<p>I don’t mean to hijack the conversation here, but St. Olaf is unique among schools I know about in terms of religion. They are affiliated with the Lutheran Church and offer optional chapel every day. Chapel during the week is not a service, however. It is someone reflecting on something in their life–time, weather, mentors, etc., or a musical performer, poet, artist. According to my DD, the kids are mostly not obviously religious; rather they are more spiritual. A wide variety of faiths are practiced there, and the majority of conversations are based on asking the big questions, like who am I?, What is the purpose of life?, How does having a set of beliefs affect one’s values? and questions like these. My DD is taking the 5 Great Conversation courses that will cover her basic core requirements, including religion. This is not a theology class per se, but a history/philosophy/art and culture/religion/communications class sequence that starts with Greeks and Hebrews and moves through history to contemporary times, asking how the “big” questions have been addressed throughout recorded history in the context of each era, compared to today. Very intellectual discussion-based courses that work their way through the Great Books. I’m sure the New Testament is covered, but not excessively. What I’m trying to say is that the school may appear very religious because it receives funding from the Lutheran Church, but the atmosphere is open and spiritual. My thinking is that if you don’t ask the big questions in college, when do you hope to ever find answers? I like St. Olaf’s emphasis on helping students discover their purpose by helping them identify their strengths and talents and then finding opportunities to use them. Most schools are aspiritual and I think that is a shame.<br>
As far as outdoorsy-ness, St. Olaf is very cool. Last weekend at Family weekend I saw groups of students doing the cross-country skiing on roller blades to train for ski season. You can’t count the number of bikes outside of every dorm, and their sports facilities and open lands are spectacular. Besides being on the swim team, my daughter sings with a choir and plays Quidditch. Lots of intramurals if you don’t play a varsity sport and lots of places on campus to break a sweat. The music scene is amazing–OK GO performed there last night and there are a ton of student-formed bands to hear. The sense of humor is great among students and adminstrators–we laugh the whole time we are there. Not too many other schools think and plan as well as St. Olaf does. They truly have a growth plan for their students.</p>