Olin Business School

The entire staff is devoted to student success: Professors care about their students; The Career Center goes above and beyond; Student services (Financial Aid, Health Services, etc.) are top notch; Advisors are out of this world; and the students are invested each others success.

There's been a running joke about the naming of the university. Even my mom still asks me whether I'm in Seattle or D.C. ("No mom, I'm in St. Louis--it's Washington University in St. Louis.). Even the business school shares its name with another business school. We could definitely implement some branding strategies.

The school has a smaller size than most, which means your professors and your classmates will know you well. The school also dedicates considerable resources to experiential learning classes. In two years I served on the board of a non-profit, did a consulting assignment for a local school board, worked with local venture capital firms, and went on a Global Management Studies class. Other options include entrepreneurship classes and formal consulting assignments for area companies.

The size is likely the program's biggest obstacle right now. We're moving forward with the building of a bigger facility, but with a class size of 150, it's hard to get economies of scale for networking and awareness of the program.

Not only do I know every single person in my program, I also interact with them regularly. This is not isolated only to the students. On the first day of class of one of our core courses, our professor asked us to take down our name plates. He then went row by row and recited each of our names (first, last, and nicknames). Olin's intimate setting makes this possible.

Due to its smaller size, its geographical location (St. Louis is not a big city nor a tourist destination), and its confusing name (many people have not heard of Washington University in St. Louis and confuse it with universities in Washington DC and Washington state; and Babson also has an Olin Business School), Olin could improve its outreach. Currently, it has a very strong brand in St. Louis, and a strong brand in the Midwest. If Washington University and Olin could develop more relationships outside of the Midwest, as well as internationally, the school's brand would be much stronger, attract even more diverse talent, and attract more diverse employers.

The business program's emphasis on critical thinking and general managerial skills make a lot of the teaching and practicums directly applicable to internships and job placements. This core emphasis allows for the easy integration of technical business skills - finance, operations, marketing - into the student's toolkit.

Although it is also a great appeal, expanding the program would make it stronger. The current size restriction inhibits the growth of its program (more class offerings, a larger pool of candidate for recruiting firms, additional intellectual capital, etc.).

Students truly work in teams. We are put to the test with rigorous academics, but the atmosphere is one of support. When we interview for the same job, we help each other rather tear each other down. We receive a great education, but I think our community better prepares us as leaders and teammates. The business world could use more leaders like us.

To some extent, Olin is a "jack of all trades" but master of none. I would like to see them focus on one niche (i.e., entrepreneurship, health care administration, etc.), and become to national center of excellence for that specialization.

The flexibility of the curriculum is unique in my opinion. There are opportunities for experiential learning, relationships with other universities around the globe to study abroad, and a wide variety of electives for students to shape their learning experience as he or she sees fit. Also, the quality of the professors and the individual attention available to students is a significant point of differentiation.

The career placement center needs to become more personalized for each student. Rather than having a boilerplate "here are the jobs we know about" approach, they need to take the extra step to get to know each student. This is reasonable to suggest, because of the small size of the program. If they did this, and they continued to expand their network of companies who are seeking to fill a position, the career center could do a better job to help students find individual job opportunities that are particularly suited for them.