<p>Hi. So I am thinking about applying to Kalamazoo or St.Olaf and I was wondering what you guys thought about the schools. Campus life? Location? Relative size? Community feel? </p>
<p>I am from the Seattle - Tacoma area so would it be too shocking to move to the Midwest? </p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>St. Olaf is in Northfield, a very small town about 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities. Carleton College is located in the same town, however. Kalamazoo is a significantly larger area -- several hundred thousand in the adjoining towns of Kalamazoo and Portage. There is also a real difference in climate. Northfield is on the edge of the great plains and it gets bitterly cold there during the winter. Kalamazoo gets more snow but is not as cold, and the winter is a little shorter.</p>
<p>St. Olaf and Kalamazoo are both excellent schools but St. Olaf is significantly more religiously oriented (Lutheran) and likely to be somewhat more conservative.</p>
<p>If you have lived in the northwest all your life a Midwestern winter might very well shock you. Northfield's, particularly. But I wouldn't let it stop you. There's nothing like a midwestern Spring and Fall.</p>
<p>I suppose "vs" is shorthand for compare and contrast. You can get a good part of that by browsing their web sites, e.g. size and curriculum.</p>
<p>If I were making D's list, it would include St. Olaf-- size, location (though we're in the Northwest grandparents are relatively close to MN), strong music, and also strong in math sciences (if I remember correctly). Kalamazoo didn't stay on my radar screen because I don't think daughter would be interested in its smaller size and it doesn't have the benefit of being relatively close to grandparents. On the other hand, I'm sure the focus on experiential education is intriguing to many.</p>
<p>Oh, we are Lutheran. That colors the picture a bit. If St. Olaf is more religious than I think it is, it is the kind of religion we are pretty familiar and comfortable with.</p>
<p>I think the previous poster was right about the weather. I also think somebody from the NW would be comfortable socially in the Midwest-- casual. Minneapolis might be more like the Seattle area than Kalamzoo.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo is a little bit more known, I think, and would probably be the better option for most people.</p>
<p>Saint Olaf is a good school, but you have to keep in mind that it's isolated, cold, and very religious. And when I say cold...lets just say, MN winters are practically arctic. It's also important to note that small town MN is nothing like the Twin Cities (and with traffic, you'd be at least an hour away from city life). If you can handle these things, you could be happy at Saint Olaf.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo, although not a city, has more in the immediate area, and the winters aren't quite as cold. And, like I said, it's more "big name" in the LAC world. More academically renowned (especially if you're interested in studying abroad).</p>
<p>I have heard that at Kalamazoo, junior year abroad is almost mandatory and that nearly everybody leaves. Also, there are no dorms for juniors or seniors, although there is apartment sharing.</p>
<p>^^Study abroad is not mandatory at Kalamazoo, and not everyone does their term abroad junior year. Son is doing a short term program this spring as a sophomore. International learning is considered an important component of the overall educational experience so many students self-select K College for the priority given to study abroad. Students WANT to go as there's 85%+ participation, however, it's not a mandate. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the study abroad program at Kalamazoo, administered by the in-house Center for International Programs, so this philosophy of international learning has been in place for many years.</p>
<p>The college has a residency requirement through the end of junior year so there is plenty of dorm space for upperclassmen. K College strongly believes in community which is why on-campus residency is required. By junior year, however, some kids would prefer to live off-campus and are released by the college to do so. Enrollment has increased the past couple of years making that possible. Off-campus rentals in the Kalamazoo area are plentiful and reasonably priced, driven by the demand for student housing at the neighboring large state U.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo is, in fact, a mid-sized city (5th largest in the state) with a downtown central business district that's walkable/bikeable from campus.</p>