<p>SAT: 690cr 620w 630m</p>
<p>GPA: 3.6 uw</p>
<p>School Type: competitive public school in Connecticut, does not rank</p>
<p>Ethnicity: white</p>
<p>Gender:M</p>
<p>EC: good, but not exceptional</p>
<p>any information you could provide would be much appriciated. thx</p>
<p>Your SAT scores and GPA put you in great shape to be accepted. My oldest was accepted two years ago with similar stats. She decided on another LAC, but I am hoping my youngest daughter who will graduate in 2010 will have St. Olaf at the top of her list. Visit this fall if you haven't already. Be sure to interview, attend classes and overnight if you can. I'd love to hear how this progresses as we'll be doing the same thing fall of 2009. I was very impressed with Olaf when we visited a couple of years ago. Now with the new Science/Math facility it should be even better.</p>
<p>momof3D, I'm with you! I loved St Olaf when we visited last year. D plans tol overnight there this fall. While she likes St Olaf very much, she has dreams of attending a school on one of the coasts. But my fingers are crossed that she'll decide to be an Ole.</p>
<p>yes, youre scores are very good for st olaf. do you want to do early?</p>
<p>Yes, your scores look like they could get you in there. Something to note, however, like many LAC out there now, they do not accept merely based upon the numbers. With the competition out there and students applying to so many schools, you have to show that it's where you really want to be. So why is it? Are you Lutheran? Do you love the study abroad focus? Do you want a school that takes religion seriously without shoving it down your throat? Do you love the music department? Are you interested in their awesome math department? Or one of the other things. St. Olaf is not the sort of place that accepts just because you meet academic standards.</p>
<p>thanks to everyone for your feedback.</p>
<p>I first learned about St. Olaf's when i was contacted by the head coach of one of their teams. I'm attracted to the school because it is a place where i could be a competitive athlete while still receiving a solid education. I am catholic, not Lutheran, but i still appreciate the christian presence at the school. Also, as a non-drinker, I appreciate the dry campus policy. </p>
<p>In all honesty, i doubt I will wind up attending St. Olaf's. I'm a little worried, as a non-musician, that the musical influence will be overwhelming and i was also hoping to attend a school with a slightly more well known academic reputation. Lastly, my sport is a winter which I am assuming would prevent me from studying abroad, so i am slightly concerned about being at a school where the majority of my friends are going abroad while I am not.</p>
<p>I have been asked to make a visit to the school, and am seriously considering it, but am having a hard time trying to decide if it is worth the money.</p>
<p>If anyone could shed some light on my concerns it would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi feeling_blue </p>
<p>I am a member of the class of 2013 (I'm actually at the airport on the way to a year in Norway since I'm taking a year off) and think that some of your concerns are really valid. The music influence is pretty strong - of course, I auditioned for a music scholarship so I visited during a time when the school was emphasizing music. However, on my first visit one of the faculty members joked with me about how student athletes were often frustrated since few students came to their games while concerts were always full. </p>
<p>I'm not as sure about the winter sport preventing you from studying abroad. I had the impression that the school really works hard to make it possible for everyone to study abroad and there are lots of different programs for people to participate in them. There are some full year programs and a lot of programs during the January Term that you might not be able to do but I think it may still be possible. </p>
<p>Concerning the academic reputation of the school - I was actually really surprised to hear how many people knew about the school and really thought highly of it. I live in an ivy leaugue college town and many of the professors from there that I have spoken with think that St. Olaf is a great school and has a wonderful academic program. </p>
<p>Visiting the school made it my top choice - I really liked another school before visiting but after seeing the campus and meeting some of the professors and students, I knew that it was the right place for me. If you are worried about the money try visiting more schools on the trip. I flew into Minneapolis and rented a car with my mom and we visited St. Olaf, Carleton, and Macalester. That way you can get some perspective and more bang for your buck :-)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Hi feeling_blue,
Just a few responses to your concerns expressed above:
My son is a rising Senior at St. Olaf. As a non-music, not especially religious, non-sporty guy coming from a suburban NJ HS, we had some concerns about St. Olaf, but it sounded like it might be the right fit for him, so he and my husband visited after he was accepted. Wow! Has St. Olaf been the perfect place! Never mind that he is a non-music person; he has discovered theater and dance with his many Olaf friends. The non-drinking environment allowed him to meet lots of guys and girls who shared his passions for movies, board games, tea drinking, etc. The school is an absolute gem--you really should try to see it for yourself--then you'll know if Olaf is for you! And re study abroad, although he was reluctant to spend a half year away, our son has been able to take advantage of a January interim in Ireland and he will be going next Jan. to London. I believe there is always a way to go abroad...Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>thanks for your response. You guys have been by far the most helpful of any board on this site that i have talked to. I'm still not sure if I'll be able to visit Northfield, but you guys have made it very hard for me not to. Thanks again and maybe I'll come to love St. Olafs as much as you all do.</p>
<p>One last question... How do I pronounce "Ole?"</p>
<p>I think it is O-Lee.</p>
<p>Yep it is - which is not how you say it in Norwegian :-)</p>
<p>Really? I thought it was old without the hard "d" at the end?</p>
<p>I haven't checked this board in a while, but I'm in the St. Olaf c/o 2012! :-)</p>
<p>Anyhow, you'll find a lot of students who enjoy music there, so if you HATE music, you'll hate the school. However, they're not all obsessed with it, and you can find plenty of fun things to do not involving music.</p>
<p>I suppose it's a very valid concern about the winter sport. Many students do study abroad, and it is very likely that your friends will. However, it's highly unlikely that they will all go at the same time. St. Olaf offers several summer programs, interim programs, and semester programs as well as th year long ones. I'm sure that some of your friends will be on campus when you are.</p>
<p>Are you so committed to your sport that you would never consider skipping a season? I'm not a hard-core athlete (swim and ride horses for fun), so I don't quite understand how athletics go... but if I were you, I would simply quit junior year.</p>