<p>Our family is discussing a visit to St. Olaf at the end of July as part of a brief vacation we'd build around the college visit. DS is a rising soph, Class of 2015, so this would be more of an informal, casual visit. It would also be DS's first exposure to a college campus, aside from the occasional drive-thru at our State Flagship.</p>
<p>We could pick a college that's closer (St. Olaf is almost 7 hours away), but in reading about St. Olaf it seems that the college would potentially be very appealing to DS. Or, at least, it would be good food-for-thought. If he continues on his current trajectory, a school like St. Olaf would be within the realm of possibility academically, so the visit could give him an idea of what's potentially attainable with hard work.</p>
<p>If we visited in late-July/early-Aug, would the campus be a ghost-town? Are there other family-type things to do in the area? We've considered adding Carelton to the visit, as well, but I don't want to overwhelm DS. </p>
<p>Thoughts/advice would be very-much appreciated!</p>
<p>Both Carleton and St. Olaf are fabulous schools-just across the Cannon River from one another. The schools have totally different “personalities,” so it truly depends on what your student is interested in and where he’d be a good fit. For an initial visit, it is easy to do both of these schools in one day, then come back later to whichever of the two is a more likely match…end your trip at one of my native state’s beautiful lakes, catch some fish, hang out in an innertube on the water, and you’ve got yourself a vacation!</p>
<p>Thanks, bigredmom! Appreciate the response. I need to engage DS to see if he has a real interest and DH to see if he wants to take the family on a road trip! We do have a newly-turned 4-year-old, so there’s a lot to consider…</p>
<p>Before you go or on the way it might be good to do a couple “drive-by” college stops so your S has something to compare. StO is beautiful, but even more so after you’ve seen a few campuses. Many schools take photos from creative angles and feature the one nice building in the literature and on web-sites. We found that StO is actually even better in person, but your DS might not realize how singular that is w/o a few other quick stops.</p>
<p>If StO seems like a really good fit for your son, Carleton will be an awful fit. They are polar opposites. That said, I was there this past Friday for a football recruiting visit (my parents went there so trust me I know the place) and it was full of students. What state are you from? If from MN, may I suggest going down there over MEA when kids will be bustling and hustling, and you get to see the beautiful fall on campus?</p>
<p>saintfan & eagle69, thanks very much for your responses. </p>
<p>We’re coming from Kansas City, so it’s a 7+ hour drive. I considered stopping at another college along the way, but we may (or may not) drag the family along, so there’s a newly-turned-4-year-old to consider. </p>
<p>@saintfan, that’s a good point - we should take DS2015 to a few area college campuses first, just to get a “feel” for what a campus is like (aside from what he’s seen at events held at our state flagship). </p>
<p>@eagle69, we spoke with a Carleton rep at a college fair this Spring and he was amazing, so DS took some literature and has an interest - mostly just because of what the rep told him. However, StO seems like the kind of place DS might wind up being very excited about. Since we’d be in Northfield anyway, I figured we should just tour both campuses while we’re there. Your perspective on the differences in the schools would be appreciated.</p>
<p>In reading other threads, and knowing how increasingly busy students become as the high school years progress, this particular Summer seems like a good time for an initial visit somewhere. My primary motivation for this trip would be to counteract what our own HS counselors tell the kids and parents: “Your student will go in-state, there’s nothing wrong with in-state and most everyone goes in-state, so we can help you with that. Otherwise, you’re on your own.” And they are correct, both about in-state and being on one’s own for anything beyond that. DS may wind up going instate, but DH & I would like him to know there’s more out there for him to consider. And he’s currently a great student - so I’d like him to see what some of his options are if he stays that way. We’ve already watched some very smart, talented boys pull away from academics with the goal of being <em>cool.</em> So I’d like to plant a seed in DS’s brain before 10th grade, just in case.</p>
<p>As for the Fall…I wish. But DS plays HS soccer + debates, and our other kids are so busy in the Fall, that I’m not sure Fall would ever work. Would StO have anyone around in late July/early Aug - or is that just a poor time to visit?</p>
