lots of questions about Carleton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carleton College
1

<p>Hi, I am a freshman at a small liberal arts school in the East. I am thinking of transferring to Carleton, and would like to know if Carleton has the same/different qualities as my current school.</p>

<p>1) Drugs/drinking are a HUGE thing here. What's the party/night scene like at Carleton?</p>

<p>2) Are there a lot of varied theater opportunities at Carleton (i.e. avant-garde, classical, contemporary, etc.?)</p>

<p>3) How are the English and Psych departments?</p>

<p>4) This is very general, but what is the atmosphere at Carleton like? Are kids "nice", in the general sense of the word?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>1) </p>

<p>I would not describe the substance scene here as HUGE in bold black letters, but it's definitely present.</p>

<p>As far as alcohol goes, most of the campus drinks occasionally. Some drink every weekend and a significant minority don't drink at all. The sub-free life at Carleton appears pretty tight-knit and lively, but that segment of the student body is somewhat cloistered from the rest. Some big campus events, like spring concert and rottblatt involve lots of drunkeness. Others do not. If you are 100% anti-drinking and vow never to be around it, your pool of potential associates will be limited. The same holds true if you are a "100% party, 100% of the time" sort of person.</p>

<p>In terms of drugs, pot is widespread, but you could engage in the normal party scene without partaking. Occasionally you'll hear of someone tripping on shrooms or acid, but that's pretty rare. There are whispers sometimes that this person or that person does cocaine, but those are unsubstatiated. All in all, the only drug used with any frequency at Carleton is weed. Hard drugs are basically unheard of. </p>

<p>2)</p>

<p>From what I understand, as someone who is not involved in theater, the department itself is pretty small but there are always plenty of varied productions to participate in. The classics and Shakespeare are always around, as are some more experimental productions. I don't know a ton about it, though, so hopefully someone else can answer more thoroughly.</p>

<p>3)</p>

<p>I've only taken one English class (which was awesome, but I don't know if that's representative) and no psych, so I'm not a good person to answer that.</p>

<p>4)</p>

<p>From another post of mine:
"I would define our culture as intensely curious, academically devoted, cooperative, Minnesota-nice (sometimes to the point of neurosis), fiercely fun-loving, and (oh, the dreaded word, but it has to be said) "quirky." I know two or three people who are transferring out. Why? For one, his girlfriend was home in California and the weather and culture of Minnesota were just too different for him to feel comfortable. Another girl, from a VERY prestigious Northeastern prep school, left because she did not like the extremely laid-back, noncompetitive attitude and the admittedly neurotic sides of the prevailing Minnesota-nice. Compared to a gaggle of brisk, witty, and "polished" Northeasterners, Carls are more gawkish and earthy.</p>

<p>...People are not concerned with appearing interesting and they don't wear their accomplishments on their sleeves. Along the way, however, you discover the craziest things about your peers and really start to respect them. The meathead 6'7" football player living down the hall turns out to be a math prodigy as well as a military history nut. That adorably awkward physics girl is actually a whiz at the french horn. See a bird you don't recognize? Talk to the stoner down the hall and he'll tell you exactly what species it is, its range, its habits, its food, and anything else you'd possibly wanted to know. Then go and smoke, end up talking about qualia and epiphenomenalism before moving on to discussing the merits of Tila Tequila. It works."</p>

3

<ol>
<li><p>I'd say that if you're absolutely against yourself and other people drinking, you should look for another school. I've gone to a lot of parties sober, but most Carls are too socially inept without some liquid courage in them. Pot is widely available/used. You can get hard drugs if you ask the right people, but they're absent from parties.</p></li>
<li><p>I don't know anything about theater except that performances tend to be very uneven in quality. Student-run shows tend to be much more entertaining than the serious mainstage productions.</p></li>
<li><p>The English department is very strong. I've heard good things about the Psych department but couldn't tell you anything from firsthand experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Carleton kids are, in general, the kids who were not cool and did not have the best experience in high school. Some of them try to redo high school: Carleton is a lot cliquier, cattier, and more pretentious than my high school ever was. I know several people who have transferred, taken leaves of absence, or withdrawn, but I think the number shouldn't cause the freshman retention rate to drop (from like 99% or whatever it is). Then again, some of the people I've met have enriched my life more than they can ever know, and I am so grateful for their friendship. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Leshachikha -- I def. think I know the people you're talking about and I don't think your assessment of one of them (prep school girl) is spot-on accurate. I bet I totally know you in real life ... did you live in Goodhue last year?</p>

4

<p>wait, heymariko, that surprises me! New to hear that Carleton is cliquey and catty... I thought Carls were all down-to-earth, "minnesota nice," and not so focused on what they wear and how much $ they have...? Basically what Leshachikha said... but you guys are saying different things?!!</p>

