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[appleaddict]

Thoughts on the area and school? What kinds of students do they get? Is it very tied to its Lutheran heritage?

[pembleton]

I'm not that familiar with the area/students. One of my grad students had a phone interview with them. If that's any indication, expect a LOT of questions about faith and how it informs your teaching and your research.

[profxfiles]

A good, small LAC with a great reputation in the region. Lots of students with lots of money-be prepared to drive a car far less expensive than your undergrads! I understand they are "renewing" their bonds to the faith ( lot of the Lutheran schools in the Midwest having been doing this), so be prepared. i was interviewed for a position a few years ago at once of St. Olaf's sister schools and they joked openly about hiring Catholics as a form of "Affirmative Action" on campus...

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

The ditzy lady from Golden Girls is from St. Olaf.

That's all I know.

[menotti]

Good regional LAC.  I grew up in the region, and generally some of the top students at the smaller high schools would end up there.  I've never thought of it as attracting a particularly rich crowd, besides the fact that it's a regional LAC.  The poorer kids from the area would likely aim for schools with huge name recognition (Harvard) or go to local and/or state schools (U Minnesota, Wisconsin, small Catholic schools).

Mr. Menotti went there, so I get to read the alumni magazine.  It seems to identify fairly strongly with the Norwegian (and Lutheran) heritage, but I would say in a more cultural than creedal way.  As I say, it's regional and most of the region is Lutheran or Catholic, so that's what you get.  I would be surprised if you had to sign a statement of faith or anything, though I don't know for sure.  Mr. Menotti is not Lutheran and never had any issues there.  I think there was a single required religion class for the students.  The college seems to encourage (or wants to present itself as encouraging) undergrad research, social justice, and music.

The region is pretty.  Carleton is in the same town and is a notch up, but I don't know if there's really much of a rivalry - Carleton is more national, St. Olaf more regional.  It's close enough to the Twin Cities to live there if you'd like.  The area has a lot to recommend it if you can stand the winters and don't mind that there is not a lot of racial diversity beyond the Hmong population.

And be prepared for endless jokes about the Golden Girls whenever you leave the region, most of which will be along the lines of "That's a real college?  I thought it was a joke!"

[tolek]

I did my undergrad there in the early nineties.  I found the students generally to come from affluent families, but there wasn't a heavy sense of entitlement (it took me a while to realize just how loaded my friends' parents were).  People worked hard on their studies.  "Preppy" doesn't even begin to describe the Ole set.  Three religion courses were required, but I took one through the Philosophy department.  Anyway, the Religion department was full of excellent people.  I was/am an atheist, but I was also willing to work within their models of thinking.  In terms of the question of faith vis-a-vis teaching, I never had the sense faculty were pressured to toe the faith line.  I do remember one faculty member who made a joke about "that silly" Adam and Eve story.  He obviously didn't believe in God or a lot of the other bull, but he was a respected professor.  At worst, this type of flip remark will get a rise out of the religious students.  The town has its own life independent of the two colleges, but there ain't much to do.  Living up in the twin cities is possible, but you have to be ready for the commuting life.     

[clementine]

I don't know much about the school, but I have family who lives in Northfield, MN (the town where St. Olaf is located) and have visited there several times. I think the town is really adorable and would be a great place to raise a family (if you're into that). On the other hand, if you're single or someone who likes an active night life, it might not be the place for you. In my opinion, commuting all the way from the Twin Cities would be too far (although, it would be possible; I'm sure many folks in Northfield do it). There are a lot of communities in between, so living half way might also be an option. 

