Carleton: The Big Picture
Carleton is a true community. I would say that the students have a common sense of humor, and that relations with faculty and staff tend to be close. It is small enough that you meet someone once and then you start seeing that person everywhere. This is nice in that there is a sense of interconnectedness-my physics tutor is one of the students in the class I prefect for.
Carleton Academic Life
Profs are generally really friendly, available, and willing to help you out if you are willing to ask them. Classes range from small discussion-sized (9-20 students) to huge (100 students is big for Carleton) lecture-sized. You're expected to work hard and participate, which is easy to do when you pick classes that interest you. The distribution requirements aren't very hard to fill during your first and second years, and they give you the chance to take classes in departments and fields with which you have little contact otherwise. Academics is an important component of life at Carleton, and there are plenty of opportunities outside of class for students to learn.
Carleton's Student Body
Carleton has a very open, somewhat diverse student body. I think there's room for everyone at Carleton, it might just take time to find your niche. I was a bit disappointed by a few things diversity-wise: a good chunk of students are from Minnesota, my state, and I was hoping to meet more people from outside the midwest. Also, there are more students with upper-class incomes than I had expected. On the other hand, I was very excited to meet lots of international students. Students tend to be politically aware, but not always active, and those who are active tend to be toward the left. Because Carleton is a liberal arts school, most students aren't directly career oriented. Those who want to go to med school or law school tend to be thinking ahead, but people here do things because they enjoy them, not because they're trying to get ahead.
Carleton Student Activities + Social Life
Activities range from those sponsored by the school to those run by student groups, to informal events organized by individuals. School sponsored events like late night breakfast (the night before finals) are mostly traditions and are usually really fun. Students don't have much school spirit as far as athletics are concerned though a fair number of people play on sports teams. The school brings in art exhibits, musical performers, and guest lecturers. These are well advertised and pretty well attended. Student groups like a cappella and improv comedy are very popular, and when they have performances, the entire campus turns out. Partying mostly happens on Friday and Saturday nights. There is no Greek life here, but people know how to have a good time.
