Help! Sarah Lawrence v. Carleton

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I'm an international student and I am currently deciding between Carleton and Sarah Lawrence, the only two schools who accepted me. Both gave me very generous finaid packages, for which I'm very grateful, so that's not a factor.</p>

<p>The main pull factors of SLC for me would be the proximity to NYC (it's always been a dream of mine to live there, and this is as close as it gets! ) which I assume would be a great help in getting internships and jobs in the city (I aim to be a journalist and hope to work in the US after grad), and the gay-friendliness. I find the writing-intensive curriculum and don system attractive too.</p>

<p>The minus points for me I guess are the worries over employment prospects/prestige/recognition for grad schools of a generic Sarah Lawrence Liberal Arts degree, the male to female ratio, and the seemingly unfriendly vibe of the students (derived from observations from their LiveJournal account, which of course is totally accurate. Lol :) )</p>

<p>For Carleton, I know that I'll get an excellent, excellent education, higher prestige factor, bigger international community, great study abroad opportunities, more balanced gender ratio, and a very friendly, close-knit student community in comparison, it seems.</p>

<p>The minus point would be its location, of course. It's near the Twin Cities, but that's no NYC (not for me at least). And the frigid, frigid winters (I come from a tropical country)</p>

<p>It seems like a no-brainer, but the lure of NYC is oh so strong!</p>

<p>I hope receive some advice which can aid my decision-making process. Thank you very very much!</p>

2

<p>My daughter is currently a freshman at Carleton. Until enrolling, she had only experienced the coastal Texas climate. I was surprised, but she handled the climate transition quite easily - the secret is knowing how to dress in layers. The Carleton students also live the winter lifestyle with gusto, doing a number of typical (traying, broomball, ice sculpting) and atypical (ice croquet) winter activities. In other words, in the typical Carleton manner, the students have fun with the weather.</p>

3

<p>My son is going to Sarah Lawrence, accepted ED. He always has been in love with New York as you. I think you should really consider whether you would be wishing for the New York experience - or even a big city experience - while you would be at Carlton. Just my opinion. Good luck with your decision.</p>

4

<p>I applied to both schools and I'll be attending Carleton next year. One thing I didn't love about Sarah Lawrence was that they gave out grades for grad school purposes but didn't actually give you your grades unless you requested them. I thought that system was rather convoluted; either give out grades or go gradeless, don't go halfway. Being close to NYC is nice, but you can easily live or study there after graduation. Ultimately, the friendly, close-knit community is why I chose to attend Carleton. It just seemed like an amazing environment. However, I think Sarah Lawrence is a good school, and you can't really go wrong either way. Good Luck!</p>

5

<p>thanks for the advice, guys. </p>

<p>I got another offer from Colgate, but the finaid wasn't as great, so i don't think that'll be an option.</p>

<p>I think I'm leaning towards Sarah Lawrence because of NYC, and ultimately I would hope to work in the city, and i think the SLC connection would have more mileage...</p>

6

<p>Did you visit SL?</p>

7

<p>I would pick Carleton. It's a great school, and there are great opportunities for internships in the Twin Cities. If you like New York, you can always relocate there for work or visit it during vacation.</p>

<p>Carleton is also a lot more diverse than Sarah Lawrence in many ways.</p>

8

<p>Nope, I won't be able to visit because the Pacific Ocean sits between me and both colleges, and I'm not well-off enough to spare the airfare just for visits. Hence, online research and talks with local Americans here are the only souces of information for me to make my decision...</p>

9

<p>There's a livejournal community for Carleton, which has both current students and alums. They may be able to tell you more about internship opportunities.</p>

10

<p>I would go to SL. Let's face it, most people never heard of either. Both will provide a good education. 4 year in MN is more than I could handle.</p>