<p>I wonder how much of a fit St. Olaf is for somewhat intellectual students who love music though they do not play an instrument or sing? My S is interested in doing pre-med and probably majoring in Math, though he also loves music. He took violin lessons for a couple of years when he was younger, but he quit because he found that he was too much of a perfectionist to endure listening to his own mistakes. Then he took Music Theory this past year and I believe it was his favorite class. </p>
<p>Since St. Olaf is strong in Math and Music and apparently serves pre-meds well, he has become interested in it. However, he tries to be an intellectual, and thinks of himself as one, and I have read that St. Olaf students generally concede that territory to Carleton. He has received a fair amount of literature from Carleton, but after reading all of it he decided that he does not care for Carleton at all.</p>
<p>Could such a student fit in well at St. Olaf?</p>
<p>My S, who just finished his freshman year at St. Olaf, laughed at the idea that Oles would concede intellectualism–or anything else–to their cross-town rivals! Seriously, though, my son loves St. Olaf, and can’t imagine being anywhere else. Music is huge there, so anyone who appreciates music to the degree your son does would feel right at home. St Olaf’s math department is especially well-regarded, so I would think St. Olaf is a great fit. I’d strongly recommend an overnight visit so he can find out for himself.</p>
<p>My S is beginning St. Olaf this fall, so I can tell you what we have learned. I would say that St. Olaf will provide a very intellectual atmosphere, especially if your S applies and gets accepted into The Great Conversations Program there. If you are not aware of this incredible program, you should look into it. We were not aware of this program until after our S was accepted and spent an overnight. Since, then, everyone we have spoken to loves this extremely rigorous program. </p>
<p>Since my S plans to go to grad school, I was worried whether it would be the best preparation. But if you look at the most recent “Top Fulbright Producing Institutions,” you will see that St. Olaf is holding its own against some top schools (including Carlton):
[Top</a> Producing Institutions](<a href=“http://us.fulbrightonline.org/top-producing-institutions]Top”>US Fulbright Program - Top Producing Institutions)</p>
<p>Finally, my S also liked that St. Olaf does not have the drinking culture prevalent on many campuses.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. It is reassuring that students there do not concede anything to Carleton! I had read some student comments to that effect, and I can see that the opinions expressed there were far from universal. We will look into the Great Conversations Program.</p>
<p>collegeprofmom, my S also likes that the drinking culture is at least a bit toned down if not totally absent at St. Olaf.</p>