The College Sage recently visited the Twin Cities and toured three popular colleges – St. Olaf College, Carleton College, and University of Minnesota. All three schools are known for their strong academics and include many liberal arts programs. Differences arise in size, campus setting, academic calendar, and more. Which is right for you? In summary:
- Choose St. Olaf if you value strong sense of community, are musically inclined, or want a faith-informed education
- Choose Carleton if you love discussion-based learning and thrive in a close-knit environment
- Choose University of Minnesota if you’re looking for a large, diverse campus with D-1 sports, access to research opportunities, and city life.
St Olaf College
- Founded in 1874 by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants
- Located outside of Minneapolis in Northfield, MN
- The campus is known as “The Hill”
- ~3000 undergraduate students
- They use a 4-1-4 calendar, which means two longer semesters with a shorter “term” in between
- One of their famous traditions is the Christmas Festival which involves multiple choirs and orchestra
- Over 50 majors, including Creative Writing, Greek, and Medieval Studies. Given their Norwegian heritage, they also offer majors in Norwegian and Nordic Studies. Bachelor of Music offers majors in Church Music, Composition, Music Education, and Performance.
- “Oles” refers to St. Olaf students and alumni
- Dry campus
- Colors = gold and black
- Mascot = Lion named “Ole”
Carleton College
- Founded in 1866
- Located outside of Minneapolis in Northfield, MN
- ~2000 undergraduate students
- Offers 30-40 majors and minors, including Cinema and Media Studies and Cognitive Science
- Uses a trimester system, meaning shorter/more intense terms
- Student to faculty ratio is about 9-1, meaning small classes and access to professors
- Culture
o The Cave is a student-run pub and performance space since 1927 – a hub for campus life and music
o There’s a quarter-acre Japanese garden located behind Watson Hall
- Home to the Goodsell Observatory, which was constructed in 1887 and the 6th largest in the US at the time
- Colors = maize and blue
- Mascot = the Knight
University of Minnesota
- Founded in 1851
- Spans both Minneapolis and St. Paul with over 1,150 acres across the two cities
- ~32,000 undergraduate students, 50k with graduate/professional programs
- Strong opportunity for undergraduate research
- Top majors include Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Computer & Information Sciences, and Engineering
- One of few US universities to house engineering, law, medical, veterinary, and agricultural skills within the same institution
- Uses traditional semester system (fall and spring)
- Around 40% of classes have fewer than 20 students
- There are 1,000+ student groups and organizations and about 10% of undergraduates participate in Greek life
- Their football stadium, Huntington Bank Stadium, is located on campus
- Colors = maroon and gold
- Nickname = Golden Gophers
