Feedback on St Olaf?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We toured all three, St. Olaf, Carleton, and Mac, and they all seemed great but Carleton and Mac definitely seemed much more hippie/"alt"/granola than St. Olaf which came across as more...conventional? I don't know. Not conventional in the business major-frat-jock type -- definitely didn't get those vibes -- but just more "down to earth-middle of the road-pragmatic midwesterner" type. Probably stems from the fact that St. Olaf does, in fact, have more midwesterners than the other two.

Also, big difference in locations between Mac and Carleton/St. Olaf: Mac is in the heart of the Twin Cities (albeit in a pretty residential area but just a stone's throw from all the restaurants/theaters/bars/shops/etc. one could possibly desire) whereas Northfield, where Carleton and St. Olaf is, is a small, bucolic-feeling town about an hour outside of the cities.

Make sure to visit any of the three in January or February before committing

These comments are very accurate and helpful - even better than mine. St. Olaf is pretty isolated - there are no bars or restaurants or coffee shops near campus. It is a 30 min walk to town and the bus service is lousy. Don't expect to be getting off campus much.

[Anonymous]

On the rivalry thing, I did not see any rivalry between St Olaf and Carleton. Carleton students were indifferent to St Olaf but I would say St Olaf students were also indifferent to Carleton. Not hostile in any way but not rivals or competitors. There is very little interaction; very little dating; They didn't even seem to be in the same bars at the same time. I don't think there is much question about the fact that Carleton is stronger and more internationally-known while St Olaf is a good albeit regional school.

I never heard anything about rivalries with Gustavus or Luther. In fact, the only thing I ever heard about Luther was that DMB played there. That's it. -St Olaf grad

[Anonymous]

I studied abroad with a lot of St. Olaf students and they were without exception pleasant, smart and wholesome people. They also spoke glowingly about the school. Many have gone on to work for nonprofits and a fairly significant handful are elementary school teachers.

Also, whomever referenced the ELCA -- it's definitely not conservative despite the connotations of the word "evangelical."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something you should consider is that St. Olaf is sponsored by the ELCA. Quite conservative. The Church is pretty active and prominent, not just a historical figure.

The ELCA is not conservative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We toured all three, St. Olaf, Carleton, and Mac, and they all seemed great but Carleton and Mac definitely seemed much more hippie/"alt"/granola than St. Olaf which came across as more...conventional? I don't know. Not conventional in the business major-frat-jock type -- definitely didn't get those vibes -- but just more "down to earth-middle of the road-pragmatic midwesterner" type. Probably stems from the fact that St. Olaf does, in fact, have more midwesterners than the other two.

Also, big difference in locations between Mac and Carleton/St. Olaf: Mac is in the heart of the Twin Cities (albeit in a pretty residential area but just a stone's throw from all the restaurants/theaters/bars/shops/etc. one could possibly desire) whereas Northfield, where Carleton and St. Olaf is, is a small, bucolic-feeling town about an hour outside of the cities.

Make sure to visit any of the three in January or February before committing

These comments are very accurate and helpful - even better than mine. St. Olaf is pretty isolated - there are no bars or restaurants or coffee shops near campus. It is a 30 min walk to town and the bus service is lousy. Don't expect to be getting off campus much.

The Ole Store is as good as any restaurant in downtown Northfield... or Restonia for that matter...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We toured all three, St. Olaf, Carleton, and Mac, and they all seemed great but Carleton and Mac definitely seemed much more hippie/"alt"/granola than St. Olaf which came across as more...conventional? I don't know. Not conventional in the business major-frat-jock type -- definitely didn't get those vibes -- but just more "down to earth-middle of the road-pragmatic midwesterner" type. Probably stems from the fact that St. Olaf does, in fact, have more midwesterners than the other two.

Also, big difference in locations between Mac and Carleton/St. Olaf: Mac is in the heart of the Twin Cities (albeit in a pretty residential area but just a stone's throw from all the restaurants/theaters/bars/shops/etc. one could possibly desire) whereas Northfield, where Carleton and St. Olaf is, is a small, bucolic-feeling town about an hour outside of the cities.

Make sure to visit any of the three in January or February before committing

These comments are very accurate and helpful - even better than mine. St. Olaf is pretty isolated - there are no bars or restaurants or coffee shops near campus. It is a 30 min walk to town and the bus service is lousy. Don't expect to be getting off campus much.

The Ole Store is as good as any restaurant in downtown Northfield... or Restonia for that matter...

Carleton grad from many years ago. So happy to hear that the Ole Store still exists! Back in the day they served blueberry muffins cooked in a glass mug that were amazing. I had so many happy memories from that place.

[Anonymous]

Can't be all bad if it was good enough flour Betty White on Golden Girls. She was dumb as a doorknob, but good hearted. Represents St. Olafs well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't be all bad if it was good enough flour Betty White on Golden Girls. She was dumb as a doorknob, but good hearted. Represents St. Olafs well.

You may be confusing Betty White with her character Rose on Golden Girls. Betty White is quite intelligent. She was pursued by NBC years ago for the cohost of Today Show which White turned down. NBC then hired Barbara Walters. I don't think NBC would have slotted someone "dumb as a doorknob" for that spot. She also enjoys writing and has said she doesn't like "sloppy diction". There's much more to Betty White than meets the casual observer's eye.

[Anonymous]

I'm from the west coast and haven't heard of any of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Something you should consider is that St. Olaf is sponsored by the ELCA. Quite conservative. The Church is pretty active and prominent, not just a historical figure.

Are you sure you’re not confusing ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) for something else? (The “Evangelical” terminology can throw people off.) The ELCA is widely considered to be progressive and inclusive. There are many LGBTQ pastors, and you’ll often see churches flying rainbow and BLM flags.

+1. I grew up in Minnesota, and always dreamed of going to St. Olaf. It was the place where all the nice Lutheran kids of Norwegian heritage wanted to go to school (if they could afford it.)

ELCA is very liberal -- trust me, as I grew up in the church and my mom is still active. Very inclusive. The person above who said "quite conservative" is just misinformed.

[Anonymous]

St. Olaf was my older child’s second choice school in science and music— ahead of Kenyon, Macalester, Grinnell, WM, etc, which are high ranked. It just had a certain something special. Peaceful, but purposeful. Non-competitive and kind. He ended up at Oberlin. Which as his first choice. Oberlin might not seem like it has a lot in common with St. Olaf, but the same, smart but not competitive, kind, purposeful, music and science vein is there. My kid loves Oberlin, but deep down I was rooting for St. Olaf. My kid agnostic and did not find the religious aspect to be off putting or over the top.

Kid 2 applied ED to Carleton, which as an amazing program in her field. If she isn’t admitted, St. Olaf if also high on her list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the west coast and haven't heard of any of these schools.

You need to get out more.