Oliners often refer to the Olin Bubble. That can mean the campus or the community, but either way, it's something that separates us from the rest of the world. This isn't unique to Olin; I've heard students from other colleges/universities refer to bubbles at their schools in the same way. There are cultural and community advantages to the bubble, but it's also important to get outside of the bubble occasionally. A place as small as Olin can't provide everything, and simply by virtue of being an engineering college, Olin can feel homogeneous.
There are lots of ways I get out of the bubble. Here are six:
1. Church. I've gone to a Methodist church about a mile and a half from Olin almost every Sunday since Labor Day, and I joined this past week. It's a really small, friendly community, which has been awesome. I've gotten to know a lot of the adults at church, which I appreciate because during the rest of the week, the only adults I interact with much are professors. There are also a couple of freshmen from Wellesley who come, so I get to be with other students in a non-academic context.
2. Babson baseball. Okay, so this isn't really off campus. The baseball field is technically on Babson's land, not Olin's, but it's closer to Olin than it is to the rest of Babson. Nevertheless, very few Oliners even think about going to Babson games. Most days I'm in the stands with the players' parents and a few Babson students. I love watching the games, and it's a way to be in a very non-Olin environment without having to leave campus.
3. Reading the News. This sounds silly, since it's not actually going anywhere at all. But the Olin Bubble can, if you're not careful, extend to awareness of the outside world. There are a lot of Oliners who do read the news online, but there are also a lot who don't. I like knowing what's going on, and I don't think it makes sense to be at Olin -- a school that puts so much emphasis on engineering in context -- and not be aware of what's happening outside.
(three more below the fold)
