The Voices of Olin's Class of 2029: College Essay Snippets

Continuing our essay blog from previous years (Class of ’28), we wanted to introduce you to great examples of personal statements as well as Olin specific essays in a new installment from the Class of 2029.

These snippets reveal different approaches on how to authentically represent yourself to  the admission committee: 

Common App Personal Essay Prompt 1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 

Example 1: Zen ’29 draws from a skimboarding passion to demonstrate transferrable skills for college: 

The first time I met my skimboarding idol, Blair Conklin, I was speechless. Literally. Standing before me was the actual person I had imagined my Lego surfer to be as he got barreled on the rolled-up corner of the living room rug. Ten years later, I am skimboarding against my idol. The thought is overwhelming as Blair congratulates me after my heat, my heart pounding. I’m unable to contain my ear-to-ear smile.  

… 

As a professional athlete, I also understand that it is not just hard work that achieves success, but staying calm and trusting my ability when faced with difficulty. Countless hours of skimboarding have taught me these lessons, and my success in the sport gives me the confidence to pursue my passions in every aspect of life. 

Common App Personal Essay Prompt 7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. 

Example 2: Alex ’29 establishes a strong opening and unique voice to convey their personality: 

Feared by HOAs and homebodies far and wide since 2006, [The Squirrel Car] began its days as a mere Corolla. But over eons of rust, the addition of many irreverent bumper stickers followed by a beautiful colony of black squirrel decals, and an unfortunate loss of a muffler, it became The Squirrel Car. As the name and price imply, this is no ordinary car. To most, it's scrap; to be fair, most people would be right. But I'm not like most people. I find that its absence of beauty allows it to be just that; in fact, I adore this piece of crap. To me, this car embodies what I find beautiful: the unconventional.  

… 

And as afternoon falls, [the car] bids all adieu with a toot of its La Cucaracha horn. To enable others to see beauty in what might otherwise be overlooked or discarded and a daily chance to dive deeply into any and all things that interest me alongside a community of people who share my curiosity about the world is precisely why I’m so excited about college-if The Squirrel can make it there, that is. 

Olin has a required supplemental essay, like many colleges do. The purpose is to get a deeper understanding of you as an applicant and to understand how you could thrive in the Olin community. Olin’s mission is to do good in the world, so we ask applicants to answer the following,” Olin is a community striving to change the world and positively impact people’s lives through engineering education. How does Olin’s mission align with your own values? How do you hope to use your engineering education to change the world?” 

Example 3: Harlow ’29 succinctly addresses an impactful moment around discovering their passion for engineering and how it can be an inherently inclusive field. 

When talking with a prospective robotics mentor to start teams in Hartford, where STEM opportunities are less frequent, he said “A lot of kids aren’t interested in robotics because they’ve never seen themselves as engineers. No one’s ever told them, ‘You can do this.’” That resonated with me, being one of those kids until someone showed me I could be an engineer. I realized then that I could use both the technical skills and design process–identifying a problem, prototyping, testing, and collaboration– of engineering to show kids that they too can be engineers. 

Here is another example of our required supplement: 

Example 4: River ’29 draws a connection between a personal mission with engineering and that of Olin’s mission. 

I strongly identify with Olin’s “engineering… for the good of the world.” I was brought up Jewish, and an idea that continues to resonate with me is tikkun olam. It means “repairing the world,” and it is the concept that one should work to make the world a better place in their lifetime. It acknowledges that people help the world in different ways and encourages them to take advantage of their particular skills. I hope to utilize my passion for engineering to do my part. 

…. 

There may be some reason that this concept isn’t viable, but this is still an example of the type of tikkun olam I hope to do. I plan to be the person who enables and accelerates change by working alongside experts in a field and bringing in engineering knowledge. 

We hope this sampling of successful and impactful essays we read for the Class of 2029 illustrates that there’s no “perfect” way to write a college essay and there’s no one topic we’re hoping to read. This aspect of the application is truly an open-ended opportunity for you to share about who you are and how you might make a good fit for the Olin community.