<p>What schools might have what I love about each school, but all in one school? </p>
<p>I love that at St Olaf, everyone I met was so nice! The campus was gorgeous. I can play in the orchestra and such but still major in something else, and so on. Even just around town, when someone was St Olaf affiliated, they were great. And recently, here in TX, I met someone who went to St Olaf and they had nothing but good to say.</p>
<p>At Carleton, I didn't think the people I met were that nice or interesting. They seemed like during their time there, even in their community service, they never expanded their horizons. They seemed very single minded. But academically, Carleton had what I want. And the alumni I have met at functions here and such just seemed unhappy and cross.</p>
<p>I am going to apply to both those schools. But I need other options too.</p>
<p>So I need a musicy school, with excellent academics, where I can go in not sure what I am going to major in, and have the room to figure that out and not graduate late. </p>
<p>Some ideas I had, but would love more...Rhodes College, Baylor University (I already liked this one, but the financial aid is not good there), Oberlin, and Washington and Lee.</p>
<p>Which is part of why St Olaf is so far down. I love love love the school, but they do not meet need. They do have a variety of additional scholarships to apply for. But I would not be able to attend there without those scholarships. On the other hand, Carleton meets need so it would work financially, according to the NPC.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the others but when you mentioned musicy I immediately thought of Oberlin which is noted for its music programs. </p>
<p>I think most of the top tier LACs meet need but are not necessarily need blind. Also, your description of Carleton does not match what others have said on this forum. I have no experience with the school but thought its reputation was a strong academic school with pretty laid back kids which is rare for such high achievers. Maybe someone with firsthand experience with Carleton can weigh in here.</p>
<p>Whether St. Olaf meets need is less relevant than the net price it will offer (note that different colleges calculus need differently, and have different levels of expected student contribution). Have you run the net price calculator for St. Olaf? If so, how different is its net price compared to Carleton and other schools?</p>
<p>If you want to participate in an orchestra or other ensemble you are usually better off looking the a college that DOES NOT have a strong orchestra program, but teaches music nonetheless. The strong programs will have plenty of auditioned music students to fill their orchestral seats. On the other hand, smaller programs frequently struggle to find players for their ensembles and orchestras. Oberlin has an exceptional music conservatory, so you will be competing with some of the best musicians in the country. (but then again…that might be you )</p>
<p>It seems so obvious, but I don’t see anything that precludes it, consider Grinnell. It is strong academically, the students are generally nice and service oriented. It’s a school you really have to visit to get a feel for.</p>
<p>I think it sounds like St. Olaf’s is a good choice (the students at Grinnell niceness). Pay attention to how the students and alumni of a college make you feel. If they seem like unhappy people, or like people you would be unhappy to be around, don’t apply. Schools go through moods just like people, be careful.</p>
<p>What, academically, do you want at Carleton that St. Olaf doesn’t have? Because it seems like you really love St. Olaf for so many reasons, but I suspect that it may be the ranking that’s throwing you off (Carleton being top 10 but St. Olaf being below top 50). If that’s the case, I want to say that I went to a top 100, but not top 50, liberal arts college. Not only did I absolutely love it, I found it to be academically rigorous; I was challenged there and grew tremendously and I’m currently in a top 5 PhD program from it.</p>
<p>I also immediately thought of Oberlin because of the music. I also thought of Lawrence University, a small LAC in Appleton, WI that also has a conservatory of music. But I agree that a place that has a music conservatory may have fewer options for non-professional minded students who want to play for fun. But when I think of St. Olaf, Carleton, Rhodes, and W&L I think of small liberal arts colleges in small towns or smaller cities. So along those lines (and without knowing your stats):</p>
<p>Colby
Beloit
College of Wooster
Wesleyan
Colgate University
Macalester (which is actually in St. Paul, so not far from either St. Olaf or Carleton)
Kenyon College
Trinity College
Lafayette College
Connecticut College
Skidmore
Dickinson
Davidson</p>
<p>I second Juillet’s question. What does Carleton personally offer you academically that St. Olaf wouldn’t, in terms of specific academic majors, programs, etc. Don’t use “academics” as a proxy term for “USNWR rankings and incoming student stats.” While Carleton is a fine school indeed, it’s not as if Carls are Eloi and Oles are Morlocks. My D attends a Carleton peer college. She also applied to St. Olaf and would have happily gone if the cards had fallen another way. You are overthinking this. If you love St. Olaf, go there. It’s a very special place–not just another nice little LAC.</p>
<p>This thread has me curious about St Olaf since I had never heard of the school until this recent college search since I’m from the northeast. It identifies itself as an evangelical Lutheran college with no alcohol allowed on campus if I read that right. I am familiar with evangelical schools like Wheaton, Gordon, Messiah, and Grove City where so many chapel attendances are required per semester. Can anyone familiar with both St Olaf and one of these other schools compare and contrast it with one of them?</p>
<p>St. Olaf is affiliated with ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), which, despite the word “evangelical,” is the more liberal of the Lutheran denominations (i.e. in comparison with the Missouri Synod). The ELCA is evangelical in the generic Christian sense of the great commission, as all Christian branches are. At St. Olaf, chapel attendance is not required. Students must take a course in religion or philosophy and ethics.</p>
<p>St. Olaf was founded by Norwegian immigrants and its customs and traditions reflect that ethnic emphasis. Its world-class music program, particularly in choral music, had its roots in Protestant congregational hymn singing and arrangement.</p>
<p>I have been to both with my daughter. She applied and was accepted to both. Three scholarships from St. Olaf, the most generous FA package of the no to low merit schools she was accepted at came from Carleton. Both were in her Final Four, St.Olaf wound up staying on the list until the last day for decisions.</p>
<p>She wound up at a school practically in your back yard. Trinity University, in San Antonio.</p>
<p>Have you looked there? Lots of scholarships offered, even for music.</p>
<p>I am scheduled to go to a preview at Trinity on Sept 28. I am looking forward to it! I would love to hear more, comparisons and such, what you all liked about it in the end, besides location. I would LOVE to attend a St Olaf College, but right here, close by.</p>
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