<p>Hey all,
I'm a sophomore at St. Olaf right now, and would be more than happy to answer questions people have about anything St. Olaf related. I'm an English major, but also actively involved in the music program. Feel free to post here or PM me.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have a question. What did you get on the SAT/ACT?</p>
<p>What do you do on weekends? How do you get around? Is there much to do on campus? In Northfield? Is the bus service adequate for getting around Northfield and to the cities?</p>
<p>How easy/hard is it to get the classes you want?</p>
<p>How much alike are Oles? I understand that most students have northern European heritage, but how much variety is there in interests and outlook?</p>
<p>How big were your classes?</p>
<p>Do you participate in any music ensembles? (Most interested in orchestra.)</p>
<p>What is your impression of the math department?</p>
<p>Obviously I'm a mom. I'm encouraging my daughter to check out St. Olaf. She is open to it but a bit concerned about the cold, and it might be on the edge of being too small.</p>
<p>mom58, I'm not a student, but thought I'd jump in with my impressions since you haven't gotten much help yet. I'm also a Mom, live in Minnesota, know St Olaf fairly well, & count a fair number of grads as friends and/or co-workers.</p>
<p>There is a lot to do with campus. It's large - for a small school - and cars so restricted, so there is always lots to do on campus, plus there is a lot of cross-fertilization with Carleton. There are campus shuttles to the Twin cities (including Mall of America) and to movie theaters. </p>
<p>Lots of kids, music majors and non-majors, participate with the ensembles. Plenty to choose from as far as music performance outlets go!</p>
<p>St Olaf is a magnet for math majors. Look for the 2 math-related columns on this website (at Reed College!) which discusses the undergrad schools for females receiving PhDs in math:</p>
<p>REED</a> COLLEGE FEMALE PHD PRODUCTIVITY</p>
<p>I'd encourage you & D to visit if you haven't already. I'd love for my D to go there, but alas, it may be too close to home for her tastes. Sorry, though, I can't do anything about the cold.</p>
<p>Disregard my answers for the next 5 days (until I'm a real student there!). Hahahah. </p>
<p>What do you do on weekends? </p>
<p>Have fun, study, volunteer at the vet clinic, participate in clubs</p>
<p>How do you get around? </p>
<p>People walk a lot because the campus is so tiny, but I think I'll bring a bike to drive myself to vet offices for experience. </p>
<p>Is there much to do on campus? In Northfield? Is the bus service adequate for getting around Northfield and to the cities?</p>
<p>On the website there's a variety of transportation options listed (ranging from free to taxi fare). The love bus runs to the movie theater and target on weekends. There's a $1 shuttle anywhere in Northfield.</p>
<p>How easy/hard is it to get the classes you want?</p>
<p>I've heard that there was some trouble just after St. Olaf switched to the online system, but I'm hoping it will be ironed out this year. Given the small size of the school, I've heard the professors are very accomodating. </p>
<p>How much alike are Oles? I understand that most students have northern European heritage, but how much variety is there in interests and outlook?</p>
<p>From what I've seen, they are very different. I don't judge diversity by the number of black kids I see on campus, but rather by the diverse attitudes and personalities of the students. They also have a fairly large international population. </p>
<p>How big were your classes?</p>
<p>I've been looking at class sizes to pick for next year, and the sizes range from 11 (beginning language) to 60 (general chem lecture), but most classes cap at around 20 students. </p>
<p>Do you participate in any music ensembles? (Most interested in orchestra.)</p>
<p>I'm going to join Valhalla Band (the relaxed no-audition unofficial one) and hopefully Flute Choir. It's very hard for freshmen to get into the official band and/or orchestra, but it's worth trying. But there's plenty of fun groups to play with if you don't make it. </p>
<p>What is your impression of the math department?</p>
<p>Everything I've read about it is wonderful. Sends a lot of math majors for continuing education (which I would think would be essential for this field of work). </p>
<p>Obviously I'm a mom. I'm encouraging my daughter to check out St. Olaf. She is open to it but a bit concerned about the cold, and it might be on the edge of being too small.</p>
<p>My roomate (a Minnosotan) said just to bring a warm jacket and boots for the cold and not to worry. The campus is small enough that you don't have to be outside if you don't want to (although I love it).</p>