Anders Jonas Lind ’09, Sweden. 
read interview below in Swedish.
Jonas is from Malmo, Sweden, and is majoring in political science and history with a management studies concentration.
How did you learn about St. Olaf and why did you choose to attend here?
I first found out about St. Olaf when I was looking through brochures and other material about liberal arts colleges in the United States. After I got accepted to some different schools, I came to the U.S. to look at them.
When I set out looking for colleges, my main objective was to find a school that was not too big, but not too small – large enough to offer a bunch of different activities and the opportunity to pursue goals in a wide range of fields, but small in the sense that classes are conducive to discussion and not just huge classes in a pure lecture-type setting. St. Olaf has a lot of different clubs and other activities and fits well into that description.
What is a liberal arts and science education to you? Compared to your own country, how is it different from the education you might receive at home?
I believe a liberal arts (education) gives you the possibility to choose more freely, which is one of the main reasons that I chose to go to college in the United States. Rather than, for example, choosing economics before going to college and then sticking with it, you get to take classes in any area and that way better develop an interest for a certain field.
What are you studying at St. Olaf? What are your future goals?
I came in planning to major in Economics, but have since switched to Political Science and History, with a Management Studies concentration. I am interested in working in academics, particularly within the realm of political science or public policy. I am also interested in entrepreneurship and would like to spend some time working in the business world.
What experiences, e.g., internships, independent studies, etc, have you had at St. Olaf that will help you towards those goals?
This past summer (2007) I had an internship with private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, at their headquarters in Washington, DC. It gave me a great deal of experience with public relations as well as finance. Overall, St. Olaf has a great alumni network and I have been able to get in contact with many former students when searching for summer internships.
What activities have you been involved in?
I was in the student senate sophomore year and this year I am involved with the St. Olaf chapter of Amnesty International, where one of the things we do is to organize fundraisers and speaker events to raise awareness of human rights issues. (Jonas was also a mentor in the Project Friendship program.)
