<p>I visited Carleton for admitted students weekend, and I had a great time. But there was something lingering in my mind for most of the visit that I couldn't quite dispel. Northfield is a very nice, quaint Midwestern town from what I've seen, but that in combination with Carleton's small student body concerns me a bit. </p>
<p>I don't really consider myself to be a shy or introverted person, but rather someone who just really values semi-frequent alone time. Is that something obtainable at Carleton? Everyone on campus seemed incredibly friendly, but by the end of the weekend I felt a bit drained from all the social interaction. I'm just worried that due to the ~2000 person student body things would end up feeling a bit too much like high school, with the tight knit social environment not providing enough personal alone time. I don't want to blend in all the time, but every once in a while it can be nice. </p>
<p>Can any current or past students comment on their experience with time alone? I'm drawn to the smaller collegiate environment due to the plethora of benefits received with regards to instruction, but I also don't want to sacrifice my mental sanity. Obviously it's a special siutation socially for students weekend too, but I'd still like to hear some people's thoughts! I'm choosing between the University of Michigan and Carleton for college as well if that information is at all helpful. As an in state Michigan resident, the halved tuition is also tempting, so I'm quite torn on where I want to head this fall.</p>
<p>What is it you want - “alone time” or anonymity?</p>
<p>At U of M, you’ll get plenty of the latter, but I’m not so sure about the former. Ann Arbor, and especially the main part of campus, is pretty densely packed with people. Things quiet down quite a bit when you get up to North Campus . . . but, as an undergrad, that’s not likely to be where you’ll be living, at least not your freshman year.</p>
<p>At a 2000-person LAC with almost 1,000 acres of arboretum, alone time is easy. My favorite time of day at my LAC (which was almost identical to Carleton in number of both students and acres) was early, early in the morning, when I’d go for a run through the woods all by myself. But I also never had a problem finding a sunny spot outdoors somewhere in the spring to sit and do homework in the afternoon . . . and be completely by myself. And even at meals - if I really wanted to be alone, I could always find a table off to the side somewhere where no one would bother me. But because it was such a small school, no matter how much time I spent by myself, I never felt isolated. When I walked across campus, people recognized me and said hello. So I had all the privacy I wanted . . . but with a “safety net” of community always readily available.</p>
<p>I suspect Carleton (which was my own second choice way back when!) would provide a similar environment.</p>
<p>And, FWIW, I did not go to admitted student days with my student for exactly the reasons you describe - that much intense social interaction over a 24- to 48-hour period is more than I can take also!</p>
<p>P.S. One consideration, though . . . you mention the tuition discount you’d get at U of M. If attending Carleton means you’d have significant private or co-signed loans to pay back later, then it’s not worth it. Giving up your freedom in order to pay back loans is a lot worse than giving up your privacy! (Think about it - with significant loans to pay back, you’d be looking at years of shared housing, taking jobs you might not otherwise want, in communities where you’d perhaps rather not live. No college is worth that if it can be avoided.)</p>
<p>Our son has always required and valued “alone time”. He is in his third year at Carleton and greatly values the Arb. It is very easy to find solitude there–it is so close and connected to the main campus, yet it is a large tract of land and many students do not frequent it. Also, Carleton can be academically intense, so I’m sure most students regularly find places (both indoors & outdoors) that are quiet so they can be alone to study.</p>
<p>My ds also is on the quiet side. He likes a good party, but he’s perfectly happy to hole up for hours and binge-watch Netflix, too. I was afraid that Carleton would be too small so when we visited we did a little test – Would either of us run into the one kid we knew who went there? We never did. He says there are tons of people he doesn’t know, and every year here comes a new set of freshmen to mix things up. One thing I like is that there are two dining halls. If one starts feeling to familiar and you need a change of scenery, go to the other one.</p>
<p>I agree with dodgersmom that alone time would be easy enough to find. I didn’t make it into the Arb until my most-recent visit, two years ago, and, wow, what a treasure. Just a beautiful retreat. I also agree that everyone is kind of “on” for those admitted students days – another reason ds and I visited during the week.</p>
<p>And, yes, if there’s a great disparity in price, then think long and hard before committing yourself to a lot of loans for Carleton. Do a loan repayment calculator to see how much you’d be paying a month for years in order to retire those debts. We’ve loved Carleton, but ds knew it was only an option if the money was there. Thankfully for him, it was.</p>
<p>That’s an important distinction; I guess I’m kind of asking about both. I think I’d be more worried about the lack of anonymity at Carleton. The arb was beautiful, and did seem like in conjunction with the large campus would be enough space to find quality places to spend time alone. I’m starting to think that part of the issue just might have been how overwhelming student weekend was socially though, and I’m hopefully guessing that if I got to know the people and places better things would calm down. Thank you for your insight! </p>
<p>I don’t think I’d have to take out any signficant amount of money in loans, but Carleton would certainly deplete a lot of money that could potentially go towards something like grad school down the road. If I went to U of M I would still have a chunk left over at the end of four years.</p>
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<p>The freshman thing was a great point to bring up. It seems like most people don’t find the size to be an issue, and I think I have a pretty similar mindset to your son socially. </p>
<p>I’m an alum of both schools Umich and Carleton. You have a great choice to make that many would envy. I don’t think you can go wrong.</p>
<p>Some thoughts…</p>
<p>I get the desire for anonymity. On some levels this will be hard at Carleton. Everywhere you go at Carleton you’ll know somebody. At Michigan, if you want you can disappear for a while. Some Carls have struggles with this and a solution is to live off-campus. Carleton also have houses near campus which allow students to “get away” on some level.</p>
<p>Carleton will have loads more resources than Umich. The thing about Michigan is that it is packed. The computer labs are packed, the libraries are packed, potential study spaces are packed, and the recreation centers are packed. When I was at Carleton, I could always find a study spot. Now that Carleton has the Weitz center and new dorms, it will even be easier to find some quiet spot. Carleton has a great Rec center for its 2000 students. Umich has 3 of these about the same size as Carleton’s for 43,000 students.</p>
<p>What do you want to do with you life? If you want to be an engineer or go into business, Michigan engineering and the Ross undergrad program and Michigan are considered to be some of the best in the country. Carleton offers the advantageous of contact with professors. Do want to get a PhD?. Carleton is great at that, and many PhD programs will fund you paying tuition and a stipend.</p>
<p>Do you want to join a frat and go to football games? I’ve come to really enjoy the Michigan sports and have been to a number of football games. I hope their football team does better in the coming years. Anyway Frats and football is the experience of many Michigan students. You may have more choices as to how you find a social group at Carleton compared to Umich.</p>
<p>The money thing is a big issue, and I largely agree with dodgersmom.</p>
He says there are tons of people he doesn’t know, and every year here comes a new set of freshmen to mix things up. One thing I like is that there are two dining halls. If one starts feeling to familiar and you need a change of scenery, go to the other one.</p>