<p>So, anyone who goes there give us your "inside" perspective on the school.
Please.
Thank you!</p>
<p>My best friend, and valedictorian of my class, goes there. I have visited it many a time and have only fantastic things to say about it. Joe, my friend who goes there, says that the classes are as hard as they are enjoyable. It is a great education, regionally distinguished as a great school, and will eventually become as nationally promident as its neighbor Carelton. I fully recomend St. Olaf to everyone looking into the school.</p>
<p>PS. The food is the best food offered to any undergrad. People from the surrounding towns are known to come and dine on the Ole's cuisine. If you have eaten at the Caf you would know why!</p>
<p>Some of my friends from high school attend St. Olaf and a good chunk of the average-above average students (but probably not the "best" students) from my high school attend every year (I'm from MN). I found that the students are generally down-to-earth "Minnesota nice." However, I don't think that it is as academically challenging as other, more "elite" liberal arts colleges (the workload seemed to be pretty light compared to what I'm used to in Claremont). But I think it's a good choice for the above-average student looking for a liberal arts education.</p>
<p>One thing to note is that it is affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA? I don't really know), so that may be something to think about one way or another.</p>
<p>Yes, it is the ELCA, the most liberal of the Lutheran Church denominations (We're Lutheran, so nothing scary there-LOL).</p>
<p>"Sticky" Would you elaborate some more? What are some of the similar LACs that are more "elite"? Tell me more about the "workload" comment.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I applied to St. Olaf and visited, but I decided not to attend, as I didn't think the workload was heavy enough. Then again, I live on a university campus where the workload is considered one of the toughest in the country, and I consider myself more or less a masochist.</p>
<p>When I visited St. Olaf, I sat in on an intermediate Greek class, as I am a prospective classics major and was auditing an intermediate Greek class at the university I will be attending. I found the level of work at St. Olaf quite below what we were studying in class at the time. </p>
<p>Just the same, I <em>was</em> seriously considering St. Olaf because of their math and classics departments, which are supposed to be top notch. But when I was accepted to my first choice college, there was no need for me to stop and question my decision before sending in my acceptance papers.</p>
<p>Believersmom -</p>
<p>The main academic differences that I found between St. Olaf and other colleges I visited (mostly top 25-30 LACs) was that the workload was simply less. In the majority of classes at my college (Scripps) we are expected to read between 100-300+ pages per week, per class (I am a politics major, so that may be different than other majors, such as science or math, but is pretty consistant for most of the majors) as well as write a good number of papers (usually 2-3 papers of 5 pages in length and a term paper of 10-20 pages) as well as take midterm exams. Some classes have finals (usually those without term papers).</p>
<p>When talking to my friends at St. Olaf I got the distinct impression that there is simply less work. Most of my friends have never written a paper over 5 pages and seem surprised when I tell them how much I read a week per class.</p>
<p>When I sat in on classes at St. Olaf I found that students were engaged in discussion and seemed intelligent. I probably wouldn't say that the majority of them are "intellectual" types, but they were a really good group of smart, nice, friendly kids.</p>
<p>It's a typical Minnesota school - most of the students are white, Lutheran, and from Minnesota or surrounding states. There aren't a lot of minority students (whether you look at race, religion, or geographical location), so that could be a problem for some students. I was personally looking for a school that was "less Minnesota" and had a higher academic reputation. (Aside: one friend of mine who attends St. Olaf has a good friend at Carleton and has commented on multiple occassions that the students she has met at Carleton are more intellectual, "worldly", and down-to-earth than those at St. Olaf.)</p>
<p>I do think that St. Olaf provides a good liberal arts education (probably 3rd in the state of Minnesota, after Carleton and Macalester) for above-average students. It just wasn't for me.</p>
<p>well i do like my intellectual types.</p>
<p>Just to play devil's advocate (which is funny considering that we are discussing a school with a religious tie) and perhaps this question would be better on the Carleton thread but ...
