<p>I know very little about Lawrence but D2 received some info from a coach asking her to consider Lawrence. She has been looking at Carleton. How are they similar/different? Can any one compare the two?</p>
<p>I don't know anything about Carlton but I don't think you should compare schools. I think the best tactic is to let your daughter visit the different schools and she what she thinks. From my understanding, she would have an outstanding education at either place. </p>
<p>I know about LU because my son is in his third year and it is a great school. I had never heard of it until he applied. He has had so many opportunities while attending the school. He has been dabbling all over the place trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life and his skills have come a long way. He is getting a great liberal arts education.</p>
<p>There are many excellent liberal arts colleges (LACs) in the Midwest. Carleton and Lawrence are among them. My daughter is in her 2nd year at Lawrence, and my oldest son (a HS junior) and I are a few months into the college selection process right now, focusing almost exclusively on LACs, many of which are in the Midwest. One major difference between Carleton and Lawrence is that Lawrence has a music conservatory (a most excellent one). About 400 of the 1,500 students are student of the conservatory. Also, many non-music majors also have an interest in music.</p>
<p>Academically, Lawrence is a notch below Carleton; however, both are excellent schools, Carleton being higher ranked, more selective, more diverse, and probably better funded (cf. Lawrence's limits on financial aid applying to study abroad). Lawrence's music conservatory is definitely a plus--think Oberlin without the extreme progressive factor, although again a notch down in academics.</p>
<p>On paper, Carleton > Lawrence; but fit is the most important, and most fickle, criteria. (And, seeing the date on this thread--I'd be interested to know which school the OP's D ended up choosing.)</p>
<p>DD2 has visited both Carleton and Lawrence. Both are strong in science; average ACT for Carleton=30 (28-32 mid-range) and Lawrence=29; both are on trimester systems. However, the admissions rep at Lawrence told us that most of their cross-applications are actually with the other Northfield college, St Olaf--probably due to their mutual emphasis on music.
On paper, at least, Lawrence seems to combine aspects of Carleton (science), St Olaf (music) and Macalester (high number of international students). Daughter did attend classes at Lawrence and thought that the academic quality was good.<br>
At Carleton, we had a very enthusiastic tour guide and students seemed generally happy. The students she met at Lawrence seemed more serious and more reserved.
She will most likely apply to both schools, assuming she ever finishes her Common App essay!</p>