<p>A question for parents or current students: Does Carleton have a Dean's List? If so, when and where is it published? As explanation for asking the question, my very local paper has a section highlighhting the accomplishments of those attending college, and I frequently see mention of Dean's list honorees. Given that Carleton students are laid back about grades, and the students I've met are rather unpretentious, I was curious about such a designation.</p>
<p>Yes, there is a Dean’s List - top 10% of each class by previous year’s GPA. Dean’s List students are identified in pamphlet distributed at opening convo each year (if I’m remembering correctly) and asked to stand briefly as the award is announced, along with other specific honors. Parents get a letter if their child makes it on the list, I think. Neither the existence of the list nor who is on it is widely circulated or discussed among Carleton students. If you’re on it, you know, but otherwise you don’t really care.</p>
<p>Some more specifics here: [Carleton</a> College: Dean of Students: Academic Regulations and Procedures: Dean’s List](<a href=“http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/dos/handbook/academic_regs/?policy_id=21432]Carleton”>http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/dos/handbook/academic_regs/?policy_id=21432)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Before I went to Carleton I heard so many times that Carls are laid back about their grades and care just about learning, or nobody pays too much attention to how well their other classmates are doing. After graduating, I would consider this more of a “hope” or a “myth”.</p>
<p>I don’t know. Maybe it was just my major. Maybe I had a different experience than many others who went to Carleton, but I would say students cared deeply about their grades and other students definitely paid attention to who got the top grades. While I wouldn’t describe it as cut throat, I would describe the atmosphere as competitive. I even knew of a few who left after a year because they found it too competitive and too many students cared too much about their grades. </p>
<p>It would be interesting to know what others think.</p>
<p>treeman: Carls are unpretentious, but Carleton College is also more traditional than many realize. In addition to dean’s list, graduation honors - cum, magna, summa cum laude - are still awarded come graduation day along with a host of departmental and sub-specialized honors:
<a href=“https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/doc/honors/[/url]”>https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/doc/honors/</a> </p>
<p>I agree that it would be naive to argue that Carls operate on some plane high above all similar academic institutions , miraculously uncaring and unstressed about grades. But the competition on this campus really is self-directed. To a degree rarely found elsewhere, collaboration rules the day. Three Musketeerism (yeah, “one for all and all for one”) IS the name of the game. A different issue, the reality of very serious academic rigor (especially in the sciences) will not sit well with everyone. Don’t come here looking to coast.</p>
<p>I’ll pass on a few quotes from the school web site and suggest you look at other student comments/blogs/videos there. These are refreshingly candid and unscripted:
<a href=“http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/people/[/url]”>http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/people/</a></p>
<p>“We work really hard, but it isn’t competitive, and people love what they’re studying. Do be ready for four years of never quite being done with your homework.” —Mary Ellen Stitt '08 </p>
<p>“Academics at Carleton are demanding, but entirely fulfilling. I transferred here, and the transition has been far from easy. I’ve been exhausted numerous times and had days where it just feels like too much. But when I reach the end of the term, I realize that the hard work is worth it. By accepting the challenge, I’ve learned more and expanded my intellectuality more than I previously thought was possible. Also, there is no competition here against students for performance, rather every student pushes themselves to do their best. You won’t find this at most other top-tier colleges.” —Katherine Turnage '10</p>
<p>“I chose Carleton because it was the place that felt most like a home. I knew people here were caring and open and if I ever had a problem, someone would be there for me. You can find rigorous academics at any number of places, but it’s difficult to find such a feeling of comfort and community.” —Anna Losacano '10</p>
<p>does anyone know about what g.p.a. it takes to get on the dean’s list? my sister has like a 3.7 something and i’m just curious… thanks!</p>
<p>it’s the top ten percent of the class so there’s no cutoff gpa. it really depends on the class that you happen to be in. if you are in a really competitive class, you might find only a 3.9 might get you in the dean’s list. if you’re in a less competitive class, a 3.7 might get you on the dean’s list.</p>
<p>The lowest GPA that I made Dean’s List with was a high 3.7-range as a freshman. I think the cutoff was not much lower than that in that year, maybe around a 3.75.</p>
<p>I agree with jack63 to the extent that I felt that Carleton students are more concerned grades than our super laid-back, non-competitive reputation would have you believe. Carleton students by and large do care about their grades and try to do as well as they can. People don’t feel entitled to A’s, but it’s not uncommon to hear people grumbling about getting a B on a paper they discussed extensively with a prof, or maybe being mildly disappointed at a final grade that’s a notch lower than hoped for. However, in my experience there was not much discussion about grades except with close friends who were comfortable with it. I never knew my most of my friends’ GPAs, even ballpark – that is, until graduation, when the weather is so hot and the honorary doctorate speakers so dull that you have little else to do besides look at the Latin honors lists. A lot of Carleton students find those fascinating and surprising, not in small part because of the taboos surrounding talking about GPAs.</p>
<p>As far as competition goes with other students, I knew a couple of people who were definitely actively interested in how others did on tests, how they did relative to them, etc., but that was fairly uncommon. Most people were only concerned with their own performances. I never witnessed unfriendly competition, sabotage, or any other sort of cut-throat behavior. I would also add that people were considerably less likely to seek out classes and majors based on ease of getting good grades than what I heard about from my friends at similar schools. There’s not really a culture of, oh, I heard this prof is really easy, I will take classes from him and boost my grades, or the other way with some profs being widely avoided because of their reputations as tough graders. Carleton students are up for a challenge and willing to take a couple of mediocre grades.</p>
<p>dietcokewithlime, your description of Carls attitude to grades is more far more similar to what I remember. I still would go further and say that in the Science majors the competition was more discernable with 40%-50% definitely paying attention to others students grades. Maybe it was all the premed majors.</p>
<p>^ That definitely sounds particular to pre-meds. Nowhere near 40-50% of the people I knew were obviously interested in other’s grades. Then again, nowhere near 40-50% of the people I knew had specific enough ambitions that they were actively aiming to achieve a certain GPA for med school applications.</p>
<p>In my experience, if I’m taking a class with a friend, the grades conversation goes along the lines of</p>
<p>A: How’d you do on the paper?
B: Fine. How about you?
A: I did okay.</p>
<p>No letters or numbers required. If someone does want to share his/her grade, it tends to be more along the lines of figuring out the term grade (and how to pull it up by the end of finals).</p>