<p>Apparently there was a huge increase in EA applications this year.
I'm super nervous! Good luck everyone!</p>
<p>"Apparently there was a huge increase in EA applications this year."</p>
<p>Ohhhhh...no! I am not surprised, but am worried. Where did you get the bad news? Any word on how much of an increase?</p>
<p>I've been wondering about the short turn around time for the call back for music scholarship audition (1st weekend of March) and the Bonstrock academic interviews (2nd weekend of March). That's a short time to see about booking flight etc if EA only goes out Feb 15th.</p>
<p>I'm hoping that they'll offer to pay for flights for the scholar candidates. Flights are not only hard to schedule, but also really expensive. Maybe that's wishful thinking though.. :-(</p>
<p>I want February to come!!! My other early action school sent me the letter over a month before the deadline... but I want to hear from OLAF.</p>
<p>three weeks left???? ahhhhhh
i'm applying early action for music.
but i can't afford to fly there for the audition weekend (i have to accompany a zillion people for a vocal competition that day anyways)
so my yucky tape from waaay back in november is going to have to get me through that second round...
eh.
any other music people?</p>
<p>Is St olaf still around? We have heard nary a word since 12-15 after a feverish submission of a music sample.</p>
<p>(anybody notice today 1/20 that the discussion page is taking for ever to load up?)</p>
<p>The way I understand it, they don't mail out anything until Feb 15. But I don't know if that is just for admission information. I just emailed the music admission person if they notify you if you are invited to the live audition. </p>
<p>I also emailed the scholarship person about the short turn around time for booking a flight if you are invited for that weekend and/or the live audition weekend the week before. At the point where we are trying to save pennies for our daughter to attend St Olaf if she is accepted, we may have to spend a higher amount of money to fly her there for either of those weekends.</p>
<p>My daughter did get a call last week from a student who said he was asked by the admissions dept to let her know they were excited about her application or something like that. We've been wondering what that means. He also talked with her about the dilemma of flight booking for kids for the live audition. If I understood my daughter right, his younger brother from FL was in the same boat and there was talk of trying to let folks know as soon as possible.</p>
<p>I meant to write that I emailed the music admission folks if they notified you if you WEREN'T invited to the live audition weekend.</p>
<p>deloar, any repsonse from your query to admissions?</p>
<p>Not yet. I suspect they were off on Mon for the MLK holiday. I hope to hear today. I will let you know what I find out.</p>
<p>does olaf need mid year reports (includes seventh semester ) for an 12-1 EA app?</p>
<p>we are sending every school 7th semester grades just to be on the safe side</p>
<p>Post #21 "huge increase in EA applications"--what's the source on that info? I tried to google it last night and couldn't find anything--any reports from Northfield or wherever? I am, for my son, anxiously awaiting that Feb. 15 date. (So now there is another one for the Who Is Applying list). St. O sadly seems to have slipped on my son's list, but one never knows. What a fabulous place! How many other colleges are other applicants applying to? My son has 8 others, all over the country. We are in NE--that's what planes are for.</p>
<p>We haven't heard much from St. O other than the application was complete. Haven't even received many mailings since then. Could this be a bad sign? Or is it typically this way for St. O applicants? Unfortunately, it has fallen on my son's list too, primarily because they haven't been forthcoming with any contact for some time, while he's been accepted and received scholarships at the other schools he applied for. We visited this summer and talked with the admissions counselor, toured and visited with a professor from his intended major. We all thought the campus was beautiful, as was the town of Northfield...like a picture postcard. The dining hall was most impressive, even when they weren't serving food, and the student center was great too! From what I read from the article "Agony of Admissions" (find it on the web!) that referred to the process at St. O last year that they are pretty selective, and not necessarily take the best student. I just have to keep telling myself that this is his choice and not mine. If I could take myself back about 20 years, and had my parents taken an active roll in visiting different schools, St. O would be the kind of place I would have liked to go. We didn't visit during school, so I wonder if that would really make any difference in our impression. Would we like it more, or less?</p>
<p>I figure St Olaf does what it does in this process for EA because it works for them. They have so many slots and more than enough students to probably consider 4 students for every slot they are seeking to fill. I haven't gotten any replies to my emails about the quick turn around time from notification being sent out for EA and being invited to the scholarship weekends. That means either "this is our process, live with it" or "we are letting know those who we want to let know." My hunch is it is more of the former IF the article about their admissions staff selection process of applicants is still the way they are functioning this year. </p>
<p>My D is in the music audition and scholars days process with the other schools she has applied to and been accepted at. All the other schools are very forthcoming and inviting of inquiries. The Feb 15 date is a dilemma because my daughter is waiting from what she hears then to decide and might lose some clout for room selection etc by waiting due to the SO date. But that's the way the game is played and we knew the rules going in.</p>
<p>I am a little confused about the feeling that some have about St. Olaf being a bit aloof through the EA process. My S applied to a few other schools EA, and he did not have much contact from them either until the decisions came. Of course, he is not waiting for a music audition and is not expecting an invitation to scholars weekend. But his admissions counselor at St. Olaf sent him numerous emails after 12/1 to update him on what was missing in his file, and let him know when it was complete, as well as a personal "Happy holidays" email. Not to mention the Christmas card from St. Olaf. Then the nice letter from admissions saying his app was complete and to contact them with any questions at all. I actually thought they have been very personal and attentive through the process compared to some of the other schools. But then again, he is not waiting for music auditions, so that might make the difference. There is much anticipation for the 15th, though :).</p>
<p>My Son isn't applying for any music scholarships either. He has had the same basic experience as Collma . In fact, I have to say that his admissions counselor has been very accommodating up to the time the application was due and assured us when it was complete. It's just a lot different than the other schools as far as contact, etc. My own frustration is that I think that St. O probably has the all-around best experience/program for him, but kids are very impressionable, and the fact that other schools are more active and forthcoming with scholarships, contact, etc,there will be some intangibles there that might steer him in another direction even if he gets accepted to St. O. One good thing about the way they do things, because we were required to fill out the CSS profile when applying, we should know what financial aid they are willing to provide, where as other schools will be waiting for the FAFSA which I have yet to complete.</p>
<p>collma, you recvd a christmas card from Olaf? We did not.</p>
<p>Did everyone else recv a christmas card from olaf?</p>
<p>Thanks for trying to check into things deloar. I really hope to get called back for the music audition weekend, and I'm finding it hard to be patient. </p>
<p>joecollegedad, I didn't receive a Christmas card either but I think it depends on which admissions counselor the student has.</p>
<p>I have a general question for everyone. On the music application information page it says, "unless otherwise noted, repertoire requirements for the live auditions are the same as the CD requirements." Does this mean that we are supposed to play the same music that was on the CD or that we should pick new pieces using the same criteria?</p>
<p>I would say that doesn't mean you have to play the same pieces, but the requirements you used to pick those original pieces apply for the live audition as well.</p>
<p>We didn't receive a Christmas card. Probably goes along with the various admissions counselors personal MO. My D did get a phone call a few weeks ago from a present student acknowledging her application.</p>
<p>St Olaf admissions have been very helpful for us even though this period from Dec 1 to Feb 15 obviously breeds anxiousness among those who are waiting. Considering all the applicants they are considering, no wonder they have this time period. More power to them!</p>