S was invited to st Olaf for scholarship interview- and thanks to this community’s advice, was very interested in St Olaf- so he was happy. Yet, after reading several threads I have become concerned. Since these are older threads, I am hoping for a fresh perspective- is st Olaf controlling and not user friendly or were those isolated incidents? What is your current experience with this school? It is far away for us, so the only chance to look will be my son’s trip. Should I try to attend also (expensive but I might be able to make it happpen)? He will be a math major/music minor, so any comments about those departments would be great if anyone happens to know.
I’m not sure if this helps, but my D’s very small high school recently sent a student from her class, and the class ahead to St. Olaf’s, both musicians, and the grapevine reports they both love it.
We visited the school ourselves and left with a VERY positive impression. D liked it, but pronounced it too small, so it was cut from our list. She wanted a big school and she’s at a big public OOS flagship now.
Some forums are more active than others. People, being human beings, are often motivated to seek out a place to air grievances over praise, right?
If you’re asking for votes, I say send your son, and let him decide! He’ll get a feel for the other students, the general vibe, and the size of the school (on the large size for a small LAC).
Congrats to your son. I’ve never heard of concerns absent an unhappy, disgruntled poster or two but I think you can find those for any college. Definitely have him focus on ascertaining fit while there, same goes for any college visit.
St. Olaf is academically very strong in both his areas of interest, math and music, so a great fit from that perspective.
Best wishes to your son in the process!
I think on a whole they are happy. I know several.
In my opinion, by junior year students are ready to due something different - at any college. Study abroad is a great way to get that out of their system or you just push past it. The J term there does provided shorter term options to get out of their ruts too.
I have heard that it is a little tough socially for non musical people during the run up to the holiday concert because musicians are the biggest team on campus and there are a lot of rehearsals. However that was from just one person.
Music department draws students from all over. Definitely worth him taking a close look at it. Is he a vocalist or play an instrument?
Did I encourage my kids to go there? No, but I wouldn’t have forbidden it. Minority students can find it a little isolating so you have to be ok with not having a critical mass.
My kid said that Carleton students are a little smarter and more intense but St. Olaf students are nicer.
St Olaf does meet need albeit with the usual student loan. Also has merit money available to draw high stats kids in.
I feel the academics are very solid and good preparation for grad school.
I think they are weak on housing. Juniors and seniors are not guaranteed singles. If I remember correctly singles cost more and are not plentiful. Some of the dorm rooms have beautiful views over the countryside. Student parking is down a hill next to the gym and not near the dorms.
Food is very good and plentiful. There is not a dedicated GF dining hall/kitchen so if you have celiac disease do your research. (Smith has a GF dining hall and kitchen in order to eliminate cross contamination.)
You could be asking the same question about ANY college. Any.
Some students are going to be unhappy regardless of the school. What really matters is what YOUR kid thinks…not what others think.
Good luck on that scholarship weekend.
My D applied to St. Olaf and I read back in the threads there and I remember there was one unhappy poster that really dug in about heavy handed control. This didn’t seem the norm to me. I know of one young woman who attended there (neither a musician nor a practicing Christian) and she had a very positive experience. We toured campus over the summer and everything was personalized according to my daughter’s interests. The folks there follow up with real letters and postcards in the mail, many with handwritten personal notes. They seem incredibly kind.
Our student guide did mention that some discreet, low-level drinking happens on campus but that most students aren’t that interested in partying. Compared to other campuses she has visited, “you don’t wake up on Sunday morning to the ground littered with red cups or worse.”
I am sure that they will take care of your son every step of the way on his visit. Congrats on the scholarship invitation!
I believe that @TytoAlba has a child attending St. Olaf. Tagging here in hopes of some additional input.
Thank you, early posters! Very helpful! (The thread I read was “are st Olaf students unhappy” but it was several years ago- happy for fresh input!). We are from KY, so we don’t know anyone who has gone there- however, st Olaf was highly recommended on an earlier question I posted looking for small LAC with great math and vocal music - hopefully chill, not high pressure. He was surprised to be accepted (and very happy). Any other feedback would be welcome! He’s also looking at Earlham, Centre and Kenyon, so any perspective is also welcome.
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My D is now at St Olaf. She was invited for a scholarship weekend and she went alone. It was a fantastic weekend for her. They really took good care of her and all the invitees. She was there 2 nights and had 2 different student hosts. Both were good and showed her around and took her to evening events so she got a sense of the place. She was considering math as a major (and is majoring in math now) and had a chance to talk with a math advisor while there to find out about the program.
She is not a musician but is involved in theater and musical theater and a non-audition choir on campus. The school is very musical, which is something she really loves. Her dorm mates are always singing and she loves that. It took her about a week or two to find the ‘nerd herd’. The mathematics department is unusually large for LAC of 3000, and the nerd herd is large though not as ‘intense’ as at Carleton (they say). Double-majoring is very common, e.g. double-majoring in math and music/linguistics/humanities is common. She is currently a math major, btw.
I’d say send your son off to the invitee weekend and he’ll get a good feel for the school and be able to make up his mind. Certainly I wouldn’t worry. St Olaf is very good about taking care of the invitees and arranging transport, accommodations, activities and meetings.
