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Gustavus Adolphus College
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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • ‘Kato: Mankato
  • Arb: The Linnaeus Arboretum, located on the south end of campus, has many trails, a rose garden, and a nature preserve; an aerial view shows that it is shaped like the state of Minnesota.
  • BC/AD Letter Cube: Though it actually means Before Christ and Anno Domini, students give the letter cube in front of the library a spin to help determine their grades at midterms and finals.
  • C in CC: Christmas in Christ Chapel
  • CAB: Campus Activities Board
  • The caf: The Market Place
  • CFs: Short for collegiate fellows; this is what other schools commonly refer to as RAs (resident assistants).
  • Chapel: Held at 10 a.m. during each class day
  • The Cities: It is not just Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the ‘burbs anymore. “The Cities” is the all-encompassing term for the Twin Cities.
  • Coed: More officially referred to as Norelius Hall
  • Complex: What the combination of North, Gibbs, and Sorensen dorms are called
  • The Dive: What used to be the old swimming pool on campus has turned into a fun and relaxing place to hang out with friends, located in the student union. Look for dances every Friday night.
  • Echo circle: Right outside the campus center, stand in the middle of the "echo circle" and hear anything you say said right back to you.
  • Econo: Econo Foods, the only grocery store in St. Peter
  • FTS: First-Term Seminar; every first-year is required to enroll in one during their first semester.
  • The Grib: Think of it as a glorified student directory. Each fall, every student receives a copy of "the Grib" that lists everyone’s name, year, telephone number, and picture. Besides being a foolproof way to identify that person you see every day in the Market Place, “Grib Shopping” means picking out the best and worst on campus.
  • Gustie: What you become by enrolling at Gustavus
  • Gustie Greeter: Current students assigned to greet new first-year students as they move in; Gustie Greeters lead an assigned group of first-year students through the five-day orientation period.
  • Gustie Rouser: Sung during sporting events and any other time that you want to cheer on Gustavus
  • J-Term: January term—a month spent taking one class or traveling
  • North Side: The north end of campus as divided by the Chapel; primarily dorms, athletic facilities, and the campus center
  • Old Main: The oldest building on campus; it used to house the entire College back in the late-1800s.
  • Old Main Hill: “The Hill” that you must come up to get to campus
  • Patty's: Patrick's on Third, a popular restaurant and bar frequented by Gusties. For upperclassmen, it's "the" place to be on Friday and Saturday nights.
  • P-Ball: This stands for President’s Ball, and event each spring where students head up to the Cities for a formal evening of dinner and swing dancing.
  • POs: Post office boxes in the campus center
  • Ring Road: The main road that runs around all of campus
  • SAO: Student Activities Office, the one-stop spot for event/transportation tickets, room reservations, and anything else pertaining to the campus center
  • Shakespeare Pit: Right beside the Fine Arts Building, the Shakespeare Pit is an indented portion of the ground where professors often teach class on nice days.
  • Sorority/Fraternity Banquet: Once in the fall and once in the spring, each sorority and fraternity hosts an evening (or weekend) of fun for their members and dates.
  • South Side: The south end of campus, as divided by the Chapel; primarily dorms and academic buildings
  • Townies: Locals from St. Peter
  • The Weekly: The campus newspaper
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • If you can't stand cold, you might really struggle from November to March.
  • The campus grapevine is epic. No matter what you do and who you do it with, it will be known by everyone by the end of the day.
  • The Gustavus uniform for girls: UGG boots, leggings as pants/sweatpants, ratty sweatshirt/North Face Denali jacket, topknot hair bun, and full makeup.
Tips to Succeed
  • Have a desire to get involved; it helps in meeting new people.
  • Study, study, study—but not too much, because the social aspect almost outweighs the academics.
  • Take a class or two that you never thought you would be interested in; chances are, you’ll find something you’re passionate about.
  • Try new things! College is a great place to learn more than academic disciplines.
See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

Gustavus Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at Gustavus Adolphus College

mpatter2

Computer Science '14

4.2
A-

Come Here

Financial aid is great and academics here are strong this school is worth the investment

Mar 03, 2012

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Inside Scoop at Gustavus Adolphus College

shemmeri

Biology '12

4.6
A

Organizations

One of the biggest turn ons for me about gustavus is the sheer amount of organizations and groups they offer to students. The best phrase I heard from a tour guide of the school was "if you don't fit in a group, or club, then start one." And after attending Gustavus for 3 years now, I can totally back that statement up. It is possible. From a nationally competitive Forensics team to a nationally ranked tennis team to a nationally ranked woman's rugby club, Gustavus really involves everyone!

Oct 06, 2011

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Inside Scoop at Gustavus Adolphus College

karlal

Drama and Theatre Production '13

4.2
A-

Small Is Great

Gustavus is unique because of its small size. Gustavus also has an interesting focus on social justice. The cafeteria has some of the best food in the nation and the fact that the college is rooted in its Swedish heritage sets it apart. The close community of students and faculty can't be beat.

Oct 06, 2011

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User rating for Gustavus Adolphus College - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 7 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • BW3s on Tuesdays: Buffalo Wild Wings in Mankato offers cheap wings and beer on Tuesday nights.
  • Christmas in Christ Chapel: At the beginning of December, the school celebrates the season of Advent with five performances of Christmas in Christ Chapel. The service features students in the music, theater, and dance departments, and has a different theme each year.
  • Decorate Gus the Bust : Old Gus, the bust of Gustavus Adolphus right outside the Edgar M. Carlson Administration Building, is notoriously decorated by students. It always decorated with a cap and tassel on graduation day.
  • Earth Jam: Held on the last Saturday before finals, it’s an all-day, outdoor music festival.
  • MAYDAY! Peace Conference: Established in 1981, the conference occurs on the last Wednesday in April and focuses on different issues of peace and social justice each year.
  • Midnight Express: During finals, students are served up tasty snacks by their professors and administrators while getting to listen to music provided by the jazz ensembles.
  • Nobel Conference: One of the most recognizable events on campus, the Nobel Conference is held for two days every fall. Nobel laureates come to campus to discuss different science-related topics each year.
  • Painting the Rock: Right in front of Old Main Hill sits a rock. This rock likes to change colors nearly every day. It has become tradition that student organizations, and occasionally a few overzealous friends with birthday wishes, paint the rock to advertise campus events. Look for every Greek organization to paint the rock at least once during pledging.
  • Senior Week: In the days between finals and graduation, seniors have a week of fun activities before they head off into the real world.
  • St. Lucia Day: During the first week of December, the school celebrates the Swedish festival of St. Lucia. Five sophomore women are chosen by their classmates based on their leadership and academic accomplishments to represent St. Lucia. On the day of the festival, all of the women go caroling through campus at 5 a.m., and St. Lucia is crowned during chapel at 10 a.m. on the same day.
  • Traying down Old Main Hill: When winter finally rolls around, grab a tray from the caf and go “traying” down the main hill on campus.
Urban Legends
  • Afraid of ghosts? Apparently, they like to hide out in Bjorling Recital Hall.
  • Each year during freshman orientation, first-years (and their overzealous Gustie Greeters) attend the annual hoedown. Word has it that 80 percent of first-years end up marrying their dance partner.
  • Supposedly, the music building was built long and narrow because it was designed during the 1960s, when student protests and sit-ins were popular. The designers wanted to prevent students from organizing in wide open spaces, so they built the building long and narrow with small staircases to make it more difficult for sit-ins to take place and students to protest.

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Steven Olson
Hometown
Moorhead, MN
Major
History and Scandinavian Studies
Grad Year
2012

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.