I understood they were talking about Belmont.
If indeed it is Belmont, we have two family members who are current students. They are definitely not actively religious, although were raised as “casual Christians”. They are however supremely talented musically (singer/song writer) and are studying something on the business side of the music industry… and performing in Nashville when they can.
Music is certainly what Belmont is famous for! I have a neighbor whose son is having a very good experience studying music-production at Belmont, and yes, performing whenever he can. That family is casual Christian as well.
Yes I was talking about Belmont. It’s not Catholic. But I know some Catholics who like it there a lot. I was responding to a suggestion that it was kind of heavy handed in its evangelical Christianity.
Oops I wasn’t supposed to answer you here, but don’t know how to move 5is over to the other thread. Sorry everyone!
Sorry your Bates tour guide was a letdown. When we toured, we had a girl that was so enthusiastic, involved and simply amazing, my husband and I wanted to go back to school! She cemented the deal and my son chose Bates and has been so happy there!
We had the same great experience at St. Olaf. It’s a serious contender for D24.
Really wish I had known about St. Olaf before this year. I would have dragged my D to go see it. Sounds like a wonderful school!
Yes, with all the glowing reports on St Olaf on CC, it’s definitely one that I will suggest to D26… but also with all the glowing reports here, I also wonder if it will be a lot harder to get in by then 
By then it may be filled with just CC kids 
Add my S26 to that list. I will strongly suggest he check out St. Olaf 
St Olaf has been sending marketing material to my S26… and I told him we should go check it out! I guess its star is on the rise, CC style
I’d love for D26 to consider St Olaf, but she’s a delicate desert flower like her mom and she’s declared that it’s way too cold for her. I’m bummed though because it sounds like a pretty awesome school. One of D24’s choir directors graduated from St Olaf and he raves about the place.
I overheard someone in the lobby mention College Confidential
I would have went tap dancing into the lobby and said “Hey, I know that place!”
Is there a St. Olaf of the South or West? For real - any like schools?
University of Puget Sound??
I’ve never been to St. Olaf, so I obviously don’t know for sure. But I suspect that Trinity University in San Antonio might have some similarities. They’re comparably sized, it has a reputation as a collegial (rather than competitive) place, and I think academics are similarly valued.
I’d love to hear if anyone has any other schools that remind them of St. Olaf…particularly in other parts of the country!
Was also going to say Trinity. D23 is very happy there.
Was just thinking back to @sbinaz comment…if St Olaf is that great but yes, MN can be tough - then maybe Puget Sound or Trinity might be good to look at.
A sort of… St Olaf is ELCA school (they are Lutherans, but it’s similar to most of catholic colleges. It’s not as religious, but that’s their foundation.)
This list is simply illustrating ELCA schools - not each one’s selectivity (St Olaf is one of more selective ones.)
In South/mid Atlantic, Roanoke, Gettysburg & Muhlenberg will have similar institutional culture as St. Olaf.
I am not as familiar with West or Texas, but you can do some research using this link: Colleges and Universities - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Just by way of background, historically the LAC model, which eventually served as the core of the smaller private university model as well, was way more popular along elites in the East Coast and Upper Midwest, and to a less extent the West Coast, than the Deep South (at least lower than Tennessee/North Carolina), South West, or Interior West. I’ve heard that attributed to factors like Northern Whigs/early Republicans, timing of urbanization, even the lack of air conditioning. But the bottom line is in the Deep South, South West, and Interior West, what were started or at least eventually became public universities were much more favored by historic elites, or alternatively they might send kids North for college.
So I would personally say the closest sorts of LACs to St Olaf in the “South” are like Rhodes or Sewanee, which only gets you as far south as Tennessee. Also Furman, but interestingly that is in the upper Northwest corner of South Carolina, in the uplands which in many ways is more like Tennessee or North Carolina. Of course Centre and Berea are in Kentucky, but that is farther North.
In the West but not West Coast, well, Whitman is pretty far off the coast, but obviously still in Washington, and then there is Colorado College. Texas as usual is doing its own thing, but people rightly mentioned Trinity, and I would also mention Southwestern and Austin. And finally, there is Hendrix in Arkansas, which I would think worth mentioning.
I am not sure all these would exactly be considered peers of St Olaf, but for the above-mentioned reason I think if you are looking for LACs in these regions, you have to be willing to cast a wider net.