This past year, I have visited a variety of different colleges, a key aspect of junior year. While my search is not over, I’ve really enjoyed the colleges I have seen so far. As of now, I’ve visited University of Iowa, Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), Macalester College and St. Olaf College. While I absolutely love all of the schools I have visited, one stands out to me as a great fit: St. Olaf College.

St. Olaf is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It is home to 3,124 undergraduate students, and it is about six hours away from the Chicagoland area. The drive to Northfield included great views, and my dad claims it to be one of the easier rides that we have taken. Northfield is home to about 20,000 people (the size of Morton Grove, IL) and has the small college town feel I’ve always wanted to experience. When I picture a college town, I picture Northfield. The town, which both Carleton College and St. Olaf College are located in, offers a variety of restaurants, shops and activities.

St. Olaf College is located at the top of Northfield, up on a hill. For me, this is what made the campus so perfect. Although it was cold when I went, the air was fresh, and the surrounding trees made the campus even more beautiful. 

The campus tour started with an information session, which was kept short and sweet. Some of the other information sessions I’ve been to have been drawn out, which can get boring. Before I knew it, we were starting the tour. 

Like other campus tours, an attending college student gave the tour. Unlike other tours I’ve been on, my tour group only had two other families in it. This made the tour feel extremely personal, and I even got to know the other students visiting St. Olaf. As I walked around campus, I could envision myself spending the next four years there. Although we were visiting on a Saturday morning, the school was bustling with students. Many students were seen studying with each other, going to the gym or just grabbing coffee. Because St. Olaf is on the smaller side, it felt very welcoming and friendly. 

In addition to the tour, I learned about the academics and extracurricular activities at St. Olaf. For me personally, I would love to continue to dance in college, and St. Olaf offers the perfect opportunity. They have multiple dance clubs that I could join. In addition to that, St. Olaf has a student-run newspaper that I would definitely want to write on. Their academics are great, and the class sizes are on the smaller side- something that I would love to have during my college experience. 

Although the cold Minnesota winters may feel intimidating, St. Olaf seems like a great fit for me. I loved the small college town feel, the beautiful campus, the extracurricular activities and the strong academics they offer. St. Olaf will definitely be on my college application list this fall!