Carleton History Major

One of the major stereotypes is that the people here are very socially awkward and nerdy.

I would say that it is true for maybe half of the student body, but people come into their own here and really start to become unique, interesting people. Even if someone is too awkward to carry on a normal conversation freshman year, by senior year they probably will be fine.

The best thing about Carleton is that no matter how unique you are, you can always find people who share your interests or passions. Getting to know great friends here is one of the best experiences one can have.

One thing I'd change (if I could) would be to have the student body get a little more confident! However, in the recent years, many people, including me, have noticed that the incoming classes are getting much more normal.

Also, there's not much school spirit in terms of varsity sports. I came from a huge high school where that was a big part of life, and I miss that here. I have a lot of friends who are athletes, but there isn't the same excitement here about sports as other places.

The most frequent complaint is that there is too much work. Carleton is very academically rigorous and new students have to be ready for a big change in work load compared with high school. At times, it does seem that professors forget that we have other classes and pile on the work. But we all get through it together.

The Profs at Carleton are fantastic for the most part. Almost all of the professors I've had have been willing to give me as much time with them outside of class that I needed. If I didn't have such close connections with the professors, I think the work would be much less enjoyable.

My favorite class so far has been Archaeological Methodology. It is taught by a wonderful professor, Nancy Wilkie, who was the president of the American Institute of Archaeology. She really knew her stuff, and pushed us to really master archaeological techniques.

My least favorite class was Calc II. It is by far the most failed class at Carleton. It was a ton of work and the tests were killer. Thank goodness for the Math Skills Center, which was what saved me.

One thing that is so great about Carleton is that most students don't compete with one another. The overwhelming majority of my experience is that we all get together and help each other out.

One thing I hate about Carleton is that it does not help students who are pre-professional. It's like the school is shying away from the practical side of education. Yes, it is very very important to get a broad based education (which Carleton excels at), but those of us who know we want to be doctors or lawyer or business people get a little screwed because Carleton does barely anything to help us prepare for these paths.

This campus is mostly white, however there are a ton of international students that come here, which makes the atmosphere really diverse. We have a large LGBT community, which is extremely supportive. It is definitely OK to be gay here.

This campus is pretty liberal. I think at last count there were about 10 members of the Carleton Conservatives. But no matter what you believe, you will not feel out of place here. It is a very accepting environment.

I would say many students are from wealthy families, mainly because the school is SO expensive to attend and Carleton would run out of money if it supplied too much financial aid. That being said, there is a very good organization here for students with low income backgrounds.

Most Carleton social events take place on campus, primarily because Northfield is a small town with not that much to do except go to the bars or pubs. The parties are fun here, with the large parties mostly restricted to freshmen and sophomores. Upperclassmen usually have smaller parties of their own, where they don't have to deal with the younger kids. Both of these types of parties are extremely fun here, but I personally like to host smaller get togethers with close friends and acquaintances.

My friends come from very different places and situations, but we all mesh extremely well together. I think that's because we're naturally outgoing and will talk to anyone. That's the way you have to be at Carleton or else I think you are going to have less fun.

I always leave my door open during the day, so people can come and go as they please. I think that other people do too, at least during fall term, so they can get to know one another.

When I am awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, there is a 90% chance I'm doing homework. There is so much work and so many other things to do that it is virtually impossible to do your homework during the day.

If you want an excellent liberal arts experience, come to Carleton, but be prepared to work really hard. We'd love it if you came!