Academics and Careers

For international student support information and resources: contact Brisa Zubia, Assistant Director for International Student Programs| 507-786-3267 (bzubia@stolaf.edu)

For Immigration status and documentation: contact Caitlin Lamont Kreienkamp, Assistant Director for International Student Compliance| 507-786-3073| (lamont3@stolaf.edu)

Monday – Friday | 9am – 5pm

Buntrock Commons (BC) 111
1520 St. Olaf Avenue
Northfield, MN 55057

P 507-786-3073

Navigating Your Achievements

CPT and OPT

During your time at St. Olaf might be considering doing an internship which would require you to complete the CPT process. When you graduate you might be considering working in the US which you would need to complete the OPT process. These are needed as international students can only work in the US and off-campus if they are doing so for academic purposes to enhance their skills. For more information please visit the websites below:

Off-campus Employment

Piper Center

The Piper Center is a great resource for all students. They help in many aspects of a student’s life, career goals, and life goals which may help in deciding a major/s that you would need to take. They help with internships, jobs, reaching out to alumni and much more, for more information click the following links:

LinkedIn is a worldwide site where employers look for information about applicants. It is very useful to start developing and adding to your profile early, as some employers send out opportunities to your email directly.

Handshake is the networking site where St. Olaf students can look for job opportunities posted by Oles who’ve graduated and companies that are interested in hiring from St. Olaf. It is essentially a LinkedIn site specifically for St. Olaf.

On-campus Employment

With the work-study award, there are many opportunities for students to work. As an international student, you are allowed to work for 20 hours per week in general, however, most work awards will average to a total of 8-10 hours per week. Be sure to check the guidelines. Bon Appetit is most likely searching for workers so it is a good place to start, however, there are other jobs that are available on campus, so it is worth asking around where other students are working and how you might be able to get a job that is more suited to your interests.

International Student Employment: This is a letter written by Caitlin to the staff which is very informative on what you can and can’t do in the US with a student visa.

Job postings: note that this isn’t a complete list and there are usually others available.

Check handshake for further employment opportunities. Note that if you plan to intern or work off-campus, you will need to apply for an OPT or CPT. Always check with Caitlin.

Academic Support

The Center for Advising and Academic Support (CAAS) is the center that aids students in their academic success. They offer a large variety of resources, many of which are especially helpful for international students.

They offer academic advising which is extremely helpful for students that do not know the system very well. They can help plan out a path until graduation with everything taken into account.

They also offer tutoring if you feel like you are not doing as well in your class as you could be. This is a resource that offers extra instruction and a different way of explaining the course material by another student that has taken the course.

There is a speaking and writing space available for students that need more confidence or just someone to proofread an essay. Additionally, multilingual support is available at CAAS for students whose first language isn’t necessarily English or have more than one first language. Resources for Students – Multilingual Support