St. Olaf is a fantastic, small school with a great community. Options are endless here, and it is so true that a Liberal Arts education really does prepare you on a much deeper level than your average university or college. I've learned a lot already, and I'm only 1 semester in to my 4 year career here; if you're interested, I highly suggest this place, a great fit for all types of people!
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Visit the campus! It is cold here, there's no doubting that. It's also in a small town, and it is just the kind of setting you need to see and feel to understand. Most people love it, but I know it isn't for everyone; before committing or rejecting this as a possibility, it would behoove you to visit!
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
This is not a cake-walk, but it's not impossible either. Everything you are taught has an application in life, that's the beauty of a Liberal Arts education. It takes being a good student to get in here in the first place, so odds are if you're admitted, you're easily cut out for the academic side of life here.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
Some of the dorms are on the small side (especially mine) but for the most part, they're comfy, cozy, and get the job done. You won't be cramped and uncomfortable, but it's not like you'll have an enormous amount of space either. Most students leave their doors open, which is great for building relationships with neighbors! In addition, halls appoint their own hall councils, which put on some cool little events throughout the year, from dances to movie nights to poker nights. The social aspect of living on campus here has definitely been a pleasant surprise.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The cafeteria here was voted into the top 10 in the NATION! We have a fantastic amount of choices, the food quality is unbelievable, and it never gets old (which is so important when you eat 14-17 meals there a week). Besides the caf, there's a student-run pizza shop, which delivers anywhere on campus and is open really late all week, plus The Cage, which is almost like a fancy concession stand with a huge amount of options. Plenty of variety here, and all of it is grade A quality.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
There's events being held every weekend by at least 3 different organizations, making it easy to always find something to do. The sports at St Olaf are super fun, and students show some huge support for the soccer, football, and hockey teams. Also, there's plenty of off-campus parties to go to (St. Olaf is a dry campus, so no alcohol on campus) that round-out the whole what to do for fun scene.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
It's not a cheap school, but you get a lot out of it. In-state is more manageable, too, but either way there is a lot of upside to attending school here. Being here is a blast, it's 4 years I'm excited to spend at St. Olaf, and then afterwards you enter a job market with a degree from St. Olaf. Doesn't get much better than that.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
St. Olaf is a very old campus, and somewhere way back it has a huge Norwegian history (I believe the founders of the school). Due to this, there's a whole lot of Norwegian stuff going on, including the famed-Christmas Fest. St Olaf is widely known for the music department, cranking out fantastic musicians annually, and just after Thanksgiving, the choirs and orchestras of St. Olaf put on mass shows during Christmas Fest, which is even televised in certain areas.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
St Olaf is perfect for:
Good students, those who study, work hard, and pay attention.
Musicians
Student-Athletes
It's hard to nail down a type here, because there's so many different types of people who come to St. Olaf. Really, fitting in here is being yourself, being different, being unique. Everyone is welcome and all can succeed.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
I'm a member of the hockey team, so I don't have as much time to join clubs or other activities. I played some inter-mural sports earlier in the year, which was organized well and was a much higher skill level than expected, making it more fun and competitive. There's organizations for everything, too, so if sports isn't your thing, you can still keep yourself busy on top of school.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
THERE IS NO GREEK LIFE!
While there isn't a Greek system, students find plenty of ways to have fun. There are off-campus parties, some cool places in-town to check out too. If your deciding factor for picking a school is whether or not you can be in a fraternity/sorority, then you probably don't belong at St. Olaf (and maybe should re-consider your plans for college entirely).
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
St. Olaf is safe, as there aren't a whole lot of dangers that plague the area. Little to no disturbances, nothing to worry about here. However....
The dry campus policy creates more problems than it avoids. The idea is to eliminate alcohol consumption, but this is college, so people drink. Since the punishment for being caught is so high, students do whatever they must to keep it hidden; the most common tactic is to pregame by drinking a lot quickly before going out to parties, and then carrying backpacks with additional alcohol with them. The result is kids drinking too much too fast, so ambulances can be spotted almost every weekend coming to St. Olaf to help some kid out who drank too much. The other problem is that since it is so against the rules, kids overreact when people are drunk or passed out, which means many ambulances are called prematurely and unnecessarily. It seems counter-intuitive, but the dry campus policy definitely does more harm than good.
