Calling All Fall 2010 Washington U. (Olin) Applicants!

I visited campus for my interview. I am originally from St. Louis (moved up to Chicago for undergrad and never moved back) so the area is familiar to me although the school is not.

My impressions of Olin should be taken with a grain of salt because there were no classes in session when I went. So it was really, really quiet.

That being said, the biggest thing I noticed is how friendly everyone is. They really made me feel comfortable - I got lost on campus and ducked into a building and no less than 3 people greeted me, instructed me where to go, etc. When I finally found Simon Hall, I was peering into classrooms and I guess looking lost, and a student approached me asking me if I needed help finding something. He directed me to the "DUCK" to grab a cup of tea to settle my nerves before the interview - it seemed to me to be the student union and was excellent - sitting right next to me happened to be 2 finance professors who were in deep discussion and this was a great impression for me of the approachability and dedication of the professors.

The interview was about an hour and 15 minutes, and afterwards my interviewer walked me around the building. The building is quite small compared to other schools I've looked at, but is similar with regards to technology, classrooms and meeting rooms, courtyard, etc.

Also, as a St. Louis native, the area in which Wash U is located is young, full of trendy restaurants and shops. Also, for athletic people, Forest Park is nearby and is great for running, biking, etc.

Hello everyone,

Just curious, is anyone's PM's not getting sent out? I have a couple sitting in my outbox for a while and am not sue why...

Any more admit news??

stler645, please do not apply to Olin. It sounds like you have a very bad view of the program (especially after your visit) and that is a sure no-no before you start school. I agree with you that damage to the brand could trickle donwstream but there is no evidence that such exists. Despite the negative comments I've heard here, I still think that Olin is a wonderful program! I am sure they have as top a talent pool as you can find anywhere. I assume the ROI is competitive. There are many such reasons why they are ranked in the top-30.

For me, part of what will determine my success is what I put into the program. If I go to Olin, study as hard as I can, make as much networking/connections as I can, do a carefully chosen study abroad program, prepare for interviews and internships like my life depends on it and have an open mind, believe me when I say that after 2 yrs, I will out-compete and out-WOW the fellas with HBS/Wharton/Booth/LBS MBA's. No question about it! But I have to do all the above and for me to do that, I have to believe in the program. I cannot argue that you do so please dont apply there. Look for other schools that satisfy your needs and pls do NOT sounds as negative as you do about Olin. With your 730 GMAT and 3.97 GPA, you are indeed a top talent. Sad to hear about your dings. I know how it feels. Hope R2 is better for you. It appears you dont really have a "fall back" school. Maybe do some R3 on some top-30-but-maybe-less-WOW programs(BW ranking, I trust it more...)

Per your questions, despite the bad economy, on-campus recruitment at Kelley appears to be holding. The guys I met when I went had internships and jobs lines up. They also explained a striking breakdown of the employment stats. Students who really applied themselves to job hunting and worked with career services very well almost all got jobs:~98% or thereabout. Those who were "average" per applying themselves and workin with CS were something like ~70% or less, folks who were "just there": very low %. So it goes back to my previous point that a lot of it depends on the student. Of course, brands matter tons, but after all is said and done, WE have the most impact on OUR future.

Let the conversation continue...

The program starts on August 9th for domestic students (maybe a week earlier for int'l).

Congrats!! I went there for undergrad and loved it!

Congrats brother!

Just submitted my app yesterday. Loved the "no application fee"

Would you kindly detail your profile?

Also an admit here! I found out on December 18th.

Really friendly and helpful admissions people.

Just got a call and then an email,,, I am selected, after a series of 5 dings, finally a light of happinness

Did anyone received any information regarding scholarships

In my admissions package they gave me a quarter tuition scholarship! Woo hoo!

question for ksjhawk and Pre777 ..........

Congrats for your admission, Can you please tell what make you decide for Olin for your MBA. I saw you have 710 GMAT score, you can go with some other higher rank universities

Now what is your plan, are u going with Olin or not, can you please share your profiles

Pre777,
Where in the application package you are seeing scholarship details

Thank you. I was initially drawn to Olin because of the free application, and the single essay question. I looked into it more though and I've been really impressed with their placement stats, especially in the down economy. I have a cousin who is in medical research and could have chosen any university in the world but chose Washington. I'm told their law school is top notch too, indicating potential for Washington MBA to rise in the rankings.

I haven't settled on Olin yet. I'd be happy to go there but I'm currently on the waitlist at Notre Dame and UNC and waiting to hear back from Texas and Michigan.

My application letter was in the admissions package as a letter just behind the actual acceptance letter.

Hi Guys -

I have submitted my appl. on 4th jan (Thanks to Reeve for this).

Could anyone pls share how much time it took for R1 applicants to get an interview invite.

- thanks

I submitted my application early, on October 15th if I remember correctly. I was asked to interview in mid-december. Only a week after my interview I got the acceptance call.

Congrats to those who got in! I have my interview tomorrow afternoon on campus with Olin. Any tips or pointers on the interview?

It was a fairly straightforward interview for me, I did mine on the phone. I was asked to walk the interviewer through my resume then tell about a time I failed, then I had time to ask questions. All in all it took about 30 minutes.

Good luck.

I'm curious - was the interviewer a student or an adcom member? Did they know your whole application or did they only know your resume?