St Olaf College Top Questions

I am only a second year in college, but the amount I have learned in the last three semesters astounds me. I love setting out all of my new books on my bookshelf before the start of the new semester, marveling at the thought of reading them all. I love holding a textbook once new, now full of highlighted pages. I love reading Hobbs, Locke and Rousseau and discovering their ideas echoing in modern contexts. My learning has shown me new ways to look at the world, improved the quality of my conversations and helped me find friends who will last my entire life.

I learned more than I was ever aware of at the time. While it was extremely challenging and stressful I was incredibly well prepared to go on to even higher academics. Olaf really prepared me for the next step in my life. I did not know all that I needed when I started at Olaf, but by the time I was finished I knew more than I needed to and felt ready to move on. I made a few friends with whom I will always be friends. I learned about what I need to survive in life. I had professors who were far more brilliant than I ever realized in classes with them. It was worth the massive amount of debt I incurred to have been given such a vital and full education.

I would tell myself to expect to be surprised at the level of scholarship expected. Going from a public high school to St Olaf was a big adjustment for me in terms of how hard I had to work in order to get similar results. I was expecting the work to be hard, but I wasn't expecting to be left so far behind. Going from being a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in the middle of an ocean is always hard, and I hadn't fully prepared myself for that fact. I would also tell myself not to be discouraged, and to make an effort to enjoy the time here. Yes, it's hard to balance a social life with homework, but life is so much better if you invest time and energy into making friends and joining clubs. You only get four years, make the best of them, or you'll regret it.

Follow your heart! Don't let anyone or anything decide what is right for you. That's the only way to be truly happy. I spent months trying to convince myself that I wanted something that wasn't me. I changed my mind at the last minute and I've never been happier! So do what feels right and enjoy the moment!

You are about to feel a lot of things which you have never felt before. You will struggle a lot. It'll be worth it, though. You will be challenged and succeed, though it may not be as easy or as good as you're used to. You'll meet a lot of people you never imagined yourself meeting, and do a lot of things you never thought you could do. One thing that'll help though: don't buy random stuff that you don't need. Money's important, and frankly, you don't have enough of it. Save some of it for important things like books and food. Also, make an effort to overachieve academically. Your best is never going to be good enough at college, so set your goals higher and you might just make it closer to doing what you need to do to get ahead.

Hey, Kristin! It's me (or you) from the future! Just wanted ot check in and make sure you haven't screwed up your senior year of high school! Just kidding. I would recommend avoinding the end-of-the-year drama, though... You get into your first choice school. There. STOP WORRYING. It's not as scary as you think it's going to be. The professors and staff here all work really hard to help you adjust to college life. The other students are fantastically nice, in fact, you'll be meeting some of the people you now trust above anyone else. So, relax a little and don't worry so much about how hard classes will be. You'll adjust academically, so have a little fun and meet some new people! And once you get here, don't take the "America After World War Two" class second semester. Trust me, that class time plus several weeks studying hippies will not make you happy and you know it. So, be good, lighten up, don't stress out, and for heaven's sake, please enjoy your senior year. Or try to. Good luck, and see you soon. Love, Kristin

Relax. No, you do not have ADD. Yes, that guy is a player, forget him. You have the courage and strength to drive through backed- up Minneapolis rush-hour traffic. You can navigate the Mall of America during a scrap-booking convention in time to get to your appointment. Stop to watch the leaves change color. You'll make the right decision, St. Olaf is the place for you. Listen to your mother, she knows what you want.

Although it may be tempting to choose a college based on statistics such as the cost of tuition, the average ACT score of accepted students, and the student to professor ratio within the classroom, the only way to get a true feel for the college is by stepping on the campus. Many students talk about "the feeling" they get during a visit when they just know they have found the right place for them, and I can attest that this feeling is no joke. When I first visited St. Olaf, I felt comfortable and could actually see myself as a student there. I knew it was the right place for me, and although it was expensive, I did everything I could to ensure that I could attend the school of my dreams. Entering this fall in my second year at St. Olaf, I can't imagine going anywhere else. The hard work that I put into finding my school really paid off as I am having the best college experience possible. While there will probably not be one school that fits in absolutely every way, you should be open to new opportunites to make the most your higher education.

