St. Olaf College
- Inside Scoop

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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • Bandie: Someone who plays in band
  • The Caf: Stav Hall, the dining hall on campus
  • The Cage: The Cage Café on the second floor of Buntrock
  • The Cannon: The river that runs through downtown Northfield; Olaf is on the west side and Carleton is on the east.
  • Carl : A Carleton student
  • The Cities: Minneapolis/St. Paul
  • Conner: A student in The Great Conversation
  • Division: Division Street in Northfield
  • Downtown: Usually refers to downtown Northfield
  • Ell: Ellingson Hall
  • The Hill : The campus
  • JC: Junior counselor, a third-year student who voluntarily lives in a first-year dorm and helps acclimate new students to college life.
  • Lutefisk: A traditional Norwegian dish served in the Caf during Christmas Fest, which consists of cod soaked in lye. Disgusting!
  • Ole: A St. Olaf student
  • Orchie: Someone who plays in orchestra
  • The Pause: The Lion’s Pause student-run lounge and concert venue on the first floor of Buntrock Commons
  • POs : Post Office Boxes
  • Prez Ball: The President’s Ball, an annual formal dance
  • Prospie: Prospective student
  • Uff Da: A Norwegian phrase that signifies exhaustion
  • Um Ya Ya!: A Norwegian cheer incorporated into the school fight song, similar to “Hip Hip Hooray!”
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • How to write an essay.
  • More about this Lutheran/Scandinavian/Minnesotan culture.
  • What it’s like to have the mucus membranes in your nostrils freeze when you inhale.
  • What Lutefisk is.
Tips to Succeed
  • Ask for help from teachers, TAs, counselors, friends, librarians, and anyone else you can find.
  • Befriend your professors, but don’t become a suck-up.
  • Don’t be afraid to stick out. No one, except international spies, ever became successful by keeping a low profile.
  • Don’t become a drunk.
  • Don’t become a stoner.
  • Edit your papers, and learn how to write.
  • Get involved in extracurricular activities. They’re the best way to meet people, and they provide a break from class work.
  • Pace yourself. You’ve got four years to fill.
  • Relax. If you’re totally stressed out, you won’t produce anything worthwhile.
See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

St. Olaf Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Inside Scoop at St. Olaf College

chacha93

Biology '15

4.6
A

Um Ya Ya!

Olaf is a great school. It may take a while to get used to the small campus. But the benefits of this campus size overrules the lack of big city life that other colleges may enjoy. We have such a caring faculty and student body. As a freshmen, I already find myself laden with leadership roles and opportunities. There is a huge balance of challenges in the classroom--professors expect a lot from students and students strive to perform their very best--with a caring environment and community that will aid a student in their academic career. St. Olaf acknowedges their students as people--they strive to help the student grow in their global perspective, by encouraging study abroad (through j-terms, semesters, and year long programs with and without Olaf, 75% of students will go abroad at least once in their four years), their spiritual understanding (Lutheranism isn't forced on anyone here, but the affiliation of the college as well as the general education requirement for biblical studies and theology propagates a scholarly approach to these major ideas in world culture and students feel comfortable in both challenging and strengthening their beliefs, and of course in their academic pursuits, not just in the classroom but also in the community and world. It truly is a place that nourishes the mind, body, and spirit. Oles are happy people--we love being here, and we love being around each other in a close-knit, academic community.

Mar 23, 2012

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Inside Scoop at St. Olaf College

Hudini15005

English '13

1.9
C-

Not the College Experience

Allow the people are great and the classes are challenging and fun, this is not the place to be if you want the college experience.

Apr 03, 2011

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Inside Scoop at St. Olaf College

mrosew

Education '14

4.6
A

St. Olaf Is a Great School- for the Right Person...

St. Olaf is an amazing place. Personally, however, St. Olaf did not offer the diversity that I needed. The location proved too inconvenient for me, but overall my experience was great. The people are all friendly, the campus is gorgeous, the courses are challenging, and the professors are always willing to help you out.

Oct 15, 2010

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User rating for St. Olaf College - Inside Scoop is 4.6 out of 5 based on 4 user reviews.

Facts

Traditions
  • Christmas Festival: Started in 1912, this concert involves all five St. Olaf choirs and the St. Olaf orchestra. The concert is broadcast nation-wide on PBS and is listed in The New York Times International Datebook as one of five significant global holiday events. During Christmas Fest, Stav Hall serves traditional Norwegian food for dinner, and the whole campus becomes packed with alumni decked out in Norwegian sweaters.
  • Fall Concert: Every fall, the school brings a nationally touring artist to campus to perform in Skoglund auditorium. The event is open to the public and ticket prices are usually about $5 for students. Past artists have included Ben Folds, The Black Eyed Peas, and George Clinton.
  • Lutefest: This is a fairly new tradition that grew out of the collapse of the joint St. Olaf/Carleton spring concert, “Arbstock.” Lutefest is an annual spring concert that features local and campus bands, various activities, and one headlining national act. Nickel Creek was a past headliner.
  • Midnight Breakfast: Each semester before finals, Stav Hall fires up the stoves at 11:30 p.m. and offers eggs, bacon, hash browns, and other breakfast fares to late-night crammers. The best part about Midnight Breakfast is that professors and administrators take the place of normal student servers in the Caf lines.
  • President’s Ball: This annual dance provides students the opportunity to get all gussied up and dance the night away. The college brings in a big band that plays swing music and other tunes suitable for ballroom dancing. If you missed prom in high school, here’s your chance to make up for it.
Urban Legends
  • A ghost, referred to as “Red Hat Boy,” haunts Thorson Hall.
  • Playboy ranked St. Olaf as one of the hottest schools in the nation.
  • The ghost of Elizabeth Walsingham Kelsey haunts the theater that bears her name.

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