<p>First of all, my daughter hasnt even started at Olin yet, so Im not, perhaps, the best person to be commenting on all this stuff. Also, I really don’t want this to sound like too much of a lobbying effort, since you’re looking at a lot of great schools and would probably be happy at most (or all) of them. But some of the considerations you’re grappling with sound so much like my daughter, I can’t help but chime in.</p>
<p>She, too, is not sure exactly what she wants to do. She, too, loves sciency/mathy stuff (and especially enjoyed her bio course), but is not clear exactly where that’s going to lead. About the only thing she feels pretty clear about in the science realm is that she probably doesn’t want to go to med school. Since DD doesn’t have her heart set on being an engineer, she struggled with the issue of Olin=engineering vs LACs=no engineering. Here are some of the things she thought about as she made her decision:</p>
<p>–If you go to Olin, you don’t have to decide to be an engineer. You only have to be okay with majoring in engineering. Oliners go on to do a pretty diverse range of stuff after they graduate, and most seem to feel that their Olin education prepared them well for their careers–engineering or otherwise. Olin builds proactive, creative problem solvers, with a broad set of technical tools in their tool belts and the wherewithal to go get new ones as needed. They get a lot of practice working in teams and seeing projects through from inception to completion. That’s a powerful package for a wide range of potential careers.</p>
<p>–As you mentioned, there seems to be quite a lot of freedom at Olin to pursue niche interests in the science/math realm. Youll end up majoring in engineering of some sort, but if you want to design a chem or bio heavy concentration, with a liberal sprinkling of upper level courses from Wellesley, for instance, I think that can be done. If its science you want, I get the impression that the odds of you feeling frustrated by lack of opportunities at Olin are remote.</p>
<p>–The Ph.D. track in laboratory sciences is not necessarily all its cracked up to be these days. Its actually pretty tough out there for recent Ph.Ds (see this depressing article: [U.S</a>. pushes for more scientists, but the jobs aren’t there - The Washington Post](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-pushes-for-more-scientists-but-the-jobs-arent-there/2012/07/07/gJQAZJpQUW_story.html]U.S”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-pushes-for-more-scientists-but-the-jobs-arent-there/2012/07/07/gJQAZJpQUW_story.html)) DD was also influenced by a bright young woman she met who majored in engineering as an undergrad and is currently finishing up her Ph.D. in physics at an Ivy-league department. She said that, if she had it to do over again, shed have stuck with engineering, as she feels that their opportunities are more diverse and plentiful.</p>
<p>In the end, what clinched it, however, is just how DD felt sitting in an Olin class vs the more traditional science/engineering lectures at other schools. She was engaged. She was energized. She kept being struck with a this is so darned cool! feeling. When youre signing up for four years of demanding, quant-heavy education, thats a big deal. That was the Olin difference, and thats why shes going.</p>