When you are a high school senior friends and family always want to discuss college: Where are you applying? What?s your first choice? Have you looked at?? Choose what feels right. So many opinions and so many choices make this decision overwhelming. Step inside yourself: What type of person are you? What college experiences do you want? Where do you want this college to take you? If you find this difficult discuss yourself, your personality, with close friends and family. Reflect upon their answers, does that feel like you? Don't try to please anyone but yourself. Use the resources available to you. Research schools and ask questions to get a better understanding of what the college truly is. This is the key because with the right environment the college experience you dream of will come. Comfortable surroundings will allow for you to fully come into yourself and do the things you?ve always wanted to do. In brief, listen to the advice of those around you: go with your gut. Don?t invent wild reasons as to why you wont like a school, if it feels right, go with it. Stick to the clich?-trust your instincts.

While I do not believe wholeheartedly that there is a "perfect" college for every one student, I do think that there are colleges that will bring out qualities, whether it be creativity, practicality, estudiousness etc., better than others. What personality characteristics do you want to be brought out, molded, and nurtured? Answering this question and others like it will be a great indicator to what type of school (and experience) you are looking for. Visiting the school and staying overnight is one of the best ways to get a feeling of a campus's atmosphere. Even if its flying from California to New York (or in my case, Illinois to Portland), the money is worth every penny and outshines any flyer or advertisment brochure. Once an ideal school is selected, choose a backup school list that the student would feel comfortable with. For financials, look past the Financial Aid office - there are millions of scholarships out there (including campusdiscovery) that will help pay for college. As a final note, remember to always, always be open to new ideas and people - your college won't be high school all over again.

First, start early. Begin researching and reading about colleges after your sophomore year of high school. This will prevent too much stressing out during the hard class schedules of your junior year, and the AP tests and social activities of your senior year. This also allows for enough time to apply early decision or early action if you choose. Try to visit as many colleges as possible, and pay attention to gut feelings you have about each campuses. Be outgoing on campus visits; tour the campus, schedule interviews, talk to current students, and meet professors and coaches. Jot down a few notes about each campus you visit so that each sticks out in your mind for one or two reasons in particular. Choose the school that seems to fit you best overall, but don't forget that selecting a college doesn't have to be a definite decision. Don't spend too much time worrying about whether it will be the PERFECT choice because transferring schools is always an option. Above all, be prepared, explore your options, and go with what seems to be the best fit for you.

Know what you're looking for. A lot of people I know spent a lot of time and money visiting and applying to as many schools as possible because they hadn't bothered doing their initial research: knowing themselves and determining what they wanted from college. Take an inventory of what you're interested in, what kind of environment you want, which aspects of a school are most important to you. For example, you may be willing to forgo going someplace sunny and warm if the school has top-notch progams in your fields of interest, has strong community values, and good food (trust me, good food is crucial)! Finding the right school is much easier when you know specifically what you're looking for. Some of the best resources are guidance counselors, guides to colleges, and of course the Internet. Once you've narrowed down your options, visit the schools to determine whether or not you can see yourself thriving at them. And once enrolled, dig in and get involved! Become active in the community. Talk to your professors; they have a lot of knowledge to share. Overall, be proactive about your education and you'll be richly rewarded.

Considering the tremendous financial burden that college presents, the path to a four year degree should not be chosen lightly. Therefore it is important for families to discuss, why the student wants to go to college and furthermore, why he/she deserves to, because it is important to remind kids how much of a privilege a college education truly is. If the student is eager to attend college then it is usually for two reasons, the first reason is because they wish to pursue further knowledge in various studies in order to discover their vocation. Otherwise, it is to delve right away into more in-depth technical study in a chosen field. Depending on which, for students seeking a more varied course load, a liberal arts program is ideal. These students should apply to schools based on conveniences such as size of school, location, scholarships, reputation of faculty and other personal values that schools appear to meet. For students seeking in depth study, a university setting or a technical school is more valuable because there are research opportunities, more financial aid and often a shorter period of time necessary to stay in school. The college selection starts the college experience!

