Olin Application Essay

The core value of "quality and continuous improvement" is integral to the Olin Community. How do you see yourself contributing to the betterment of the College in this area? What special qualities would you bring to the Olin Community? (Please keep your thoughts to no more than 500 words.)

The panic first begins to set in as I stare at our topographical map: the trail is unmarked and we need to cross a mountain. By lunch, I am close to tears. It is the tenth day of my Outward Bound backpacking trip and I am the navigator. In that moment, I realize the limit of what I can accomplish alone. I ask the counselors for help and they give me a set of directions to the effect of turn right at the train tracks and left at the pile of garbage. My group and I take turns reading the map and consult each other before taking shortcuts. Together, we finally stumble onto our campsite as the sun lowers over the horizon. We have to set up camp in the dark.

That trip was more than a series of close calls and exhausting labor. It was about finding out what I was capable of and using that drive to do more. I had thought I was incapable of navigation, but I just needed help. No matter how impossible my task seemed, I knew that all I needed was to figure out how to make it possible. A similar state of mind is required for Olin College’s goal of quality and continuous improvement. No matter how much work has been done, no matter how many miles have been walked, there will always be more.

Likewise, research is never finished. This year, I am participating in the new Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program in which I work with Hopkins professors to immerse myself in the academic world of science and engineering. I was so excited to get involved in research that I was shocked when I discovered the reality of it. I had thought that science was full of glamour and discovery, not experiments that fizzle out and equipment that does not work. However, I soon realized that challenges are more interesting to tackle than easy questions. From this experience, I took away the knowledge that research, like hiking, is about pushing. Whether I am pushing myself or what the rest of the world thinks is possible, I am making progress.

Olin’s objective of reinventing engineering education requires students who are willing to look beyond themselves to the larger world; I am capable of that. To the Olin community, I will bring energy and stamina, the flexibility to change my mind about the world around me, and the willingness to keep trying even in the face of adversity. In order to maintain a quality institution, Olin College needs to remain full of individuals who are willing to change and take risks. From my experiences with Outward Bound and WISE, it is clear that I am more than willing to jump in the deep end. I have all of the skills necessary to aid Olin College in its mission of quality and continuous improvement, I only need the opportunity.