St. Olaf College
Reviews

Fun

As an athlete at St. Olaf your teammates are your best friends. If you come here expecting to see the stands filled with people screaming you will be disappointed. There are rarely students at many games except for homecoming and the worms (Carleton). You play D3 sports for the love of the game though not for the glory and to be in the spotlight. For a school our size we have reasonably nice facilities. Athletes have a bad reputation here because many of us do not meet the high standards that we would need to get in without our respective sports. With that said there still are athletes who excel in the classroom just be prepared for a lot of hard work and late nights. Overall, St. Olaf has some very good sports teams contrary to what others may say. Football, Hockey, and Baseball being the main ones. If you love your sport and are ready to put in a lot of work in the classroom and on the field YOU WILL HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE.

Wow

St. Olaf offers challenging courses in almost all majors. The class sizes are small mostly around 30 to 40 students. The professors though have difficulty actually teaching the material. They may incredibly knowledgable in their field but many are not able to convey the information in a way that students understand. This is why many students visit their professors during office hours which I highly recommend. If you are interested in any of the sciences you will love it here. Regents hall is my favorite academic building on campus. It has huge windows and great views. It is only a few years old so most of the equipment in classrooms and labs are state-of-the-art. If you are planning on going into the business field there are not a business, marketing or finance major. These can be found in concentrations as a economics major. Overall, St Olaf's academics are well known in most fields so graduating with a degree from St. Olaf is definitely something to be proud of. HOWEVER, be prepared to work harder than you have ever imagined in order to succeed and do not plan on getting much sleep.

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.

Biology Department

The biology department at St. Olaf rocks! Biology is the most popular major at Olaf. The intro level classes are a bit larger--about 50 students in the class--but of course you break up into very small lab sections. Most of the biology professors are stellar, and there are classes ranging from biology for non-majors to the top 300 level classes. With the biology major, it is fairly easy to concentrate in other areas, and also be on a pre-health track. Most of the biology profs are fairly knowledgeable about the track, so that program is also very stellar. They have a ton of resources guiding students to research opportunities and internships, as well as paths to create your own internships with faculty supervision. Regents halls of natural sciences is state-of-the-art and GORGEOUS.

Unbelievable

St Olaf truly is an amazing place to be. I honestly can't imagine attending college anywhere else. The people, the campus, the professors, the food...everything. It's the best place to spend 4 years that you could possibly imagine.

Dinig Hall

Few would argue against the fact that they offer some of the best food around the country.

Lots of Snow, and It's Gorgeous!

I was looking for tons of snow. Since it's only the second week of September, obviously we don't have any yet, but when I visited in February as a high school student, the campus looked gorgeous. Virtually no motor vehicle traffic is allowed in the main part of campus, so the snow stays pristine, not covered in exhaust and stuff. The dining hall has to buy lots of extra meal trays, since they get borrowed a lot to use for sledding! The really hot weather comes mostly when school isn't in session, but a fan in the dorms is highly recommended just in case. There are two outside webcams on the website, so feel free to check out the weather frequently to see if it's what you'd like.

Tough, Yet Rewarding

The economics major here may seem easy to complete as far as number of classes, however, the content of the classes are almost always extremely trying. It is an extremely rewarding experience to get through one of the upper level courses, especially microeconomics. The professors are all extremely personable and easy to approach. All of them. I have yet to hear of a student that majored in economics here who hasn't had a rewarding intern, job, or abroad experience.

Almost Non-Existent

The only real parties are in off campus houses, but with most of the student body living in dorms, the options are limited. The saying is that the only safe place to have alcohol on campus is in your bloodstream because the administration is so strict about the dry campus policy. This causes many students to feel the need to binge drink. Pause dances are fun, but there's not much else to do. Every once in a while the one bar in town will have a concert, which is a blast, but they usually only happen in the early fall and late spring/summer.

