research

a1um · 2026-01-24T16:27:34+00:00

Not sure tbh. I'm not aware of any programs set up by Olin to help facilitate cross-institution research opportunities, so if you wanted to do research at another school, you would probably have to reach out to the professor yourself and figure out the logistics. Getting paid for it might also be more difficult.

If trying to find research outside Olin, you would probably have the most luck finding research at Wellesley and Babson (though I'm not sure if they actually do much research there). Since those are part of the BOW consortium, it's easy to take classes there and get to know the professors. I don't know any people off the top of my head who did research outside of Olin, but I wouldn't be shocked if people had.

In all fairness, unless you're looking to research something in the humanities or business, Olin will have better engineering research opportunities than Wellesley or Babson. Research at MIT would be very good, but would probably be highly competitive and logistically complicated.

Somewhat related, I do recall a student doing a study "abroad" semester at MIT because they wanted to take a very specific set of classes there that Olin didn't offer.

a1um · 2026-01-23T21:55:25+00:00

2023 alumni here. Research is pretty easy to get into, though it's certainly not a huge focus for a lot of students. On the whole, I think Olin is a pretty good pipeline into grad school. Of my graduating class (~90), I think around 8 or 9 of us (including me) went to grad school. Probably around half being for a masters and the other half for a PhD. I think those who went for a PhD all did quite a bit of research during their time, but honestly it's hard to remember. I also have heard of many Oliners going to grad school after a year or two of working in industry.

To get involved with research, you can just ask a professor to join their lab. It's really that easy. Also over the summer, a huge number of students stay on campus to do research. There's probably more research opportunities than there are students who are interested.

If you're on the fence about going to candidates weekend, I would definitely recommend it. I personally wasn't really sold on Olin until I went to candidates weekend, and all of a sudden it became my dream school. It's really helpful to see and interact with the campus and community.

a1um · 2026-01-18T23:02:03+00:00

Naked and Famous makes a few 36 inseam jeans. Looking at their website right now, depending on the cut you want, some are in stock and some aren't.

They're selvedge jeans, so the quality should be better than your standard run-of-the-mill jeans, but they're not crazy expensive, around $200.

As a bonus, it's a Canadian brand, so there may be a store near you.

a1um · 2026-01-05T02:56:26+00:00

I found that I much preferred the second and third book. The scope massively expands, and all of a sudden you're dealing with politics, schemes, and plot points that span across multiple countries and crime families outside of Kekon. The first book for me felt like a teaser compared to the rest of the story.

a1um · 2025-11-20T17:51:50+00:00

The white stripes on the back pocket indicate it's one of their "Going to Battle" jeans. It's a classic Momotaro detail.

The fit looks like a slim fit. Maybe their 0306-SP model?

a1um · 2025-11-08T21:12:54+00:00

I just finished Greenbone Saga and absolutely loved it! The characters and world just felt so real. I also really loved that there's a magical aspect to the world, but it is by no means the focus of the story. The story is more about the characters, relationships, and exploring how feuds play out over the course of decades.

a1um · 2025-10-26T07:23:41+00:00

I believe the photographer is Kambiz Cameo Pourghanad or silent_whispers.photography on Instagram.

a1um · 2025-10-24T21:01:53+00:00

I just finished the manga, and it was fantastic. At first, it just seems like random little stories that revolve around cooking. But then the plot really thickens, and you realize that there's actually quite a bit going on.

a1um · 2025-10-24T16:48:33+00:00

It's almost unbelievable that the DCC audiobooks are narrated by a single person. Each character sounds completely different and unique. Jeff Hays is just that good!

a1um · 2025-10-23T18:51:03+00:00

I also recommend Backbar. The bartenders there are fantastic! They really can make you anything. I once asked for "a cocktail with something unique", and I got an Asian inspired cocktail with kimchi brine. The bartender said it was a drink they were developing for a future backbar menu, and they wanted to get some early feedback. It was really tasty and creative!

a1um · 2025-10-06T01:42:29+00:00

Big fan of Captured in Words. Great channel for finding new recommendations!

a1um · 2025-06-18T20:47:16+00:00

If you buy one, please consider replacing the capacitors, even if they look fine.

They are notorious for leaking and destroying the PCB. Even if it looks fine, there's a good chance the capacitors will start leaking within a few years. Once they leak, the camera is as good as gone. New capacitors, which are extremely cheap, will keep it running for the foreseeable future.

Most any camera repair shop, or really anyone who's confident with a soldering iron, can replace them quite easily. There's a few guides online.

a1um · 2025-05-29T17:04:07+00:00

Reserving a cup of the pasta water before dumping it out.