<p>I have grown up taught to hate Carleton, but I try to hide my bias basically, StO is a loving Christian environment with strong academics. And a attractive student body I may add! But yes definitely visit both because it will be easy. I just would suggest doing StO last.</p>
<p>It looks like there may be some students on campus for summer term, and I believe that some stay over for research positions as well.</p>
<p>You also might stop at Gustavus Adolphus on your way up or back if it isn’t too far out of your way. It looks similar to StO on paper, but D found them to be very different and loved StO all the more after stopping. </p>
<p>D was also not a fan of Carleton but we found StO by reading Carleton lit, so not a total loss ;)</p>
<p>Saintfan, I followed the link and definitely intend to ask my DS about the Summer Music Camp for next year. Wish so much I would have known about it this Summer - would have been perfect for him! Thanks for the link.</p>
<p>Have to discuss the whole trip idea as a family. If Music Camp is an option for next year, then a trip this year is not needed. Perhaps best use of resources is to tour campuses closer to home.</p>
<p>We are also from the KC area! That Carleton rep at the college fairs will get you everytime!lol My D has been in love with them for years, but finally crossed it off of her list. We will be visiting Gustavus, St. O, and Macalaster.</p>
<p>Midwestmom, if you have a chance to post a St. O trip report, I will look forward to reading it! Since St. O offers a Summer music camp, I think we’ll have DS15 look into that for next year and we’ll stay closer to home in our college visits before school starts this year. We’ll keep them informal, but I want DS to “see” what he’s working toward.</p>
<p>And I should have mentioned that this whole snowball got rolling when a co-worker mentioned St. O and talked about how great it is. Well, my very favorite Christmas program every year is Christmas at St. Olaf on PBS, so how could I not check it out? And now I’m obsessed w/it for DS (insert his eye-roll) but I do believe he should put it on his list and he seemed fine with that. I asked DS to sign up for materials from St. O, which he did to keep me at bay, and they came today! I’m so excited for him to open them when he gets home from baseball tonight (but I’m trying to hide my excitement, ha, ha…)</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your DD. I believe you are on the Parents of HS Class 2013, correct? I read that thread almost every day and I have learned so much. Really appreciate those of you who post and share your great ideas & learnings. I’ve advised the Parents of HS Class 2015 to visit the 2013 thread because there’s a wealth of info there - along with a very nice group of parents, too!</p>
<p>I’m going to chime in and second eagle69’s sentiment about STO and Carleton being polar opposites. We visited both on a Friday when classes were in session. We were at STO in the a.m. for tour and lunch. DS felt the STO vibe was vibrant, energetic and just what he was looking for. There were kids everywhere: in the student center, the cafe, the library, classrooms and hanging out on campus. We were also able to see some dorms and the rec center. Thanks to tour guide and info session, we really got the mind, body & soul message.</p>
<p>Then in the afternoon we headed to Carleton. Right away it was a whole different feel. The info session was not good. The student who was leading it didn’t have it together nor could he get the video to work. The Q&A was almost completely about GPAs and SAT/ACT scores and tips about getting in . . . not what one would experience when attending. From there we went on a tour with a quirky tour guide who picked up food three times along the way and ate snacks as she talked. Compared to STO, the campus was a ghost town. Maybe because it was a Friday afternoon. We also asked about the Rec center and she pointed and said “Oh it’s down there somewhere” and kept walking. DS knew that he could cross it off his list.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, everyone! DS15 got an info package from StO AND a Chamber of Commerce info brochure from the city of Northfield yesterday (I emailed for info when we were talking about a college visit and got a nice brochure right away!). I was pleased to see DS look through the StO material, and read some sections of it, so we are hanging on to it. Not sure whether we’ll venture up to StO this Summer or not. The effort to get there would probably be better spent when DS is a bit older and when school is actually in-session. But the advice you’ve given is much appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to post and I’ll look forward to reading visit reports & sharing them with DS.</p>
basically, StO is a loving Christian environment with strong academics. And a attractive student body I may add! But yes definitely visit both because it will be easy. I just would suggest doing StO last.</p>