St. Olaf is a fantastic, small school with a great community. Options are endless here, and it is so true that a Liberal Arts education really does prepare you on a much deeper level than your average university or college. I've learned a lot already, and I'm only 1 semester in to my 4 year career here; if you're interested, I highly suggest this place, a great fit for all types of people!
Visit the campus! It is cold here, there's no doubting that. It's also in a small town, and it is just the kind of setting you need to see and feel to understand. Most people love it, but I know it isn't for everyone; before committing or rejecting this as a possibility, it would behoove you to visit!
This is not a cake-walk, but it's not impossible either. Everything you are taught has an application in life, that's the beauty of a Liberal Arts education. It takes being a good student to get in here in the first place, so odds are if you're admitted, you're easily cut out for the academic side of life here.
Some of the dorms are on the small side (especially mine) but for the most part, they're comfy, cozy, and get the job done. You won't be cramped and uncomfortable, but it's not like you'll have an enormous amount of space either. Most students leave their doors open, which is great for building relationships with neighbors! In addition, halls appoint their own hall councils, which put on some cool little events throughout the year, from dances to movie nights to poker nights. The social aspect of living on campus here has definitely been a pleasant surprise.
The cafeteria here was voted into the top 10 in the NATION! We have a fantastic amount of choices, the food quality is unbelievable, and it never gets old (which is so important when you eat 14-17 meals there a week). Besides the caf, there's a student-run pizza shop, which delivers anywhere on campus and is open really late all week, plus The Cage, which is almost like a fancy concession stand with a huge amount of options. Plenty of variety here, and all of it is grade A quality.
There's events being held every weekend by at least 3 different organizations, making it easy to always find something to do. The sports at St Olaf are super fun, and students show some huge support for the soccer, football, and hockey teams. Also, there's plenty of off-campus parties to go to (St. Olaf is a dry campus, so no alcohol on campus) that round-out the whole what to do for fun scene.
It's not a cheap school, but you get a lot out of it. In-state is more manageable, too, but either way there is a lot of upside to attending school here. Being here is a blast, it's 4 years I'm excited to spend at St. Olaf, and then afterwards you enter a job market with a degree from St. Olaf. Doesn't get much better than that.
St. Olaf is a very old campus, and somewhere way back it has a huge Norwegian history (I believe the founders of the school). Due to this, there's a whole lot of Norwegian stuff going on, including the famed-Christmas Fest. St Olaf is widely known for the music department, cranking out fantastic musicians annually, and just after Thanksgiving, the choirs and orchestras of St. Olaf put on mass shows during Christmas Fest, which is even televised in certain areas.
St Olaf is perfect for: Good students, those who study, work hard, and pay attention. Musicians Student-Athletes It's hard to nail down a type here, because there's so many different types of people who come to St. Olaf. Really, fitting in here is being yourself, being different, being unique. Everyone is welcome and all can succeed.
I'm a member of the hockey team, so I don't have as much time to join clubs or other activities. I played some inter-mural sports earlier in the year, which was organized well and was a much higher skill level than expected, making it more fun and competitive. There's organizations for everything, too, so if sports isn't your thing, you can still keep yourself busy on top of school.
THERE IS NO GREEK LIFE! While there isn't a Greek system, students find plenty of ways to have fun. There are off-campus parties, some cool places in-town to check out too. If your deciding factor for picking a school is whether or not you can be in a fraternity/sorority, then you probably don't belong at St. Olaf (and maybe should re-consider your plans for college entirely).
St. Olaf is safe, as there aren't a whole lot of dangers that plague the area. Little to no disturbances, nothing to worry about here. However.... The dry campus policy creates more problems than it avoids. The idea is to eliminate alcohol consumption, but this is college, so people drink. Since the punishment for being caught is so high, students do whatever they must to keep it hidden; the most common tactic is to pregame by drinking a lot quickly before going out to parties, and then carrying backpacks with additional alcohol with them. The result is kids drinking too much too fast, so ambulances can be spotted almost every weekend coming to St. Olaf to help some kid out who drank too much. The other problem is that since it is so against the rules, kids overreact when people are drunk or passed out, which means many ambulances are called prematurely and unnecessarily. It seems counter-intuitive, but the dry campus policy definitely does more harm than good.