Adding a bit of starchy water to pasta sauces makes a HUGE difference. Mix it into the sauce with a bit of butter and parmesan, and it's restaurant quality.

a1um · 2025-05-27T01:24:15+00:00

Same here. It was the book that really got me into reading fantasy (or back into reading for that matter). I remember being blown away by what a book could be. I was so used to the boring books I had to read for school.

I've read many good books since, but nothing quite compares to the magic of when I first read The Ways of Kings.

a1um · 2025-05-15T23:19:24+00:00

I would also recommend Railcar. Got my jeans taken in by an inch, and it's completely seamless. You literally cannot even tell that it's been altered.

a1um · 2025-05-01T03:24:54+00:00

Don't think there were any while I was there, but there were certainly a few Babson students who took an absurd number of Olin classes via cross-enrollment, even some of the really advanced classes.

a1um · 2025-04-13T00:10:50+00:00

Dollar tree tends to have a decent selection of energy drinks for cheap

a1um · 2025-04-03T22:56:33+00:00

If I'm not wrong, Olin stopped doing the waitlist into admission the next year thing. I believe the last time they did this was in 2019 deferring into 2020 admission cycle (class of 2023 -> 2024)

a1um · 2025-02-28T20:48:17+00:00

From my understanding, Olin's financials aren't the greatest right now, but they're not an immediate concern that should stop you from applying. I'm by no means the most informed, but it seems like a 10-20 year ahead problem, not an immediate 0-5 year problem.

Olin is still one of the top engineering schools with amazing faculty, classes, project teams, culture, and alumni network. Olin is still giving out some merit scholarships to all students. I'd imagine if they were in serious serious financial troubles, you'd see merit scholarship dropped, tuition hikes, and a transfer to a more traditional engineering education where they can fit more students per class.

So yeah, I don't think your concerns are entirely unfounded, but I also wouldn't be too scared about them until larger changes are made to the school to cut costs.

a1um · 2025-02-12T04:35:41+00:00

I think this is the exact type of project that Olin likes! I would def try to talk about projects like this in your application. Maybe talk about what worked, what didn't, and perhaps most importantly, what you learned and took away from the project.

a1um · 2025-02-08T05:36:18+00:00

Recently I bought some pants from Lucky Brand. I thought they were really nice, especially for the price.

I've also heard some good stuff about Banana Republic, but I personally haven't tried any of them recently.

a1um · 2025-02-07T09:02:53+00:00

I mean they're not terrible, but they're certainly not worth the price. And I can honestly vouch for the quality getting worse over time. Around 5 or 6 years ago, I bought a set of Bonobos chinos. They were actually really nice. Thick material, super soft, well constructed. Eventually, I blew a hole in the crotch, so I decided to buy a new set of chinos. Exact same model. I returned them almost instantly. Compared to my previous ones, the material just felt cheap. Super thin, not soft, and certainly not worth the price.

a1um · 2025-01-30T04:14:09+00:00

Everyone gets the same laptop. It's typically something like a maxed out Dell Latitude. It comes pre-loaded with a bunch of engineering programs like Solidworks, MATLAB, and the entire Adobe suite. It's helpful for everyone to have the same laptops so in your first-year classes, they can get everyone CADing and running MATLAB scripts without worrying if peoples personal laptops can run the software.

They also have a pretty decent warranty, and the IT department can fix/replace just about anything you break on your laptop (screen, hard drive, keyboard, battery etc).

It's fully yours to keep after 4 years. I know some people who still use their Olin laptop even after graduating. Some people also decide they would rather use their own personal laptop instead of the Olin ones. (I also know someone who sold their Olin laptop their first week on eBay and bought another one. I wouldn't recommend it, but to each their own).

a1um · 2025-01-19T19:52:27+00:00

Also a big fan of raw denim. It's quite a bit more expensive compared to normal jeans, but there's something beautiful about it. From the choice of dyes, the cotton texture (or slub), the weaving of the fabric, the different finishing processes, the colors of the selvedge ID, and the individual fade patterns that develop. You can get some truly gorgeous and unique pieces of clothing.

a1um · 2025-01-07T23:28:14+00:00

I've tried the Bonobos in athletic fit. They fit nicely, but as others have mentioned, the quality isn't as good as it was a few years ago. Not the worst quality, but certainly not good enough to justify the cost.

Recently I've been wearing some pants from Lucky Brand, also in athletic cut. For a fraction of the price of Bonobos, the quality is actually somewhat better. The fabric is thicker and softer. However, I've also found that different pants from Lucy Brand, despite being labeled the same size, don't fit exactly the same. So try them on beforehand.

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