<p>As a parent of a student at St. Olaf, I would not recommend this school unless you are interested in a very rigid, legalistic and non compassionate environment. They do not provide an overall environment that allows for life lessons and personal growth for a young person to develop into a young adult prepared for real life and living. They treat the 21 year old Seniors as if they were still 16. There are some great professors, but the lifestyle and Draconian character at the school are limiting.</p>
<p>Please don’t post such generics hogwash here. If you have a story you want to tell, tell it, but don’t come here as a first time poster just to slag a good college where these things are patently false.</p>
<p>thunderstruck2, you made a very broad statement. My older soon has a friend at St. Olaf’s who can’t say enough wonderful things about it. I work with a woman whose daughter recently graduated from there; again, nothing but superlatives.</p>
<p>Is this really the parent or is it a student acting like a child? Odd for parent to seek out this site just to diss a school, without any explanation.</p>
<p>HOW is the student being treated like a child? How are they not learning life lessons?</p>
<p>I wonder if they were thunderstruck by their experience at St Olaf :)</p>
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<p>Actually, the criticism of CTCL-type LACs is that they can be a little too loosey-goosey. That is completely unwarranted as an academic criticism; St. Olaf is a very well-regarded school. </p>
<p>It’s true that the small LACs can be “relaxed” about personal conduct, or more accurately, personal and interventional attention is given to saving students rather than just throwing the rulebook at them. But that doesn’t mean they’re lacking in rules; students can be disciplined/suspended/expelled. Perhaps the OP’s child ran afoul of even the distinctly non-regimental standards of St. Olaf.</p>
<p>This will be my last post. I thought the purpose of the sight was to provide honest assessments based upon experiences. There is no story only facts. You are posting “slag” responses about an honest assessment based upon my child’s experience. This is typical St. Olaf, and I believe you all must be affiliated with the school to be watching college confidential posts so closely. I am not sure a friend of a friend of a friend is in a position to refute personal experiences. Here are a few quick examples. The public safety officers “boot” cars as if they had a monthly fee quota. The school bought many new public safety vehicles this year but could find money in the budget to provide students with planners they had been receiving in years past. Residential living is antiquated. They offer no upperclassman or apartment style living. Advisors are detached and uninvolved. I could go on with specifics, but I will not.</p>
<p>ROTFLMAO.</p>
<p>You had me at “provide students with planners.” Tell 1985 I said hello and still remember it fondly. But please do tell us what the campus cops busted you for last weekend.</p>
<p>Best personal regards,
SOG</p>
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<p>Sounds like someone got caught doing something he/she should not and is now using the canard that the college envelope is supposed to be protective so that all manner of stupid stuff (otherwise actionable and potentially even illegal on the “outside”) that kids do can be sloughed off as a “life lesson.” Sometimes, maybe at St. Olaf, they don’t take that view, requiring students – yes even students – to actually be responsible for themselves and their behavior.</p>
<p>Are you kidding? Did you get booted last weekend? No planner? Oh dear.</p>
<p>Can’t help myself…old guy you made me laugh and have a point with the planner. Just a bad example of the use of administrative spending. Gorgeous new admin building …no new dorms. Seriously, last post.</p>
<p>Well if you are posting about a Senior, I’d say you’ve had ample opportunities to seek a school more to your or their liking. Those are seriously generic complaints… and not the kind of thing that is going to impress people here.</p>
<p>You’re seriously posting in the parents forum complaining about parking and the fact that you, or your student, weren’t supplied a $5 planner?! Then when you don’t get the desired response you decide we must all be in cahoots with St Olaf’s? Take a look at this forum. People post grievances, situations they are frustrated with. They ask for feedback, advise, and often need to vent. Universally people do not simply spout off about a something without explaining the situation. They are specific. </p>
<p>If you don’t want to be specific there’s a thread for you in the parents cafe, the Get It Off Your Chest thread. You can vent all you want but no names or specifics so you don’t get an audience. </p>
<p>You wanted an audience, but I have a feeling you knew your reasons were thin, thus they weren’t mentioned in the first post.</p>
<p>Getting a boot on your tire is a life lesson.</p>