Gustavus Adolphus College
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Football. On a crisp, fall, Minnesota afternoon, there's nothing nicer.
- Being Scandinavian. There's the St. Lucia festival at Christmas time, Swedish and Norwegian language classes, a Scandinavian studies major, lots of opportunities to study abroad in Scandinavian countries, and lots of folks who look like Elsa and Anna.
- Singing Hymns. Preferably loud and by heart. Think Garrison Keillor.
- Helping out. There'll always be another disaster to clean up from, a Habitat for Humanity house to build during spring break, or injustice to protest against.
- Food. My cafeteria serves wild-caught Alaska salmon among other mouth-watering morsels. If you're going the gain the Freshman Fifteen, you may as well do it at the one of the best college cafeterias in the nation.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Winter Clothes. You will die without them. Seriously.
- Frisbee. When the snow melts, there's lots of lovely lawn to play on.
- A cause you feel strongly about. Habitat for Humanity? Peace Corps? Bread for the World? NOW? Sustainable Agriculture? If you don't have one when you come, you'll have one when you leave.
- A strong work ethic. Did you bale hay as a kid? Pay your own way to Swedish Language Camp four summers in a row? Single-handedly build a skateboard park for kids in your community? You'll be fine hanging with me, then.
- A bike. This campus, this town, and this state are perfect for biking. Take advantage.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- I had my pennant taken to the moon by Buzz Aldrin.
- I'm ranked among the top fifty U.S. colleges by Kiplinger's for "best value."
- I host the annual Nobel Science Conference and have hosted ninety-five Nobel Laureates as well as an annual May Day Peace conference.
- I was completely destroyed by a tornado in May 2002 and look great now, if I do say so myself.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
During freshman and sophomore years, chances are good I'm down at the River Rock Café listening to poetry or open mic night or stopping by to hear a classmate debut a new song. You can also catch me in the lounge in one of my glorious dorms, depending how cold it is outside.
By Junior and Senior year, though, I'm probably hanging out in Dubai or Stockholm. If not, you'll see me at Patrick's or The Flame, which while not international locations, I assure you are equally thrilling.
Favorite Hangouts:
- The Dive. It's a former swimming pool (yes, seriously). This is my go-to spot to dance, catch a poetry reading, watch the Super Bowl, and just hang.
- The River Rock Café. Where else am I going to debut the new song I wrote?
- Dorms, a.k.a. the best place to have a hot date with my sweatpants and my best friend while it snows outside.
- Patrick's can be easily described in three words: burgers, pizza, wings. Need I say more?
- The Flame is a great spot to spend a Friday night lounging off-campus with my friends who are twenty-one and over.
Quirks:
- Did I mention my campus was destroyed by a tornado and then rebuilt? That's pretty quirky.
- I offer January Term during the dark, cold month of January. This is a time for students to either travel abroad or take some class that will make their parents cringe—stuff like Shibori Japanese Fabric Dying or Human Sexuality.
- Every December 13, I celebrate the St. Lucia Festival and choose five girls to wake up ridiculously early, put candles on their heads, and sing Christmas Carols to wake up those students who may actually be sleeping and wish them a Happy Saint Lucia day. This is a big holiday in Scandinavia, not so much here in the States. But I'm keepin' it alive.
Famous Alumni:
- Bill Holm, American writer and poet
- Kurt Elling, Grammy Award winning jazz singer
- Ryan Hoag, Kurt Ploeger, and Earl Witte—all pro football players
- Steve Zahn, American actor from Reality Bites and Modern Family
- Most importantly, lots of really great people who are making the world and Minnesota, a nicer place