<p>So I am very interested in Carleton College which is located in MN. I have heard and read some rumors that the majority of the student population are weirdos. I know this is very subjective because in every college, there are odd people. But I was on their website reading an article a student wrote, and she mentioned how odd the student population is. So Are there any Carleton students/almunae who wish to defend the school/confirm the rumors. And how do the students at Carleton compare to those at other top LACs like Swarthmore and Haverford?</p>
<p>I’ve done a ton of research on Carleton and I haven’t found anything that suggests that Carleton kids are weirdos. I do know that they are quirky and a bit nerdy with a Midwestern charm. I would compare them to the students at Rice University. To be honest, I do not think they are too different from the kids at Swarthmore and Haverford. There is the same intellectual, liberal vibe at all three schools.</p>
<p>Ok thanks! I hope I don’t sound like a snobby ******* with my post but I was just curious. That’s good to hear because it’s somewhere I consider going to!</p>
<p>They’re weird in a good, friendly way.</p>
<p>I don’t think they are weird at all. I would say they are more direct and less pretentious than students at some other top LACs. They go to Carleton because they like Carleton, not because they are looking for the top name brand. And they feel no need to be physically located on either coast. Are you sure the person you talked to wasn’t referring to Reed? :D</p>
<p>Haha in a good friendly wayxD No, they were definitely talking about Carleton…idk where they got that opinion though</p>
<p>No, Carleton kids are not weirdos! I’m an alum, and I loved Carleton! I have been fairly conservative all of my life, and I was very happy at Carleton. It has always been a fairly liberal school, as most selective LAD’s are, but the great thing about it is that the students all accept each other and appreciate each other’s strengths. A student in a skirt or khakis who is conservative politically or in the religious sense could be best friends with another student in army pants who is liberal, marching in protests, etc (I was the former). I made lifelong friends at Carleton and absolutely loved my experience there! It prepared me well for medical school at Northwestern and residency at Columbia University. The science was and still is superb at Carleton, but so is their music, history, English–you name it. From what I have read (no personal experience) Reed and Oberlin sound more like the type of school you were describing.</p>
<p>DD2 loved Carleton for its geekiness. High geek factor, not weirdo.</p>
<p>My son goes to Carleton, and he’s pretty weird. In a good way, though. :)</p>
<p>what is wrong with “weird” people? (maybe a lot of people at carleton feel more comfortable because they are not judged like they were in high school by the “normal” people) weird people are the ones that change/make the world a better place. if “weird” people bother you and you want a more jock /frat heavy “normal” LAC maybe you should look at Bucknell or Leigh .
swathmore and haverford might not be for you either.</p>
<p>No I have nothing against weird people. I don’t. I just heard some rumors and wanted them clarified. Please do not take offense to my post, I did not mean harm in any way. And jennieling I am glad that Carleton prepared you well for graduate school because that is the educational path I am pursuing.</p>
<p>I don’t think the kids at Carleton need to defend themselves to anyone.</p>
<p>zobroward, it’s Swarthmore.</p>
<p>collegebound202 …if you want the best all around LAC I would say
MUHLENBERG COLLEGE would be that school. it is the perfect balance (IMO of course)</p>
<p>Hendrix College also has a super strong showing on my list.</p>
<p>"I don’t think they are weird at all. … they feel no need to be physically located on either coast. Are you sure the person you talked to wasn’t referring to Reed? " intparent </p>
<p>To many coastal types, Midwesterners are weird because they’re so dull.</p>
<p>Indeed, here’s a student who last April turned down the University of Chicago and $10,000 in merit aid at Grinnell to go to Reed.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1320994-grinnell-vs-reed-vs-u-chicago.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1320994-grinnell-vs-reed-vs-u-chicago.html</a></p>
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<p>Not the way they pronounce it… they say it just the way zobroward spelled it. :D</p>
<p>Reed is more than “coastal” in the unusual qualities of its students. Of course there are students who turn down other schools to go there, I didn’t say there weren’t. That doesn’t make them mainstream, though.</p>
<p>collegebound202 - have you looked at the student reviews of Carleton on the internet? I read 10+ the other day and it sounds like the perfect school for the right kid. I’m hoping my daughter will consider it.
Good luck!</p>
<p>This is great. Carleton is full of SUPER NERDS. (As an alum, I describe Carls as nerds with as much affection as one could possibly include in the term.) They’re not weird, like never-sees-sunshine, don’t-want-to-bring-along-in-social-situations weird. They’re nerds, like they seem completely normal until you hit on the totally random thing they’re into - be it juggling, or phytoplankton blooms, or Zen Buddhism, or glaciers, or modern Irish literature (all real examples) - then WHAM! Nerdout!</p>
<p>It’s not for everyone, but if it’s your style, it’s a hell of a good time.</p>