Regarding the old post. Well, a student was unhappy about something, and perhaps got busted for having alcohol in the open in a dorm. St Olaf is dry–which as far I can tell from my D’s stories just means that there are not overt parties with alcohol on campus. Students do drink and party but they go off campus (where carding is either light or they have fake ids). The adjectives usually used with St Olaf are wholesome, musical, safe and Minnesota nice (and ‘white’ to be fair).
We are also from quite a distance and I have two current Ole’s - '17 and '20. They both attended the scholarship weekends on their own, and both had great overnight experiences. And don’t worry at all about the transfers to the airport – your student will be well cared for.
As far as ‘happy’ – two anecdotes from our family: Ole '17 was unhappy at one point because of a breakup and noted that it was extra difficult because ‘everyone around you is so happy all the time.’ Ole '20 is so content she was impatient to get back after the interim break last week. She refers to campus as ‘home’ in conversation.
We love St Olaf. I think you can succeed just about anywhere you put your mind and heart, but I’m grateful every day my kids are there – it’s been an amazing place for both of them.
My DD is a current student and I can tell you she has not experience a single instance of “heavy handed” control. In fact, I would say there is much freedom and encouragement for students. The school strikes me a nurturing and caring, with many programs encouraging everyone to participate. There is always something going on, weekly dorm activities, all sort of programs for first years, including a new program called Jumpstart 2020 designed to get students into on campus internships. People are friendly and outgoing.
My DD is in the sciences and was a high stats kid coming in. She has found the course interesting and challenging. She finds the professors go out of their way to be helpful and there are supplemental instruction for science and math classes nearly every day for kids who need help.
She does not play an instrument on campus (she did cello in HS) but she did join the non auditioned choir as a way to meet people. I would say the ensembles are a huge part of campus but there are plenty of other clubs. And sports.
@liska21 our DD’s are in the same choir it appears
I would not say the housing is great. My DD is in a triple and it is very run down. Perfectly practical but the ceiling tiles should have been replaced and the bathrooms updated a long time ago. There are virtually no singles on campus.
The food is good and plentiful.
We have had a concern about the times off from class (such as the fall break, the interim break, the Easter break) when the school shuts down for a few days and there is no cafeteria but a snack bar. The problem I think is all these little breaks were great when everyone drove from MN but if you live far away, the plane tickets add up. They can stay, but often it is dead. A LOT of kids are from MN. They go home those little 4 days weekends.
There is also no religious pressure at all. It isn’t bible college. Few students attend the daily (voluntary) chapel.
Hope this helps.
Thank you very much, everyone. It has been quite reassuring and we are looking forward to being on campus next weekend. It sounds nice. (wish it were closer, but oh well- smile)
Have a great visit and report back on your thoughts.
Son is first year Ole. He loves it there. Has made great friends. He finds the coursework demanding but manageable. His dorm room is adequate without being fancy. Food is great. He has had no problem getting into his requested classes. All in all a great fit for him
Just got back from Buntrock weekend- what a great fit for son! Math and music much stronger than in state schools, facilities beautiful and food a far cry from the “mall food courts” our state schools are favoring instead of cafeteria- but the winners were the teachers and the kids!! A very sharp, yet morally centered group. He is in heaven and we are so very greatful to those who first pointed us to this campus- had never heard of it and would never have looked at it! Thanks!
Our daughter (math/physics/choir) loves St. Olaf and has found her classes to be challenging, her professors supportive and accessible, and the community open and welcoming. Although she applied to and was accepted at better known and more prestigious (??) LACs, none of them offered the combination of high caliber music and STEM that she found at St. Olaf. And for our family, her merit scholarships mean we are paying half of what we would have if she had chosen that other fine institution (and my alma mater) across town. (Um Ya Yeah!!)
Her dorm room is tiny and outdated but it doesn’t seem to a big deal-close knit community and convenient location make up for it.
She spent interim studying French in Morocco which was an experience of a lifetime!
So far it’s been all we had hoped for. Our message to our daughter is to seek out the opportunities and make the most of her time there. Oh, and make the Piper Center her second home.
Thanks for providing an update, @listener76. Happy to hear it was a great fit for your son!
@listener76-I forgot to mention that I came to Northfield (Carleton) from Kentucky as well. Minnesotans are more stoic, less likely to share their life story in the first five minutes after meeting you, like to avoid the obvious (they ask “are you coming with?” the “me” being understood and therefore unnecessary) and will never figure out the difference between “borrow” and “lend” no matter how many times it is explained or how high their SAT score. If your son chooses St. Olaf, I highly recommend “How to Speak Minnesotan”-entertaining and informative. Best wishes as he makes his decision!
@listener76 IF he is going to attend, make your hotel reservations now. If you can’t get at a Northfield hotel, Faribault is abut 15 minutes away.
Nice to hear from all these happy St. Olaf parents. Our D2 is on the verge of committing there. The racial incidents and protest this weekend have given us pause. Would appreciate any insight from students who are there. We would like to know more about how the administration is handling it.
Also, our daughter is interested in applying for the “Great Conversations” courses and I’d love to know if anyone else’s kids are doing that and how they found it.
Our daughter is a violinist and got both an academic scholarship and a music scholarship. She’s also a competitive swimmer, so insight to the swim team is also helpful.
TIA
Another friend’s son did Great Con and they were very impressed with it and the rigor of expectations.
I don’t know the particulars of how the administration is handling the recent incidents. I have met Bruce King several times and think very highly of him.