St. Olaf College - Campus Housing

B+

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Quick Stats

On-Campus Housing Available?		Yes
Campus Housing Capacity		2,776
Average Housing Costs		$3,950
Freshmen Required to Live on Campus?		Yes
Undergrads Living On Campus		96%
Number of Dormitories		11
Number of Campus-Owned Apartments		18
Best Dorms		Mellby Thorson
Worst Dorms		Kildahl Mohn

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Because the school is almost exclusively residential, dorm life is central to the St. Olaf experience. Through all four years, students will maintain loyalty to their first-year dorm. Because each residence hall has its own distinct personality, the dorm you choose or are assigned to will probably say something about your personality. Ellingson suggests intellectualism and good study habits. Mohn suggests the beer-soaked jock lifestyle. Hoyme also points to partying, but in a cleaner way than Mohn. Because it is so tiny, Kildahl requires flexibility and affability. Kittelsby, because it is so far away from everything, indicates tenacity. Those generalizations are only slightly more reliable than horoscopes, but they are a fun part of campus lore.

Although all the dorms offer all the typical amenities and are well maintained and cleaned, your options for on-campus housing are terribly limited. Juniors and seniors usually take up the more interesting housing options in Rand and Ytterboe. These dorms offer suites for four to ten people that sometimes come with private bathrooms or a common area. Regrettably, there are no on-campus apartments. If you really want something different from dorms but still on-campus, you can opt to live in an honor or foreign-language house. Honor houses offer an almost frat/sorority house-like atmosphere, but you have to develop an ongoing service project in order to live in one, and they are still subject to the drinking rules.

St. Olaf Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Housing at St. Olaf College

ehsc19

'11

Biology

B+

Dorms

Really depends on which building you end up in. Some are new and nice, others are old and cramped.

Dec 12, 2011

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Campus Housing at St. Olaf College

cellobecca91

'13

Music

B+

Dorms Vary Enormously

The room sizes and amenities of the dorms vary widely at St. Olaf, from the tiny rooms in Kil where freshmen share a closet, to the huge rooms in Hill with their own sinks and walk-in closets. But the buildings are all maintained very well, and any problems that you tell maintenance about are taken care of quickly.

Feb 03, 2011

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Campus Housing at St. Olaf College

mckinney

'13

Environmental Studies

A-

Variety!

No matter what kind of dorm you want: a classic old building with huge fire places and fancy couches, or a more modern tower-style dorm with suite style rooms where you and your friends can dominate an entire floor, St. Olaf has it! Freshmen dorms tend to have some issues, like a leaky window here and there, but overall they're good. Upperclassmen dorms are wonderful, and the communities found in all the dorms are really close-knit and welcoming.

Sep 13, 2010

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus housing on the following subjects

Facts

Room Types		Doubles Multi-room "pods" Quad suites Singles Triples
Bed Types		Loftable Twin extra-long
What You Get		bed and mattress chair desk dresser or closet (sometimes both) Ethernet connection (no cables) phone
Also Available		Eighteen on-campus houses are available for upperclassmen. These are typically for advanced foreign language students or special interest and service groups.

Available for Rent

Mini fridges

Cleaning Service

All public spaces including the bathrooms, lounges, and hallways are regularly cleaned, but rooms and private bathrooms are not.

DormitoriesWhat's This?

Ellingson Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 198
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: Ellingson houses students in the Great Conversation program.

Hilleboe-Kittelsby Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 310
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Freshmen and upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Special Features: This is really two connected residence halls. Hilleboe houses upperclassmen and Kittelsby freshmen.

Hoyme Hal
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 210
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: Hoyme houses students in the American Conversation program.

Kildahl Hall
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 168
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: Kildahl houses overflow from the Great Conversation.

Larson Hall
Floors: 12
Number of Occupants: 307
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Special Features: Larson Hall is the tallest point in Rice County and also houses a coffeehouse.

Mellby Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 190
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: Mellby has a beautiful lounge, is very quiet, and usually houses music majors and ex-Ellingson kids.

Mohn Hall
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 307
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Freshmen and upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Special Features: The circular arrangement of each corridor creates a strong community atmosphere for students.

Rand Hall
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 243
Bathrooms: Some shared, some private
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples, quads, suites
Special Features: The hillside location offers a beautiful view of the woods and fields surrounding the college.

Thorson Hall
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 235
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Special Features: Thorson has a beautiful lounge, a great view of Northfield, and a large back patio.

Ytterboe Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 402
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: 4- to 10-person suites or “pods”
Special Features: Ytterboe features a main lounge, study lounges, computer facilities, sinks in the rooms, and music practice rooms.

Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at St. Olaf

Name: Nathan Hopkins

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