It seems funny that Carleton is referred to as both "elite...intellectual" AND "down-to-earth", aren't those kind of mutually exclusive?</p>
<p>I am also intriqued by the comment, "It's a typical Minnesota school - most of the students are white, Lutheran, and from Minnesota..." My experience with schools in Minnesota is that most of the students are certainly NOT Lutheran, nor are they mostly white any more than the vast majority of other campuses around the country. Interesting take though...</p>
<p>Back to my original post:
Anyone WHO ATTENDS OR HAS ATTENDED have anything to share???</p>
<p>I don't see how being elite, intellectual, and down-to-earth are mutually exclusive. Would you elaborate please?</p>
<p>If you venture out of the metro area (Minneapolis and St. Paul), into the suburbs and small towns, the majority of people you find are white. A good majority of them are Lutheran, some Catholic, and some "other" Christian denominations. There is a small Jewish population, mostly in the suburbs south and west of the metro. My suburban high school was 98% white and most likely 70ish% Lutheran, 15% Catholic, 10% "other" Christian denominations, and 5% non-Christian (I was the only Jewish person in my class of 800 students). I felt that the student body at St. Olaf strongly resembled my high school. I honestly don't know if I would have been comfortable there as a Jew, just because I don't think there is a large Jewish population on campus (just as I was always a little uncomfortable in my high school).</p>
<p>I just made the observation, when I was visiting, that the student body seemed homogenous. It's not a place where you will find a lot of inner-city students or a lot of diversity. It's a comfortable, safe, nurturing place. I liked the students I met. I enjoyed the campus (it's beautiful). Northfield is a cute college town. It just wasn't what I was looking for.</p>
<p>I was just responding to your questions as you had asked earlier. Please don't take offense to my comments or opinions - it is simply one person's point of view. </p>
<p>You may be hard pressed to find any Oles posting on this board, but I would suggest asking in the parents board. Someone may have visited and gotten a different impression than I did or have a son/daughter/niece/nephew that attends and will no more than I do. I hope their opinions/advice are more suited to what you are looking for.</p>
<p>Side note: St. Olaf's study abroad programs/department are phenomenal. If your S/D is interested in studying abroad, St. Olaf will give you the opportunity to go wherever you want. Many students from my college are actually participating on St. Olaf-sponsered abroad programs and I have heard good things about past programs friends have gone on.</p>
<p>Class of 2009 Profile:</p>
<p>At A Glance</p>
<p>58 percent female; 42 percent male </p>
<p>11.6 percent multicultural</p>
<p>Thirty-nine states and 22 foreign countries represented in the class </p>
<p>Average academic grade-point average: 3.60</p>
<p>41 percent Lutheran, 14 percent Catholic, 6 percent Presbyterian, 5 percent Methodist</p>
<p>17 percent are first-generation college students</p>
<p>Average financial aid package: $18,121</p>
<p>Admissions Profile for Admitted Students</p>
<p>Applications = 2,997</p>
<p>Accepted = 2,187 </p>
<p>Enrolled = 770 </p>
<p>Rank in class
Top 10 percent = 48 percent
Top 25 percent = 76 percent</p>
<p>Standardized Test Results</p>
<p>American College Testing program (ACT)</p>
<p>Range of ACT composite scores:
Middle 50 percent = 2530
Median ACT Composite = 27</p>
<p>Scholastic Aptitude Test (SATI)</p>
<p>Range of SATI verbal scores:
Middle 50 percent = 590710
Median SATI verbal = 650</p>
<p>Range of SATI math scores:
Middle 50 percent = 580690
Median SATI math = 640</p>
<p>Bumping up for more info possibly?</p>
<p>Believersmom,</p>
<p>I am a St. Olaf graduate from the ancient past although I know a number of kids that are currently attending and I am on campus several times a year. My daughter is a junior at Carleton so I have a pretty good feel for both schools. If there are specific questions you have about St. Olaf, let me know.</p>
<p>Carldad-
Is it a daggar through your heart that D is at Carleton??? That is an ancient rivalery.
Would like an update of pros & cons of attending St. Ol. these days.
Not really interested in Carleton, but St. Olaf intriques.
