Academics
Carleton College, with its low student-teacher ratio and small-town Minnesota setting, “is a rigorous school full of laid-back, outdoorsy students with a passion for learning and for developing strong community.” With a trimester schedule and an emphasis on the liberal arts and interdisciplinary scholarship, Carleton also boasts strong programs in the sciences and social sciences. The school has a reputation for being “highly rigorous without the cut-throat competition that other elite institutions are known for”; many students use the words “challenging” and “collaborative” to describe this tight-knit, highly focused academic community. One student sums it up as an “Ivy League education without all the Ivy League pretensions.” While academics are “challenging” and classes are “fairly fast-paced,” the work is “worth every ounce of effort” and professors are almost universally praised as “friendly, accessible, supportive, and enthusiastic about teaching.” Students “have no qualms about dropping in on office hours to chat” and have “been to many wonderful dinners at professors’ homes.” “Students help each other out a lot, too (even if it is just emotional support).” One student describes the school accurately with her reasons for choosing to attend: “I wanted to be at a place where I was challenged. I wanted to be surrounded by people who were smarter than me but also wanted to see me succeed.” Finally, students report excellent resources for pursuing graduate study, and visible improvements within career services.
Student Body
At Carleton, students are, “on the whole, pretty liberal” as well as “politically and environmentally aware,” and “are highly interested in activism on the whole.” The school has also “been ramping up diversity efforts in recent years.” Students note that they “spend the majority of the weekend studying but still find time for socializing and spending time on extracurriculars,” though some note they wish they had more downtime, especially since their peers tend to be “very welcoming,” “extremely kind,” and “kind of dorky” in the best possible sense. “There are so many clubs and organizations to get involved in, and so many people doing really interesting things outside of any structured class or club, that it is incredibly hard to not get involved in something or other.” That level of activity extends to hanging out as well: “Everyone loves to have meaningful conversations” and “the best part about that is that they all keep really open minds.”
Campus Life
Weekends at Carleton bustle with activity to help balance the intellectual challenges of weekday classes. As one student put it, “I often find myself attending a concert at the Cave, the student pub; going to a show one of my friends wrote at the Little Nourse Theater; taking a quick trip to the cities for Mall of America or an uptown excursion; or, most likely, having a surprisingly engaging and deep intellectual discussion with some friends at a party on a Friday night.” Intramural sports such as broomball and ultimate Frisbee are “freakishly popular.” Outdoor activities are very popular in the Arboretum, “an 800-acre forest where students go for runs, go snow-shoeing, or have camp fires.” The campus even features Dacie Moses House, “a house for baking cookies 24/7.” If you’re looking to unwind with a less structured activity, “the drinking policy throughout Northfield is strict, but...it’s relaxed here at Carleton,” and most students report that while partying is an option, “there are just as many opportunities for substance-free activities. Even at parties, there is no pressure to drink.” As Northfield is small and most students live in the dorms (a few wish for more off-campus living options), Carleton life tends to be campus-centric. “Carls” complain about very few things: the cold Minnesota weather, oncampus food options, and the accessibility of the health center. Overall, though, it’s clear that students here feel well cared for.
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