Candidates' Weekend Perspective: Luke '23

Hey all! I’m Luke, a first-year Olin student.

Now, if you don’t know, Candidates’ Weekend is one of the stages in the admission process where students are brought to campus to experience what it’s like here. You will get to interact with community members, see the campus, and participate in an interview and a group exercise. Sounds daunting, right?

I remember coming to my Candidates’ Weekend riddled with worry. I felt like I was experiencing the dream where you show up to class on test day without having prepared, except in real life. I was convinced that the whole weekend was secretly evaluated and that I would do or say something silly and end up messing up my chances of being accepted. In reality, most of the events throughout the weekend are meant to give YOU an opportunity to see if YOU like it here. The official description of Candidates’ Weekend says, “The weekends are designed to be fun, informal and informational experiences.” I challenge you to take advantage of that and spend a little less time stressing and a little more time getting a feel for what the community is like here.

One of the biggest things that I was stressed about during my Candidates’ Weekend was the Design Challenge. It ended up being one of the most fun parts of the event, which I can attribute to letting my guard down a little and allowing myself to enjoy the experience. At one point during the challenge I started to jam out to the music they had playing, and one of the students running it came by to check on us and ended up dancing with me. That moment made me realize that in this kind of scary process I was here for, everyone was really trying to get to know the real me.

When you attend Candidates’ Weekend, don’t be afraid to share about your passions or your quirks. We want to hear them! We want to hear you! Coming to Candidates’ Weekend is just as much you getting to know what it’s like here as the people here getting to know you. Since Olin is a small school, it’s important that the community members are going to be happy and comfortable here.

Also, don’t forget to have fun! It’s “designed to be fun,” remember? Take advantage of the activities we have planned for you, and don’t be afraid to get to know the other Candidates.