St Olaf College Top Questions

Try to imagine yourself in that place in four years. Would you be happy with being friends with the people you see? Would you still enjoy the landscape, housing, food, and opportunities available? Check out how easy it is to get home and make sure that you stay overnight. Try to see what the campus is like on the weekends as well as the weekdays and talk to the professors. Meet as many students as you can and don't stop asking questions.

Get a feel for what student groups are available on campus. Figure out how difficult it is for student groups to get what they want regarding money. Visit the school and see what displays are up from student groups. Go to student group meetings that you are interested in and see what the student complaints are. Meet people that don't work for admissions and try to get honest answers out of them. See what the sophomore year experience is like rather than just hearing about what it is like to be a first-year. At my school, it was much different and what drew me there disappeared. Figure out how you fit in religously and if there is support for your worldview. See if the school stands true to its claims about diversity and acceptance.

The choice of college will be pretty clear when the right one rolls around. Your education will be of the quality you make it-- an Ivy League grad who fooled around is no smarter than a state school grad who worked hard. The difference will be in the connections you make. While it is very important to do well academically, it is equally important to look toward the future. Network, take internships in the industry in which you are interested, and look towards getting into the job you want BEFORE you graduate. Above all, realize that the resources you have in college like a sports program, dorm life, and a library will not always be available to you after you graduate. You'll never again have the opportunity to play a college sport, or visit the music library, or take the kinds of enrichment courses you can take while at school. Academic focus is important, but so is having some fun, making friends, and having a life outside the books.

Don't make application decisions based purely on finances-- I didn't think I would be able to afford my college, but they gave me a huge grant that cut the tuition in half.

I closely relate to this question because in high school, I was left to figure out the logistics of college on my own. Luckily, through summer music programs and some luck, I found the perfect school for me, and I have no regrets about what I am doing here. However, if I knew just a few years ago what I know now, I would have acted much differently regarding academics and finances. First of all, I didn't take high school seriously enough. I coasted by, able to maintain a reasonable GPA without actually trying, and never studied for the ONE TIME took the SAT. I think back now, constantly questioning why nobody told me that GPA and SAT scores determine how much MONEY you receive for college! And at St. Olaf, academic scholarships are applied for once and only once: before the first year, meaning that tens of thousands of dollars are given to a student based on decisions they made as far back as 9th grade. I would advise any high school student to think seriously about what they do, because the choices you make in high school will affect you for the rest of your life.

Visit campus! You can't always get a good feel for a school without being there. The best way to do that is to visit and stay overnight if you can. Also, don't go into a visit with expectations. Be open to anything and you'll probably find something great that you never expected. Don't worry about tuition too much. I know it's not smart to ignore it completely, but have faith in the financial aid system. You should go somewhere because you love it, not because it was cheapest. You'd be surprised how good they are at working things out with you. As far as the college experience, just be yourself. Work hard and have fun. Find some good friends: it's not quantity, but quality that matters. Be prepared for the transition. It will probably be hard at first, no matter how independent you are. Finally, don't forget where you came from. It's part of you and it probably makes you a better, more interesting, and likeable person. It's easy to get caught up in your new life away from home, but stay connected.

Definitely visit the college before you decide if you are able to, and keep in mind its location. I really love my school, but am constantly conflicted by the fact that I'm not in a city - access to fun things on the weekend is limited unless you have a car.

If you're someone who wants to be another face in the crowd, go to a state school. If you want to truly connect with your professors and have relationships with many people on campus, look for a small liberal arts college. It will prepare you in more than just the area of your major, it will prepare you for almost any job you could ever imagine. A liberal arts college emphasizes a well-rounded education, and the professors here truly care about the student's education.

The most important thing in finding the correct college is making sure you have the right fit at your school. It is essential to find a school that welcomes you into a supportive community who share the drive towards sucess. Once at college, it is important to remember that you are there to learn. Learning does not mean you will get As on exams and tests. At the end of the day, grades are of little importance compared to the knowledge that you gain.

VISIT! A place may look beautiful, or challenging, or social, or any number of other things on paper, but you never really know where you need to be until you're standing on campus, seeing other students and getting a feel for how your life will be should you choose to go there. Of all the schools I applied at, St. Olaf is the one place I looked around and saw myself living for the next four years. And once you're at school, participate in everything you can. Even if you're probably not going to get into the play, or make the team, or get onto the panel you may want to, it won't hurt to put your name down and try. If anything, higher ups will see your name, make contact with you, and recognize you for future projects, even if you're not right for that particular one. And there's always the chance that you'll blow someone away and get a head start on the activities you want to be involved in for the rest of your college career.