While Engineering: Computing technically falls under the “design your own major” category at Olin, it is one of the most common concentrations that people choose, and as a result there are years of precedence for course load selection. In addition, you would be working closely with a faculty advisor who would give you guidance to help ensure that your goals are met. Don’t be concerned about trying to navigate your major in the dark, because you will have plenty of help from both faculty and other students in the same major.
With that said, it is definitely less prescriptive and traditional than a “normal” computer science major, and whether that is a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. At Olin, regardless of your major, you will be taking a number of engineering and design courses that are not explicitly related to the specific branch of engineering that you choose. These classes focus less on teaching you specific content knowledge, and instead teach you more abstract skills like design thinking, open-ended problem solving, and collaborative engineering. In my opinion, these classes are invaluable, and are part of what makes Olin’s brand of engineering education so unique. However, the obvious trade-off is that you have less time to take depth courses within your major. Therefore, if you want to be super tightly focused on just computer science without all of the design and engineering stuff, Olin may not be the right choice.
I can tell you that as far as career pathing goes, you can’t go wrong with either choice, as both will offer you an outstanding education in the field you choose. It’s a matter of which school’s philosophy best fits your academic goals, and where you personally want to spend the next four years.