What is the good the bad and the ugly???</p>
<p>I really don't mind that my D is at Carleton as it is a much better fit for her. And the rivalry that many people talk about really doesn't exist that much because in large part the two student bodies ignore each other. There is a bus that goes between the two campuses and to various locations around town, think Target and the grocery store, but they really tend to stick to their own campuses. Exception is that Carleton is not a dry campus like St. Olaf and some Ole's go to Carleton for the parties. </p>
<p>The biggest disadvantage to St. Olaf for most people is that it has tended to be quite homogeneous. Mostly students from the upper midwest and mostly white. The joke is that the typical Ole is tall and blonde and if you compare the two campuses you will see a lot more tall blondes at St. Olaf. That being said St. Olaf has for years been trying to increase its minority population and they have slowly been getting more diverse. Currently they have about 10% minority population. The number of students from around the country has also been increasing of late based on active recruiting of students from outside the midwest. </p>
<p>One complaint made by some students that the administration keeps too tight of a rein on the campus. From my experience I think what this really means is that some students don't like having a dry campus particularly when Carleton is not dry. Personally I don't think this is that big of a deal but it bothers some students. </p>
<p>St. Olaf in the past has been overlooked by many people outside the midwest because Carleton has overshadowed it. As more people get to know about St. Olaf it's name recognition has definitely been improving. </p>
<p>The academics are generally strong although there are some departments that are better than others. Math, the sciences, music and religion have traditionally been very strong. Their PhD production in these areas have been among the strongest in the country. </p>
<p>Some of the earlier posters commented on their perception that the academics weren't as strong as some other colleges they were looking at. I am sure this is true for some departments but not necessarily for all. I originally enrolled at Northwestern as a chemistry major and transferred after my freshman year to St. Olaf. In the chemistry department there was no difference in the amount of work or the quality of the students I saw. What was different was the behaviour of the students. At Northwestern it was very competitive with everyone looking out mainly for themselves. There was also rampant cheating and trashing of other's lab experiments to get ahead. At St. Olaf the atmosphere was more of cooperation and working together. Of course not everyone at Northwestern cheats and not everyone at St. Olaf is virtuous but the generally feel of the two colleges was very different. </p>
<p>The student body as a whole definitely gives a feeling of "Minnesota nice". People say hi to others as they walk even if they don't know them. There is a strong feeling of social consciousness on the campus.</p>
<p>The issue of religion often comes up with people not familiar with St. Olaf. While it is a "school of the church" that translates more into an active participant in social issues rather than a dogmatic approach to religious issues. There are some students who are very religious but probably an equal number that aren't involved in any religious life. Chapel is held daily but is optional. Many students do attend because they have interesting speakers talking at chapel and it is rarely of a religious nature. Overall it feels very mainstream. During the last presidential election there were posters up for both candidates although probably more for Kerry. At Carleton by contrast you really had to look to find a Bush poster. </p>
<p>One last comment on St. Olaf would be regarding their admissions. Historically it has been much easier to get into St. Olaf than the academics would suggest. However, of late that is changing. Last year their overall admissions acceptance was down to about 60% and this year will probably be closer to 50% as the number of students applying keeps increasing. </p>
<p>Hope that gives you a little better feel for St. Olaf. Let me know if you have more questions.</p>
<p>Oh this is great feedback. Thank you very much!</p>
<p>One thing that concerns me is the fact that with a possible effort to "diversify" my D might actually be at a disadvantage for admission. She is white, Lutheran, midwestern(although not MN), a solid/strong but not stellar academic student(math is her only sticky-issue), exceptional ECs & leadership(according to GC, princ, coaches, HS staff she has this in spades as far as passion and achievements go). Do you have a feel for what might set her apart from all those that are similar and applying? Something she should emphasize that will make someone like her stand out to the ad com as more than just another midwestern-nice Lutheran girl? Not thinking that she would be anything else other than herself, but what part of herself will most impress St. Olaf?
You mention that you still get to campus often, do you do alumni interviews for admissions by chance?</p>
<p>It is true that St. Olaf gets many applications from white Lutheran midwest girls. However, that is also their base applicant and they will always be looking for strong candidates. Visiting the campus and showing interest is very important as the admissions people want to know that your daughter is truly interested in the college. Also, the Why St. Olaf question on the common app supplement is very important so she needs to give this some thought. It is easier to answer that question if you have been on campus and have explored what they have to offer. </p>
<p>To distinguish her self she simply needs to get across who she is to the admissions committee. Focus her application on her strengths and passions particularly if she has good ECs. If math is a problem she should address that to admissions through the additional information essay. </p>
<p>I don't do alumni interviews but have worked with some of the admission people on local projects to promote St. Olaf.</p>
<p>Again-
Thank you!</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with Stickypenquin. I was sure I wanted to attend St. Olaf until I did an overnight visit. Everyone looks the same and acts the same. More diversity would certainly be a good thing. I did not see how I could get a true global perspective when everyone around me looks just like me. My high school is much more diverse then St. Olaf. I also thought the classes I sat in on were incredibly easy. I knew the answers to most of the questions and did not find the lectures engaging in the least. I am still deciding but am 99% sure that I will not be attending St. Olaf.</p>