5

<p>I suggest your also consider Macalester where there are varied theater opportunities not only on campus but in nearby Minneapolis/St. Paul, the campus culture is very friendly, accepting, and globally-focused, the party culture is not dominant, and both the English and Psychology departments are strong, in keeping with the overall academic/intellectual strength of the school.</p>

6

<p>I spoke with a recent grad who did a great deal of theater at Carleton - he loved the fact that, as a student, he could propose and do almost anything that interested him. Since it is a small dept (I think only 2 or 3 faculty) you don't have to be a theater major or even student to be involved. Here's a link to the student-run theater groups Carleton</a> College: Theater & Dance: Student Groups </p>

<p>On the sub-free scene- my niece ('07) delighted us with weekly letters for four years. She didn't drink at all but some of her friends did. It sounded like she and her friends would go to some parties and, if it became annoying, they'd head back to play card games, have movie/tv show marathons, bake cookies, etc. So her experience didn't seem (from my perspective) to indicate a big separation between sub-free and not. The sub-free floors are spread throughout campus - most dorms have a sub free floor. So there isn't the physical segragation that can happen elsewhere. When touring colleges d asked sub-free housing and got some funny replies. I think it was a Macalester where the guide said that since all freshman and most undergrads were underage, all the floors were sub-free. (LOL, and I have a bridge to sell you...)</p>

<p>Here's a link to student comments on social life - Carleton</a> College: About Carleton: Campus Life</p>

7

<p>Our son is a current freshman, and his experience has been very similar to bingle's niece. He requested sub-free housing and has become very close with everyone on his floor. He is fine with other student choices - he believes everyone should respect each other's choices. He goes to parties and dances but also knows he can always find other ways to spend his weekend evenings - "jamming" with other musicians, games, movies, etc. Sometimes our son's behavior might lead people to think he had been smoking or drinking - just a naturally "wild and crazy guy".</p>

8

<p>As far as academics Macalester is near Carleton but, Mac is in a much more "plugged in" location. Since Mac is in St. Paul you'll be surrounded by a very diverse group of students. Students from the University of Minnesota and students from other private colleges etc. Carleton is in Northfield and the only other school near by is St. Olaf which is Lutheran and relatively speaking quite conservative.</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
Some of them try to redo high school: Carleton is a lot cliquier, cattier, and more pretentious than my high school ever was.

[/quote]

I have no idea what your high school was like, but mine was fairly laid-back and I'd still describe Carleton as a much more open, down-to-earth environment than my HS. Most people do have a primary circle of friends that you could identify them with, but I wouldn't say this resulted in catty, cliquey behavior. (As for pretentiousness, you could maybe think that about The Carl staff of hipsters, but not really many other people at all.) I certainly had my closest friends who were mostly all good buds, but I also spent time with other people who I knew for completely different reasons and who didn't really know my other friends at all. I was under the impression that this was the norm, too. People you live with, people you take lots of classes with, people in the same clubs/sports, people you went abroad with, people you do work-study with, etc.--most students hang out with people from all these categories, and there's no reason for those groups to all be the same.</p>

10

<p>Look, outside of a handful of Christian based schools, alcohol and drugs obviously hold a ubiquitous presence on college campuses. Carleton is a predominantly middle of the road place with alcohol making a pretty average showing, pot a bit less common, and hard drugs a very rare (and generally very unwelcome) player. As Bingle mentions, there is a large minority of subfree underclassmen around who generally end up less than purely subfree by the time they graduate. The kids I know at Carleton now who fit this bill have put together a thriving social life and have had no problem adapting to and being accepted on a wet campus. Regarding the curious mention of Mac, this is not exactly the school that usually comes to mind if looking for a subfree environment.</p>

<p>I'd certainly agree with dietcokewithlime about Carls as a whole. If anything, the single most common thread that probably draws kids to this campus is that they find that it's the antithesis of the clique-laden, catty environment that often characterized their high school years. Kids here are academically inclined and intellectual. But pretentious? Try walking onto the campuses of the schools that compete with Carleton for students and draw your own conclusions. Carleton's transfer rate is one of the lowest in the nation but there will always be some disaffection. I'd extend Leshachikha's comment to argue that this is a place where cool means having a sense of humor and a self-effacing nature. To anyone for whom cool means hipster posturing, I'd advise they look elsewhere.</p>

11

<p>"the party culture is not dominant" at Macalester? After visiting both, I found that Macalester had a much more prominent party culture than Carleton.</p>

12

<p>Yeah, reiterating everyone but heymariko, I think the LACK of cattiness/cliqueyness is one of the absolute best things about Carleton, and in general, my Carleton experience could not have been more different than my experience at a relatively typical large public high school. I can also verify that I had an extremely socially rewarding 2 years at Carleton before I ever regularly partook in alcohol use. The social scene would be challenging if you cannot tolerate other individuals' drinking in your presence, but you can certainly have fun without drinking yourself. In general, Carleton students aren't much into peer pressure and as long as you accept what they are doing, they typically accept what you are (or aren't) doing.</p>