<p>Hello quiet St. Olaf forum :) </p>
<p>I'm interested in the Buntrock program at St. Olaf and am hoping to get some feedback on my "chances" for the scholarship. Thanks in advance for your advice!</p>
<p>Homeschooled senior in Southern California.</p>
<p>4.0 uw GPA, 4.15 w, 2390 SAT (800/800/790W) Likely NMSF.</p>
<p>4 AP exams so far (chem, English language, English lit, and macroecon) with 5s on all. Mostly honors coursework, 3 additional APs this year.</p>
<p>Solid but not extraordinary ECs-- lots of involvement in competitive speech with regional awards, debate team captain with some awards, ~200 hours of volunteer work with local nonprofit and ~200 hours on multiple out-of-state service trips. I also work ~5 hours a week as a peer tutor.</p>
<p>My son is a senior at St. Olaf and won a Buntrock Scholarship when he was applying to colleges.</p>
<p>Your grades and test scores are certainly quite competitive for the Buntrocks, but there is more to winning one of these awards than just the grades and test scores. ECs are at least somewhat important and the required essay is very important. The selection process four years ago also involved the finalists for the Buntrocks being invited to campus for interviews. The interviews were critically important for separating the winners of the largest Buntrock scholarship vs the students who were awarded merit aid scholarships that were substantial, but less than the maximum amount for the full Buntrock.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply! I’m a little nervous about the competitive selection process but am keeping my fingers crossed since St. Olaf is one of my top three choices at the moment.</p>
<p>How has your son’s experience been in the Buntrock program? What is his major?</p>
<p>My son has enjoyed his time at St. Olaf tremendously. He was a bit worried about the GPA requirements for maintaining the Buntrock at the start, but he’s had no trouble doing it. He’s doing what he calls 2 1/2 majors: He’s majoring in Russian, Russian Studies, and Political Science. The common courses in Russian and Russian Studies amount to 1 1/2 majors according to my son. As part of his Russian major he did his fall semester Junior year in Irkutsk, Siberia.</p>
<p>Best of luck on your application. St. Olaf is a really great place that cares deeply about their students.</p>