St. Olaf College, A College that Changes Lives
Northfield, Minnesota
One of the things you need to know about Minnesota is that it has a strong sense of heritage. Many of the people who settled there in the 19th century were from Scandinavia and many of them were Lutheran. They identified strongly with their shared values of hard work, persistence, doing the right thing for the right reason, hospitality to the stranger, and doing your best no matter the circumstances you face.
They also believed that educating the next generation to become professionals was part of their duty and to that end, they founded schools that would promote these values. In 1874, they founded St. Olaf, named for the patron saint of Norway, to provide both a strong education and a moral one as well. It was then and is now affiliated with the Lutheran Church today. But more importantly, it continues to be a terrific small liberal arts college where students go to get an outstanding education and continue to do their best no matter the circumstances, because in Northfield, Minnesota it snows a lot. Like really, a lot.
Minnesotans are a hardy bunch. As my own child has come to understand, winter in Minnesota is a lifestyle, not a season. But Oles do not shy from this. The mission at St. Olaf calls students to excel in the liberal arts, examine faith and values, and explore meaningful vocation in an inclusive, globally engaged community nourished by a Lutheran tradition. There is no better way to do this when there is 28 inches of snow on the ground and it’s snowing outside. Folks have plenty of time to study and get to know one another closely. And there is plenty of time for self-reflection and contemplation when it’s -10 out there.
But don’t let any of this fool you. Oles are smart and motivated. They are curious, creative, and questioning. And there is no typical Ole beyond those traits. Some are artists and some are into econ. Some are all about comp sci and some are into the humanities. What makes an Ole is that she is willing to examine her world, herself, and her goals. She’s willing to question who she is and why she is here and how she wants to live a good life. Oles are folks who reflect on what they learn, why they are learning it, and how they will use what they have learned to make their lives and the lives of others better for it.
There are about 3,000 students at St. Olaf’s. This makes it kind of a sweet spot in the college size when it comes to small liberal arts schools. It’s small enough that you know your peers and faculty well. This also means that you get a lot of great opportunities when it comes to things like research, internships, alumni networks, and financial aid. The student/faculty ratio is 12:1 and class sizes are small. At the same time they offer more than 85 different majors and are strong in the sciences. Students take four courses a semester with a one course J-Term. Oles are successful, too. They are often Fulbright scholars, and frequent Goldwater scholars as well.
At St. Olaf’s there is a real push to do interdisciplinary work. After all, the world functions that way. Rarely do we do math in isolation. It’s usually in conjunction with something else. Most fields of study there ask you to think of them as big picture. So if you’re into engineering it will probably be with physics or math that you will be doing it. This only makes sense since engineering cannot be done in a vacuum. For example you can major in Biomolecular Science or Environmental Studies, Neuroscience or Mathematical Biology. There are even opportunities to take linked classes through what they refer to as Conversations and Learning Communities. These three classes are meant to be taken by a single cohort of students who dive deep into the subject matter, while the professors emphasize the connections between the classes to the cohort. All this said, biology is the top major at St. Olaf’s and psychology is number three. So for those who think that liberal arts = English, think again.
Like many liberal arts colleges, business and economics is a popular field. It’s the number two major at St. Olaf’s. Students can major in economics with an emphasis in another field (environmental studies, sociology, public policy), or they can do management studies which is the more interdisciplinary approach. Students also have the opportunity to self-design majors in this area as well which offers freedom and opportunity to become creative and to really focus into a field of interest. Internships are an important aspect of the business program and there are plenty of opportunities as Minneapolis and St. Paul are only about 45 minutes from Northfield. Chicago is about 3 ½ hours away so summers can be spent there as well. In addition there is a lot of support for entrepreneurship as well. Multiple grants and funding sources for startups are available.
St. Olaf College is also home to a place called the Center for Integrative Studies. This is a unique way of helping students plan out a program of study for themselves that allows them to integrate their own curriculum for themselves over the course of their time at St. Olaf’s. It’s a self-designed course of study that might integrate music, the environment, psychology, and medicine say, so that a student might study how being outside listening to music helps cancer patients’ moods help them fight cancer better. Or a student might do public policy, international economics, history and Spanish to study why the influx of people seeking asylum from Central America is different in this generation than it was one generation ago. CIS allows students to create their own program and major to look at big questions and answer them over time.
