Things To Do on Your Visit

Every tour guide will show you the highlights and talk about their favorite places on campus. Their stories and experiences are some of the best ways to learn about St. Olaf. Ask questions: When was St. Olaf founded? What does “Um! Yah! Yah!” really mean? How many organs are on campus? The rock climbing wall is how tall? You mean there are chemistry majors who play water polo and the clarinet? What do people do in the honor houses?  Our students are St. Olaf’s best ambassadors. Sometimes they get carried away, so we try to hold them to about an hour. Then they return to studying, practicing, rehearsing, organizing, working in the lab, or … you get the idea.

An information session is a short presentation about St. Olaf, specifically who we are and what our students do. The presentation includes an overview of our admissions application process and our financial aid program. We offer daily information sessions to answer general questions about St. Olaf. If you are a first-time visitor to campus, this is a great way to learn about what a St. Olaf education can do for you.

We don’t require an interview as part of the application process, but putting a face and a personality to an application is helpful. If you’re a senior, we encourage you to sign up for an interview. These conversations help us get to know you — what you think about, what kind of person you are, what makes you curious. It’s a two-way street: we want you to ask questions, too. Your interview may be with one of our admissions fellows — trained students who help us provide more one-on-one experiences for more visitors.

(Available only to high school juniors and seniors) We are a college. Students go to class. Faculty love to teach. The interaction among students and between students and faculty is something to see and experience. If you’d like to visit a class, please let us know in advance so that we can try to match your interests to the available classes. Our faculty are happy to have visitors in the classroom, but they like to have a heads-up about when to expect you.

Paying for college involves a partnership between our students, their families and  the college.  We look carefully at the unique financial circumstances of every family, and offer every student the best package of support we can.  If you are a senior and have questions about how to pay for a St. Olaf education, please feel free to request an appointment with one of our financial aid counselors.

Awesome food. Enough said. We don’t care if some website ranks us No. 2, No. 3, or No. 6 (we’ve been each in the past five years or so, and the food hasn’t gotten better — or worse — whether we’ve moved up or down). St. Olaf is one of those rare places that still has a single dining hall for the entire community. It’s about sharing meals with your friends. Meal with a current student can be requested during the academic year.

(Available only to high school seniors) With more than 200 student organizations, 27 intercollegiate sports, and a vast array of music ensembles, St. Olaf is always on the go. Here on the Hill, 5 o’clock is the start to the second half of the day. So spend the night with a current student and experience campus life.

If your interests and talents are deep and specific to one or two areas, we’ll put you in touch with other students or faculty members in those areas.  Are you a swimmer? Meet a coach poolside. A Trombonist? You can sit in on a large ensemble rehearsal. We’ll set you up with our music admissions coordinator or a member of the music faculty. Do you love wearing safety goggles and a white lab coat? We’ll send you to Regents Hall so you can see what a great science learning and teaching facility looks like (and yes — you’ll find plenty of faculty who are eager to talk with you and show you around).

Oles are actively engaged in all four areas of the fine arts – music, theater, art, and dance, and each of those departments are also nationally accredited. Learn more about how you can get involved by attending the Music at St. Olaf info session or requesting a visit with our Assistant Dean for Fine Arts Recruitment while you are on campus to learn more about the fine arts scholarship application process and the many ways you can be involved in the arts once you are on campus.

The Chapel is an important place on campus, where people from across the campus community gather for music, reflection, and worship. Daily chapel services are entirely voluntary, and a distinctive part of campus life for many students. No classes or other activities are scheduled during chapel time, so you’ll find many students squeezing in a little extra study time. (All chapel services are streamed live and archived online.)

Many traditions are shared by students and faculty, but everyone has his or her own St. Olaf experience. Ask what people do, what they like, and what they think about. What are their favorite courses or who are their favorite professors? What is it like to live in the dorms? How cold is a Minnesota winter? Nothing is off limits.

For students traveling alone, St. Olaf can provide transportation between the Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) airport and campus. Please email your request and complete flight itinerary to visit@stolaf.edu 7 days prior to your campus visit date.

Please note that Uber and Lyft services are not yet available in the Northfield area.