[dapperpoet]

Hi:
I interviewed at St. Olaf's a couple of years ago.  It was a very pleasant experience, but I ended up not wanting the job and they ended up not offering it.  Nonetheless, here's some brief impressions from an interviewee:
1. The Twin Cities area is one of the most over-heated real estate markets in the country.  I knew in the first 15 minutes as I talked to one of the SC members that I couldn't afford to live there.  One bedroom homes even in Northfield start in the $300k range. 
2. I am a Christian, albeit a Presbyterian, so the questions of faith weren't really an issue for me.  One of the coolest parts of the interview was that I had a lovely talk with the university president, who was a very impressive and kind person.  We had a few things in common, and ended up having an interesting and free-ranging talk about faith and teaching.  However, that was more or less my choice.  You do have to write an essay or 3, at least 2 of which center around how faith interacts with teaching and scholarship, but again, I got the sense that if you were an atheist or an agnostic that would not at all preclude you from having a job there, provided other things were strong.
3. The kids are pleasant, well-scrubbed (and heeled) midwesterners, with a very liberal tilt.  Faculty in the department I interviewed in were very liberal too, maybe even more liberal than I am, which is unusual.  Also some cool things like mailboxes that don't lock and backpacks left on piles when they go eat (honor and trust being the message here).
4. Um, it's in FREAKING Minnesota.  I interviewed in mid-October.  It was gorgeous, about 65 degrees, the leaves changing.  The day after I left it snowed two feet.  I know all the arguments about outside winter sports and the pleasant summer (heck, when I was living in New Hampshire and Michigan I MADE those arguments) but I can't stand it now. Your mileage may vary.
5. The SCC was the kindest and most supportive person I ever experienced in the interview process. 

Well, good luck!

[2nd_career]

1. The Twin Cities area is one of the most over-heated real estate markets in the country.  I knew in the first 15 minutes as I talked to one of the SC members that I couldn't afford to live there.  One bedroom homes even in Northfield start in the $300k range. 

With all due respect, where the heck were you looking? While the area isn't cheap, the prices are quite reasonable. You can easily find 3+ bedroom single family homes in the $175-225K range (with fixer-uppers well under $100k) near campus:

http://www.edinarealty.com/Listing/ListingSearchResults.aspx?Search=66b44a7b-c963-4ef4-a949-501cd21c7d18&SearchType=radius&ListingType=1&ListingDistrictTypeID=&FirstLetter=&Sort=6

 

[dolljepopp]

The commute from the Cities isn't terrible -- 45 minutes to an hour, depending on where you live. Housing prices do indeed depend on neighborhood. Friends there tell me there is a glut on condos at the moment, so if you don't mind not shoveling your own snow, you might find a deal.

I love the area -- it is the only place I've ever lived that I would willingly return to and the only place in the States I ever miss. (Not from there originally, but I was there a long time.) You have to like winter, not just tolerate it, but actually like it. It can be very long and very cold. It's beautiful, but long and cold.

Minneapolis, and to a lesser extent, St. Paul, is more diverse than you might think inside the city limits -- large Hmong population, large Somali population, fairly large Native American population -- but culturally it is a bit segregated. It is easy to go a whole day seeing only blonde pale people.

[limbo_postdoc]

I'm applying for a position at this college and am really excited about it. Consequently, could you please provide some follow-up information?

I'm not that familiar with the area/students. One of my grad students had a phone interview with them. If that's any indication, expect a LOT of questions about faith and how it informs your teaching and your research.

Which department/field is this? If it's for a position in religious or perhaps even cultural studies, it seems less weird than say, for a position in chemistry or biology.

Also, how many questions is "a lot?" (And how many ways can this really be asked, anyway?)

You do have to write an essay or 3, at least 2 of which center around how faith interacts with teaching and scholarship, but again, I got the sense that if you were an atheist or an agnostic that would not at all preclude you from having a job there, provided other things were strong.

At what point of the interview process were these essays "assigned?"

[irhack]

I went to Carleton (across the river from St. Olaf). I loved Northfield and would love to go back. It's very easy to and from the Twin Cities. It is appallingly cold, but I think I might prefer that to the 90 degree day we had sept 28 here out east.

[pembleton]

One of my grad students had a phone interview with them. If that's any indication, expect a LOT of questions about faith and how it informs your teaching and your research.

This was in a social science department.

[nardo]

Journal of Abnormal Psychology used to be there, right? I think I learned that watching "Golden Girls" . . .

[choirguy]

The music program (choral music particularly) is their football team.  Works for me, but if you are in another field, be ready for LONG (2 week+) choir tours and lots of other performances.  Students don't receive academic credit for participation in the ensembles, but a large percentage of them do it anyway.  Regardless of your field, if you like great music you will find it there.