Visit campuses. The image a school presents on paper can be very different from the way the school's campus environment actually feels. Overnight stays with current students are a great way to figure out how the college operates and how students go about their everyday lives. When I visited the college I currently attend, I felt safe and welcomed into the community. It just clicked as the right place for me to be. 4 years later I still feel secure and am surrounded by a group of supportive friends. Look for the kind of environment in which you know you will be able to function to the best of your abilities, both academically and socially. The time spent in college is a transition from childhood to adulthood, and it is imperative that the college itself facilitates a healthy transition. The best environment, in my opinion, is one in which students are held to high standards of academic excellence but are encouraged by the faculty and administration to be supportive of one another. College should prepare you to succeed in your chosen career, but it should also prepare you to exist as a thoughtful, informed citizen of the world.

Happiness is what every student and parent wants to feel when they have made their college decision, and the best way to achieve that is by working together and understanding each other. Students should begin by making a list of colleges that match their interests prior to their senior year, leaving ample room for visiting schools--a very important step in the decision-making process. It is important to include both financially realistic choices and a dream school, because students should never initially rule out a school based on cost. Parents should start researching to see which of these schools would be possible with financial aid, and students can help this process by applying for as many scholarships as possible. The more students apply for, the more likely they are to reach the cost of going to their dream school. Parents should know that it is worth every penny to pay for their child to go to the very best school possible. By working together like this, students and their parents can ensure that they choose a school that will help them make the most out of their college experience.

Don't make a decision that a school is right for you (or for you child) if you've heard good things about the school. The best way to find out if a school is right for you is to make sure you know what you are looking for in a school (in terms of your academic and social life), your expectations during your college experience and after college experience, and you know as much about your school including the location of your school. Location is a key factor in finding the perfect school. But the most important thing is to check out the school before you decide because it will help you make the right decision and not regret that decision.

At any college you choose, you will work hard, learn a lot, and have tons of fun. It all depends on what kind of fun, what kind of learning, and what kind of work you want to pick. At St. Olaf, a small liberal arts college, every major has the opportunity to get a basis on any subject. I am a music major who has taken Writing classes, Stats, Jihad and Crusade history, Philosophy, Psychology classes, and this January I'm traveling to Greece for a month for a Classics course...and I'm only a first-semester Sophomore! At a bigger University, you will most likely and eventually apply for a school within your school that concentrates on the subject of your choice. Both options are wonderful and notorius for success. Lastly, don't worry... you can always transfer. One should never feel trapped within a college or University. Good luck!

Finding a rewarding college experience involves discovering a place where you can be true to yourself, yet still have freedom to grow. After sorting through endless college websites and pouring over guidebook descriptions, the most valuable college evaluations necessitate actually visiting different schools. Only being on a campus of 2,500 residents, spending an afternoon at a college that retains 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of its first-year students, or eating at the 3rd best ranked cafeteria in the country can help you to understand what those numbers really mean. To be satisfied with the college you eventually choose to attend requires knowing what you personally think is most important about your education; some students desire a rigorous specialized curriculum while others may be looking for a more relaxed social environment. Fortunately, if you find a school that is a good fit for you, it's likely that you will also be a good fit at that school! Whatever your preferences and whichever college you choose, I advise you take advantage the opportunities your college offers. Join a club, attend a lecture, or party at a concert, because in the end, your college experience will only be what you choose to make it.

VIST,VISIT, VISIT....... Remember to enjoy college life, don't forget to have a social life.

Parents and students stake so much on a college education. Anxiety, stress, and confusion inevitably surround such a large investment of time and money in a person's future. Your first job is to relax. Giving yourself plenty of time to explore different colleges and then to apply will do the most for settling your nerves. The rest of the work is answering a series of important questions thoughtfully and honestly. First, who are you? This is a daunting question for a student. But it can be approached simply by making a list of your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Think academically, socially, and spiritually. Often when you approach a school you can simply describe yourself to a current student or admissions counselor and get feedback about how you might fit there. Second, narrow down the list of colleges using what you know about yourself. Think where you are willing to go geographically; in-state or out-of state, urban or rural? In what class sizes do you work best? What schools cater to a particular interest? Think positively, and don't just focus on financial or academic restrictions. Finally, visit the schools and see for yourself. Good Luck!