Professors Are Great

I have not had a bad St. Olaf professor yet! There is the occasional visiting professor who people don't like, but they never stay for more than a semester because the administration is very receptive to the student's views of the faculty. Professors tend to have an open-door policy, so even when it's not office hours they are easily accessible, and usually in their offices. They are very personable an friendly. However, trying to transfer credits to St. Olaf is an absolute nightmare: the registrars office is impossible to deal with and has so many restrictions and regulations that it's almost not even worth trying to transfer anything.

Guys & Dating

Guys need to learn to man-up and take initiate. Generally it's one date or a 6-month relationship and nothing in between.

Uber Safe and Healthy!

I feel extremely safe at St. Olaf. It is a community built on trust and respect. For example, our mailboxes have no locking mechanism, and it is very common for students to leave their backpacks lying around outside of the cafeteria.

Ask and You Shall Recieve

Drugs and alcohol can be found on campus, if you are looking for them. Other than that, you won't see it much, especially drugs. It's really low-key, if you don't drink or do drugs, you can find friends who don't either, or friends who do but won't pressure you to do so also; if you want it, it's never far away.

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.

So Convenient!

Computer labs are located in every dorm, and all of the academic buildings. The computers are fairly fast, but log in can take a few seconds sometimes. There are printers all over campus, and you can easily print from your laptop connected to the extensive wifi network, so you are never far from that essay you totally forgot to print before leaving your dorm room! Most people have lap tops, but you can easily get by without one.

Great Student Center!

St. Olaf provides one of the greatest student centers I've ever been in: not only is it conveniently located, but it's also very aesthetically pleasing. It is large and has many open spaces, and it contains a cafe, dining hall, mailboxes, study spaces, the student run club, the chapel and the main library. Buntrock commons, the student center, is not the only exciting facility available: almost all buildings have great, modern study spaces with comfy couches and chairs. There's also plenty of computer labs with both Macs and PCs, cafes, a great new science library, a roof garden study space, gyms, a greenhouse, an art gallery, a movie theater and a rock climbing wall.

Minnesota Sure Knows How to Do COLD

I'm a lifelong Minnesota resident, so naturally I get how cold winters are by now. If you're from a warm area, be prepared for the coldest temperatures you've ever experienced.

Supportive Team Members

The teams are very supportive of the team members. Even though students of color are scanty on the teams, the white athletes are very nice and supportive.

Excellent Food, Friendly Service!

We have an excellent dining experience at St. Olaf. Our food is great quality and there are both reliable and healthy options as well as a rotating menu to chose from. Food is served with a smile!

It sounds corny, but I couldn’t...

It sounds corny, but I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing experience so far. Everyone at Olaf is a part of a community that just loves the College. Its sense of worldly ideas creates an atmosphere where you truly feel like you’re at college, but you are also in a sense a student of the world. Questions are easily answered. There’s always something going on or something to learn. There are endless groups to join, and the other students are always creating new clubs to keep the schedule busy. The faculty is truly the amazing part—they are there for the students. The ability to grow through four years at a place that embraces who you are is something that I would hope every college kid could seek.

If you are looking at liberal arts...

If you are looking at liberal arts schools, definitely consider St. Olaf. I really look forward to my next three years at St. Olaf.

I love school! I definitely was...

I love school! I definitely was happy with my choice in St. Olaf. The people are amazing. The classes are interesting and challenging, so you have to work a little, but that’s good for you. Most people I know feel the same way, too.

St. Olaf is an incredible place...

St. Olaf is an incredible place with hundreds of resources at each student’s fingertips. There is much opportunity to grow for students who pursue it, and the campus is beautiful. The faculty and abroad experiences I’ve had at St. Olaf have taught me to think in a critical new way, which allows me to see and understand the complexities of life and the world in a way I could have never learned to anywhere else.

I’ve been happy with it. I’m...

I’ve been happy with it. I’m really a fan of the whole liberal arts college thing. I came here as a music vocal performance major, but I’m now a music theory/composition and philosophy double major. They have that kind of flexibility, which is nice. At some colleges, you come in feeling pressured to do one certain thing, particularly in music, but that’s not the case at St. Olaf.

I have loved my four years at St....

I have loved my four years at St. Olaf and am very pleased that I decided to go here.