<p>Hindoo, I have been looking at the Lawrence thread, and I believe I saw your name there.</p>
<p>I am interested to know what your, and anyone else's for that matter, impressions are between Lawrence and Carelton.</p>
<p>Sorry but I have never heard of a school called "Carelton".</p>
<p>Idic5--I can only tell you that my daughter loved them both. I visited Lawrence with her, while my husband handled the Carleton trip, so I have not personally seen Carl. Yet. (That will change as of Sept. 5.) </p>
<p>Ironically, my daughter--who originally wanted a school in a big urban setting (think: Chicago)--ended up choosing between two that were either rural or in a much smaller city. </p>
<p>Her thoughts on Lawrence were: a lovely though not breathtakingly beautiful campus; Fox River a picturesque plus; close to a nice downtown Appleton area; friendly people; strong theater program; and just generally good vibes from the place. Her only negatives were what seemed like long walks between classroom buildings/dorms when the winter weather hits hard, as they assured us it does (!); and the fact that Lawrence's conservatory would seem to skew the student population heavily toward those musically oriented, which my daughter is not. (She's more theaterish.) If your D is a potential music major, you probably can't do much better than Lawrence. I read somewhere that in a more "desirable" location, it would likely be one of the more selective colleges in the country.</p>
<p>My daughter tells me that Carleton was likewise a lovely campus, though not with the stunning gothic beauty of a Vassar or Kenyon. Still, it felt just right to her, especially after spending time with several quirky, funny, and very bright Carl students. For some reason, the prospect of trudging around Northfield in the bitterest of winter cold didn't seem to bother her, though that might change come next January. Carleton's theater program is small and not particularly spectacular, but that suited us just fine. She'll be able to get involved, but it won't dominate her life and hopefully she'll broaden her academic horizons during her time there.</p>
<p>Carleton operates on the trimester system and I believe Lawrence has something similar, so that was a draw. Carleton, of course, is not much on giving merit money. She'll be getting a need-based grant and the annual $2,000 NMF award. Lawrence was, on the other hand, much more generous with merit scholarship $$. Carleton has a somewhat larger student population--approx. 1900 as opposed to 1300. I'm not sure if this factored into my D's decision or not. Money-wise, Lawrence was the better deal for us, and it was "only" a ten-hour drive from where we live, while Carleton is about 13 hours away. </p>
<p>All-in-all, two outstanding schools. Good luck in your daughter's college-search process. Also, consider Oberlin if a music program is part of what she's looking for.</p>
<p>Hindoo, since your daughter enjoys theater, she may be interested in Uninvited Company. They are Carleton students who stay in Northfield during the summer (at one of the interest houses) and put on two or three plays. So far this summer, they have performed "All My Sons" and they just got through with "The Importance of Being Earnest". Can't remember the third selection. </p>
<p>My daughter isn't doing this, but she loves being in Northfield for the summer (working at Carleton) - it sure beats a Texas summer!</p>
<p>Fireflyscout--I've relayed your info about "Uninvited Company" to my daughter. Thanks! ... I see you're from Texas. My daughter just received her dorm assignment letter today--she'll be rooming with a young lady from the Houston area. We're from Kentucky, so they can adapt to the Minnesota winters together!</p>
<p>I love Texas summers! Except for when I'm training 6 hours in the heat. Then it sucks. I live in socal btw.</p>
<p>Thanks, Hindoo, for the nice summary between the two colleges. We just came back from a vacation in Door County, WI, and we made a brief unanounced visit to Lawrence's Bjorklunden property on Lake Michigan in that county - it is about 1.75 hrs away from Appleton. We happen to speak to a theatre major there. They do Shakespeare there.</p>
<p>My daughter loves violin but does not want to major in it. She did want to keep her chops going, maybe minor in music.</p>
<p>anyone know What opportunities are there at Carleton to play violin?</p>
<p>Carleton has an orchestra and a chamber music ensemble.</p>
<p>thanks, fireflyscout. I assume that non music majors can take music classes and be eligible to play in the ensembles. At least one place that I know (UIUC - big state uni) would not allow such a thing. We are considering big and small in this stage of the search.</p>
<p>There wouldn't be very many students taking the music classes if they were only open to music majors! Yes, other majors may take music classes and instruction. I don't know too much about the instrumental program - my daughter did choir. Last year, the choir did 3 concerts and a performance trip to New Orleans.</p>
<p>Music classes are available each trimester for instruments across the board for 2, 4, or 6 credits/class (a typical academic class being 6 credits). This makes it quite easy to fit in as either a fun add-on to a full schedule or as a full course in itself.</p>