford and the University of Illinois, and the success of Olin’s graduates all confirm.

Any concerns we had regarding Connor attending a then-relatively-unknown new school have vanished as Olin’s reputation and name recognition have enjoyed an amazing trajectory. And when we ask other Olin parents who are engineers - - and often graduates of very well known schools - - what they think of Olin’s approach to engineering education, without exception, they tell us they like what they see.

It’s no wonder that Olin attracts new students each year drawn from among the nation’s best and brightest high school graduates. Yet Olin is not theright college for everyone. Your child will most likely have a number of offers of admission from various colleges and universities among which they will eventually need to choose. Accordingly, it’s important to take the time to understand the innovative educational experiment going on in Needham, MA, so you can help your child decide if the Olin experience may be right for him or her.

I encourage you to look through the website, visit the campus, read what others are saying about Olin, and speak to parents of current students or alumni (a list of parent contacts can be found here) to learn more.

Finally, wherever the college admissions process ultimately leads your son or daughter, I wish them the best of luck and much success!

Sincerely,

Ken Stokes, P’12 
2011-12 Chair, Parent Advisory Board (PAB)
kenstokes1@aol.com

Please enjoy the Parent Handbook—a valuable resource—and refer to page 3 for details about how you can get involved.

PRP Email Resources

Have questions or just want to hear another parent's Olin experience? Contact one of our current parents. They would be happy to help and share their perspective.

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