<p>I just got my ED acceptance letter today and I am bouncing off walls. I have been so anxious for the past couple of weeks. If I thought about applications, my stomach would do some complex stunt-flying maneuver and Id be dizzy with nervousness. Now the wait is over and I can relax and enjoy senior year. </p>
<p>The downside is, my financial aid was... well, nonexistent. But I take comfort knowing that my class will probably be more socioeconomically diverse because Carleton only gives the money to those who really do demonstrate financial need. I just have to do some campus jobs, take out some loans, and search for scholarships. </p>
<p>So, has anyone else gotten a reply from Carleton yet? Anyone heading there for sure next year? Id love to meet you!</p>
<p>For those of you still waiting, whether on Carleton or on a different school, good luck!</p>
<p>Yeah, I think it's only for ED, since we had to fill out a separate (non-FAFSA) form for it. But I think RD decisions also come with the financial aid information.</p>
<p>Ehhhhhh....I wish I could legitimately post on this thread, but I got deferred...I was pretty excited when my brother told me it came, saw it was tiny and feared the worst, but then read "defer"...Definitely glass half empty, but whatever, nothing that a nude full-body self-portrait art supplement can't fix...</p>
<p>TheBuse: I'm so sorry that you got deferred...I hope that come April the fat envelope cometh. </p>
<p>Fivre: Ditto. I'm ridiculously impatient now. My friends laugh at me every time I mention something about Carleton, but I can't help it! I just can't wait until September.</p>
<p>Welcome to Carleton! I am confident that coming here was the best choice I have made so far in my life, and I certainly hope (and fervently believe) that you will feel the same way when you start next fall!</p>
<p>Yeah!!! I'm so, so excited for next year, I cannot wait.</p>
<p>Happy, the reason I was sold on Carleton was the time I spent at the Carleton Summer Writing Program, which was a 3 week summer writing camp. I absolutly fell in love with the school during my time there. The professors were incredible, the campus was beautiful, and all the carleton students who staffed the program were the kinds of kids I wanted to go to school with.</p>
<p>But seeing as that was a pretty unique experience, it also stood out to me because it frankly seemed like the least pretentious(with exception to probablly Haverford and Pomona) of the elite liberal arts schools that I visited. I just felt(and I don't know if I could have gotten into these schools), that if I went to Williams, Amherst, Middlebury etc, that there would be a lot of people who had a stuck-up attitude because they were going to one of the best LAC in the country. That was just the sense i got when I visited there.</p>
<p>Who knows, maybe my perception is way off. My sister's best friend goes to Midd, and she loves it, and she is a really cool girl, but I just got a very pretentious feel when I was back east.</p>
<p>Shadow and wbm--
Thanks so much! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it... most of the Carls I've met seem to express similar sentiments. </p>
<p>Happy--
A number of things convinced me that Carleton was the way to go. First off, I am a complete nerd, really. I want a school where learning is respected for what it is, not for its ability to get you a job, and where people cared about each other's success instead of sabotaging it. I want to be in an environment where people get excited about something, where they have passion that isn't an affectation for a resume's sake. Carleton's selectivity hints at its difficulty, yet its casual attitude towards statistics suggests that it looks beyond the meager measure of an SAT. Generally, prestige-hounds disparage it as a "safety school" or somesuch, meaning that they are far less likely to be a prominent force on campus. While several other schools fit this first characteristic, I found Carleton to be the most academically rigorous.</p>
<p>The next reason is that while I'm a nerd, I don't want to be buried in books alone in my dorm (or, for that matter, drinking til I swoon every night). Carleton has such a peculiar blend of intellectual zeal, quirkiness, and love of life that has come through in every Carl I've talked to. It seems like a life-affirming place. My AP Lit teacher was an alum, and she told me of midnight skiing in the Arb, casual ice-sculpture, clandestine boa constrictors, spontaneous cookie-baking... To echo spaceball, people at Carleton didn't seem too concerned with looking like they were staid and studious. They were so laid back and honest... it was just refreshing after visting places like Kenyon (and even Oberlin) where people took themselves far too seriously. With the possible exception of Grinnell, I have not found the combination of serious intellectual inquiry with such quirky fun on any other campus. </p>
<p>I guess the main thing is this: Visit campus. I think there is a "click" of "I can imagine myself here," if it's right for you. The single biggest factor in my decision was the sensation of rightness that I got from the school and its friendly students. It's an emotional response, really, that is unique for each person and it's something that can't be communicated well in type.</p>
<p>Leshachikha, you sound so awesome! Man, if I get in (PLEASEOHPLEASEOHPLEASE), I'm totally going to... I don't know, talk to you? Ha. Your quotes always hit home so much. I'm applying to Grinnell and Kenyon as well. </p>
<p>
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Carleton has such a peculiar blend of intellectual zeal, quirkiness, and love of life that has come through in every Carl I've talked to. It seems like a life-affirming place.
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</p>
<p>Exactly.</p>
<p>Or, as I described to my friends when I came home: "Everyone there is awkward! And funny! And relaxed!" (no response) "THERE ARE TRADING CARDS OF THE LIBRARIANS!!" :)</p>
<p>Omigosh, plethora, I had forgotten about the librarian trading cards! Those are so awesome! It's just little touches like that that really seem to distinguish Carleton-- lots of places have great academics, but very few are as light-hearted and earnest!</p>
<p>I really hope you get in, pleth. We should all have a CC partay when we get on campus.</p>
<p>When my daughter met a Carleton rep for the first time, one of the questions she asked was what was something wacky (unique, offbeat) about Carleton. I reminded my daughter of this question over winter break and we had a good laugh - there's not much about Carleton that ISN'T wacky (unique, offbeat).</p>
<p>Hey, I got my EDII letter a little less than a week ago and I couldn't be more excited! Like some of the rest of you I was also applying to Kenyon and Grinnell. Both of those places actually seem pretty similar to Carleton for me. I chose Carleton primarily for two reasons: it's 35 or so miles south of my house, and the positive vibes I got from the place when I visited were overwhelming. It just seemed like a really happy place to call home. I can't wait to see all of you in September!</p>
<p>Yay! Below Carleton, I had Wesleyan (I'm from the East Coast... but its snootiness was a major turn-off), Kenyon and Grinnell. But I had never visited Grinnell and it takes about three planes to get there from New Jersey, Kenyon was very "nice" but not as academic (just the vibe I got) and, as I said, I felt Wesleyan to be one big "look how weird I can be!" pretensious-fest.</p>
<p>Hehe, you'll already be used to the harsh winters... It was apparently in the negative range just a few weeks ago, right? <em>shivers</em> I ordered my parka already!</p>
<p>Grinnell was my second-choice. It had a similar vibe to Carleton (quirky, fun, unpretentious, etc, etc), but I wasn't too impressed with the classes I saw. Really, really pretty campus though. Kenyon actually rubbed me the wrong way for a variety of reasons...</p>
<p>But Carleton! Ah! I can't wait to get on campus and be able to shake hands with everyone! Everybody I've met is so UBER COOL. We just all will need lots of sweaters...</p>
<p>Haha, we had a really cold week last week where there were a couple days where the high temp was below zero. Today the thermometer hit twenty-three and after last week it felt like July. On days like today I don't even wear a winter jacket, but I guess that's just the Minnesotan in me! Leshachikha, if you're from a warm area I won't lie, the winter will take some getting used to, but as long as you learn that hot cocoa is your best friend you'll be fine. I also visited Wesleyan and I did get a bit of a snootiness vibe as well. Carleton's sense of being really academic but not too full of itself is so great. I'm Graham by the way, nice to meet you guys!</p>