Humanities are also very strong at St. Olaf’s as you would expect for a liberal arts college and they have some unique options when it comes to things you can major in. It’s one of the few places I know where you can major in either Norwegian or Nordic Studies. Political science is the 6th most popular major. Students there are doing research and interning both at the state capital (St. Paul) and in DC in the summer. Work ranges from looking at gerrymandering to rural immigration (Minnesota has a large Hmong population) to work on the Constitution. It’s also an important program there because it’s the one, next to foreign languages that pushes people to study abroad. St. Olaf’s is actually the number one college in the country for study abroad. I’ve never encountered a student who studied abroad and wished he hadn’t. But I do know a lot who didn’t and wished they had. English and art history are also popular majors (Minneapolis has amazing art museums!) and there are great opportunities for those fields as well including the Flaten Art Museum on campus.
One of the more unusual programs St. Olaf’s provides is their Great Conversations program. This is a concentration usually and it can be found in every discipline. These courses encourage students to take a deep dive into major issues in the discipline to examine where they stand, what the nature of the debate is, and how they can contribute to it. Students can participate in Environmental Conversations where they read graphic novels, newspapers, science magazines, lab studies, short stories, and novels. In Great Conversations, students will read everything from parts of the Bible to Nietzsche, Sappho, Sartre, Aristotle, Voltaire, Proust, Christine de Pisan, and Goethe. The Public Affairs Conversations dive into questions of American ideals and founding principles, governance, fears and hopes, and the future of public policy. And there are more: American Conversations, Asian Conversations, Science Conversations.
Housing at St. Olaf’s varied. Freshman are all housed in one of three halls set aside for them. But after your first year there are multiple options. There are Honor Houses which include the language houses for French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, and more. There are also themed houses that are Honor Houses: Diversity, Interfaith, Community Outreach, Wellness, etc. Many of these have a community service aspect to them as well. These houses are application based. Students who participate in certain majors sometimes live together, for example the Conversations folks are encouraged to do so.
Arts are big at St. Olaf. Music is especially so. It’s both a popular major and a popular pastime as well. There are multiple ways to participate in the arts as an Ole and if you’re up for it, you won’t have any dearth of options. There are nine choirs and choral options alone, not to mention the twelve different musical ensembles (minimum!) that you can play in. Student theater is huge as well, with a minimum of six productions annually and being in close proximity to Minneapolis which is a huge theater town. Dance is also something a lot of students participate in and you do not have to be a major for access. Fine arts students have plenty of great opportunities to show work, take advantage of studio space and participate in the art scene there as well.
Other extracurricular options include sports of course. St. Olaf is a DIII school so it’s a good possibility you can walk onto a team. They offer football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey (men’s and women’s) skiing, soccer, wrestling, cross country, track, volleyball, softball, golf, tennis, and swimming. There are also plenty of intramural sports and club sports. Rugby and rowing are both options and both co-ed. You can ride here as well, and while there is no DIII lacrosse, you can play club.
As for clubs, Oles have a huge variety to choose from. If community service is for you, try out the Circle K (college level Key Club), Science Alliance, THOR Project (The Homeless Outreach), Food Recovery Network, Dance Marathon, Support the Girls, or Reach Out and Read to name a few. Join a faith-based group like the Jewish Student Organization, Catholic Student Association, Jyoti, or the Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice. Into your academics? Try out Women in Science, Asian Studies in Action, Psychology Club, Linguistics Society, Mock Trial, Society for Ancient Studies, or AMSA Pre-Medical Chapter. Get political with Amnesty International, College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty, or Women for Political Change. Or try any of these: Oles Combating Poverty, Hmong Culture Outreach, Taiko Drumming Group, Blizzard Club, Quiz Bowl, Swing Club, OUTS, Freethinker’s Society, Cooking Club, Anime, Model UN, GLOW, Operation Smile, or Chinese Culture Club. It’s hard to have an interest that isn’t represented at St. Olaf’s.
Are you an Ole? Are you contemplative and curious? Are you up for serious conversations in a stimulating environment? And can you bundle up and face the cold (real cold)? Because if you are, St. Olaf’s has a lot to offer you. As liberal arts colleges go, it leans towards science but it brings its soul with it. You might just find that the cold is no impediment at all.
