St. Olaf is a super-haunted campus, and every Halloween, one of the deans takes a group of kids on a ghost tour.

Olaf is great if you want a diverse academic experience, lots of off-campus opportunities, a vibrant history and culture, and community feel. If you want an independent, chaotic, or prestigious school, Olaf probably isn't the best fit for you.

I loved it there and would go back in a heart beat! I think the St. Olaf experience is one that can't be matched by other schools!

The big picture of St. Olaf College is that it's a strong liberal arts college that is very affordable. Located in just south of the twin cities, it's a great location for going to school, although it can get cold! The food was very good there, and the cooking staff do their best to make sure everyone is happy. The students are generally a good group of people although it can feel a little small at times. People who are old enough associate St. Olaf College with the Golden Girls t.v. show. and also with the St. Olaf College Christmas concert. The administration is rather terrible in my opinion, they didn't even try to help me when I kept getting stuck with bad roommates, they gave me a list of people who had an open space, and I was expected to go around campus in the middle of winter knocking on strangers' doors. That wasn't a very good experience. Single rooms are hard to come by but I did finally get a single room the second semester of my senior year. St. Olaf College is a dry campus meaning that there is a zero alcohol policy on campus, although it's pretty easy to have fun behind closed doors. One experience that I will always remember is going over to Carleton College with one of my friends and finding one of their students passed out on sidewalk in the middle of winter! We carried him into the front porch of a random house, hopefully it was owned by the college, and we essentially saved him from freezing to death! There's really no diversity on campus when I was there at least, everybody is white and a lot of people are religious, but I think after 4 years of going there some of the shock wares off and I was able to find a niche. The Buntrock Commons was a great addition to the campus while I was a student.

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The best thing about St. Olaf is the community feeling. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, and the professors are amazing. Also the new science center is unbelievable! The academics are intense but the professors want you to succeed. Of course the music programs at St. Olaf are some of the best in the country. Even if you aren't in the choir, band or orchestra, you can always catch a concert. One can't deny how beautiful the campus is either. It is probably the prettiest college campus I have ever seen. The cafeteria food is delicious...not maybe the most important thing to look for in a school, but it is a definite plus!

I loved it there and would go back in a heart beat! I think the St. Olaf experience is one that can't be matched by other schools!

The big picture of St. Olaf College is that it's a strong liberal arts college that is very affordable. Located in just south of the twin cities, it's a great location for going to school, although it can get cold! The food was very good there, and the cooking staff do their best to make sure everyone is happy. The students are generally a good group of people although it can feel a little small at times. People who are old enough associate St. Olaf College with the Golden Girls t.v. show. and also with the St. Olaf College Christmas concert. The administration is rather terrible in my opinion, they didn't even try to help me when I kept getting stuck with bad roommates, they gave me a list of people who had an open space, and I was expected to go around campus in the middle of winter knocking on strangers' doors. That wasn't a very good experience. Single rooms are hard to come by but I did finally get a single room the second semester of my senior year. St. Olaf College is a dry campus meaning that there is a zero alcohol policy on campus, although it's pretty easy to have fun behind closed doors. One experience that I will always remember is going over to Carleton College with one of my friends and finding one of their students passed out on sidewalk in the middle of winter! We carried him into the front porch of a random house, hopefully it was owned by the college, and we essentially saved him from freezing to death! There's really no diversity on campus when I was there at least, everybody is white and a lot of people are religious, but I think after 4 years of going there some of the shock wares off and I was able to find a niche. The Buntrock Commons was a great addition to the campus while I was a student.

Olaf is great if you want a diverse academic experience, lots of off-campus opportunities, a vibrant history and culture, and community feel. If you want an independent, chaotic, or prestigious school, Olaf probably isn't the best fit for you.

One thing people don't talk about too much is how rich the history is here. The school has done a remarkable job of sticking to its roots. Talking to older alumni is a treat. Even though it was so long ago, the things that make Olaf special are still there.

Lower level classes tend to be a little lacking in intensity and students are a little apathetic, but things get better in the upper levels. This is probably because of the GE requirements. Students are competitive with themselves, but not against each other. The honor code is taken very seriously.

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The large majority of professors know your name. My favorite class was genetics taught by Dr. Jean Porterfield--it was difficult, but I learned a lot from her, she made class fun and challenging. Most of my classes were either in biology or chemistry and the professors were fantastic in those departments! Be prepared to study. Opportunities to study abroad are unparalleled. You can go anywhere from Africa to the Bahamas to Costa Rica or Italy while studying Spanish to marketing or biology. I feel like I got the best education available by going to St. Olaf, and it prepared me well for graduate school.

It's very easy to meet people at St. Olaf, making friends happens quickly. There is no greek scene, which I actually liked. There is a lot to do apart from drinking. Frequent concerts, theater productions, dances, movies on campus are a few things to do. It is a dry campus (alcohol isn't allowed). Of course there is alcohol though, you just can't be super loud and obnoxious about it. If you want to party/drink, fear not, there are plenty of parties to be found. But if that isn't your thing, you can tune it out. It is nice because you can go to the parties, but if someone next door is drinking on a Tuesday night being loud at 3:00 AM when you have an exam at 8:00 AM the next morning it is easily taken care of. Dry campus=partying without bothering everyone around you.