Pros:
Cons:
Northfield, Minnesota
One of the things you need to know about Minnesota is that it has a strong sense of heritage. Many of the people who settled there in the 19th century were from Scandinavia and many of them were Lutheran. They identified strongly with their shared values of hard work, persistence, doing the right thing for the right reason, hospitality to the stranger, and doing your best no matter the circumstances you face.
They also believed that educating the next generation to become professionals was part of their duty and to that end, they founded schools that would promote these values. In 1874, they founded St. Olaf, named for the patron saint of Norway, to provide both a strong education and a moral one as well. It was then and is now affiliated with the Lutheran Church today. But more importantly, it continues to be a terrific small liberal arts college where students go to get an outstanding education and continue to do their best no matter the circumstances, because in Northfield, Minnesota it snows a lot. Like really, a lot.
Minnesotans are a hardy bunch. As my own child has come to understand, winter in Minnesota is a lifestyle, not a season. But Oles do not shy from this. The mission at St. Olaf calls students to excel in the liberal arts, examine faith and values, and explore meaningful vocation in an inclusive, globally engaged community nourished by a Lutheran tradition. There is no better way to do this when there is 28 inches of snow on the ground and it’s snowing outside. Folks have plenty of time to study and get to know one another closely. And there is plenty of time for self-reflection and contemplation when it’s -10 out there.
But don’t let any of this fool you. Oles are smart and motivated. They are curious, creative, and questioning. And there is no typical Ole beyond those traits. Some are artists and some are into econ. Some are all about comp sci and some are into the humanities. What makes an Ole is that she is willing to examine her world, herself, and her goals. She’s willing to question who she is and why she is here and how she wants to live a good life. Oles are folks who reflect on what they learn, why they are learning it, and how they will use what they have learned to make their lives and the lives of others better for it.
There are about 3,000 students at St. Olaf’s. This makes it kind of a sweet spot in the college size when it comes to small liberal arts schools. It’s small enough that you know your peers and faculty well. This also means that you get a lot of great opportunities when it comes to things like research, internships, alumni networks, and financial aid. The student/faculty ratio is 12:1 and class sizes are small. At the same time they offer more than 85 different majors and are strong in the sciences. Students take four courses a semester with a one course J-Term. Oles are successful, too. They are often Fulbright scholars, and frequent Goldwater scholars as well.
At St. Olaf’s there is a real push to do interdisciplinary work. After all, the world functions that way. Rarely do we do math in isolation. It’s usually in conjunction with something else. Most fields of study there ask you to think of them as big picture. So if you’re into engineering it will probably be with physics or math that you will be doing it. This only makes sense since engineering cannot be done in a vacuum. For example you can major in Biomolecular Science or Environmental Studies, Neuroscience or Mathematical Biology. There are even opportunities to take linked classes through what they refer to as Conversations and Learning Communities. These three classes are meant to be taken by a single cohort of students who dive deep into the subject matter, while the professors emphasize the connections between the classes to the cohort. All this said, biology is the top major at St. Olaf’s and psychology is number three. So for those who think that liberal arts = English, think again.
Like many liberal arts colleges, business and economics is a popular field. It’s the number two major at St. Olaf’s. Students can major in economics with an emphasis in another field (environmental studies, sociology, public policy), or they can do management studies which is the more interdisciplinary approach. Students also have the opportunity to self-design majors in this area as well which offers freedom and opportunity to become creative and to really focus into a field of interest. Internships are an important aspect of the business program and there are plenty of opportunities as Minneapolis and St. Paul are only about 45 minutes from Northfield. Chicago is about 3 ½ hours away so summers can be spent there as well. In addition there is a lot of support for entrepreneurship as well. Multiple grants and funding sources for startups are available.
St. Olaf College is also home to a place called the Center for Integrative Studies. This is a unique way of helping students plan out a program of study for themselves that allows them to integrate their own curriculum for themselves over the course of their time at St. Olaf’s. It’s a self-designed course of study that might integrate music, the environment, psychology, and medicine say, so that a student might study how being outside listening to music helps cancer patients’ moods help them fight cancer better. Or a student might do public policy, international economics, history and Spanish to study why the influx of people seeking asylum from Central America is different in this generation than it was one generation ago. CIS allows students to create their own program and major to look at big questions and answer them over time.
Humanities are also very strong at St. Olaf’s as you would expect for a liberal arts college and they have some unique options when it comes to things you can major in. It’s one of the few places I know where you can major in either Norwegian or Nordic Studies. Political science is the 6th most popular major. Students there are doing research and interning both at the state capital (St. Paul) and in DC in the summer. Work ranges from looking at gerrymandering to rural immigration (Minnesota has a large Hmong population) to work on the Constitution. It’s also an important program there because it’s the one, next to foreign languages that pushes people to study abroad. St. Olaf’s is actually the number one college in the country for study abroad. I’ve never encountered a student who studied abroad and wished he hadn’t. But I do know a lot who didn’t and wished they had. English and art history are also popular majors (Minneapolis has amazing art museums!) and there are great opportunities for those fields as well including the Flaten Art Museum on campus.
One of the more unusual programs St. Olaf’s provides is their Great Conversations program. This is a concentration usually and it can be found in every discipline. These courses encourage students to take a deep dive into major issues in the discipline to examine where they stand, what the nature of the debate is, and how they can contribute to it. Students can participate in Environmental Conversations where they read graphic novels, newspapers, science magazines, lab studies, short stories, and novels. In Great Conversations, students will read everything from parts of the Bible to Nietzsche, Sappho, Sartre, Aristotle, Voltaire, Proust, Christine de Pisan, and Goethe. The Public Affairs Conversations dive into questions of American ideals and founding principles, governance, fears and hopes, and the future of public policy. And there are more: American Conversations, Asian Conversations, Science Conversations.
Housing at St. Olaf’s varied. Freshman are all housed in one of three halls set aside for them. But after your first year there are multiple options. There are Honor Houses which include the language houses for French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, and more. There are also themed houses that are Honor Houses: Diversity, Interfaith, Community Outreach, Wellness, etc. Many of these have a community service aspect to them as well. These houses are application based. Students who participate in certain majors sometimes live together, for example the Conversations folks are encouraged to do so.
Arts are big at St. Olaf. Music is especially so. It’s both a popular major and a popular pastime as well. There are multiple ways to participate in the arts as an Ole and if you’re up for it, you won’t have any dearth of options. There are nine choirs and choral options alone, not to mention the twelve different musical ensembles (minimum!) that you can play in. Student theater is huge as well, with a minimum of six productions annually and being in close proximity to Minneapolis which is a huge theater town. Dance is also something a lot of students participate in and you do not have to be a major for access. Fine arts students have plenty of great opportunities to show work, take advantage of studio space and participate in the art scene there as well.
Other extracurricular options include sports of course. St. Olaf is a DIII school so it’s a good possibility you can walk onto a team. They offer football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey (men’s and women’s) skiing, soccer, wrestling, cross country, track, volleyball, softball, golf, tennis, and swimming. There are also plenty of intramural sports and club sports. Rugby and rowing are both options and both co-ed. You can ride here as well, and while there is no DIII lacrosse, you can play club.
As for clubs, Oles have a huge variety to choose from. If community service is for you, try out the Circle K (college level Key Club), Science Alliance, THOR Project (The Homeless Outreach), Food Recovery Network, Dance Marathon, Support the Girls, or Reach Out and Read to name a few. Join a faith-based group like the Jewish Student Organization, Catholic Student Association, Jyoti, or the Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice. Into your academics? Try out Women in Science, Asian Studies in Action, Psychology Club, Linguistics Society, Mock Trial, Society for Ancient Studies, or AMSA Pre-Medical Chapter. Get political with Amnesty International, College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty, or Women for Political Change. Or try any of these: Oles Combating Poverty, Hmong Culture Outreach, Taiko Drumming Group, Blizzard Club, Quiz Bowl, Swing Club, OUTS, Freethinker’s Society, Cooking Club, Anime, Model UN, GLOW, Operation Smile, or Chinese Culture Club. It’s hard to have an interest that isn’t represented at St. Olaf’s.
Are you an Ole? Are you contemplative and curious? Are you up for serious conversations in a stimulating environment? And can you bundle up and face the cold (real cold)? Because if you are, St. Olaf’s has a lot to offer you. As liberal arts colleges go, it leans towards science but it brings its soul with it. You might just find that the cold is no impediment at all.
Pros:
- Great size
- Unique curriculum options
- Doesn’t leave faith out of learning
- Small college close to a large metro area
Cons:
- Far from here
- Winter is more like Thor than Bambi
- Private so cost is an issue (98% of the 2018-18 class received a grant though)
- Selective (43% acceptance rate)