Questions for current students and alums!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carleton College
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<p>Questions about Carleton! </p>

<p>I'm super excited about being accepted to Carleton. I can really picture myself attending. I loved the school when I visited. However, I'm still trying to decide between Carleton and a few others. </p>

<p>One of my worries is the core curriculum, I've also heard it called distribution requirements. I'm planning on majoring in International Relations. I'm not a big math/science person. I'm already in AP Calculus BC and I'm not really interested in going further in math. I'm totally fine with taking more math, I just don't want to take Calc III.
Are there less hard-core math classes for humanities majors?
Will I be required to take many high level math classes?
What are some options that exist to fulfill the 'science with lab component' requirement?</p>

<p>It seems like this isn't an issue. But. Was it hard to balance school and fun? How intense were the academics?</p>

<p>Was the workload manageable? Were you able to maintain a good GPA?</p>

<p>Also, how often did you go into the Twin Cities?</p>

<p>Is there much to do in Northfield?</p>

<p>What were the best things about Carleton?</p>

<p>What were the worst things about Carleton?</p>

<p>Is there anything I should know before I make my decision?</p>

<p>Thank you so much for helping me out!</p>

<p>And, what exactly is Malt-o-Meal?!</p>

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<p>I’m glad you started this thread. I was going to start one, as a Carleton parent, called “What Are You Worried About?” so that students could get questions answered. I won’t answer these questions for now, as the students are better prepared to answer them. If no one else answers, I’ll come back.</p>

<p>Ds1, current Carleton student, says the Class of 2016 FB is up and running so you can get questions answered there as well.</p>

<p>ETA: I think Malt-O-Meal is gross, but it sure smells good. :)</p>

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<p>Are there less hard-core math classes for humanities majors?</p>

<p>Definitely, there are classes like “Physics for poets” (not math but you get the idea), three levels of statistics, etc. </p>

<p>Will I be required to take many high level math classes?</p>

<p>I highly doubt that – you get to choose, and there should be enough non-hardcore classes to chose from.</p>

<p>What are some options that exist to fulfill the ‘science with lab component’ requirement?</p>

<p>For spring specifically, you could check [Carleton</a> Registration Information](<a href=“ENROLL | Carleton College”>ENROLL | Carleton College) . In general, <a href=“https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule/[/url]”>https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule/&lt;/a&gt; is a good place to look for classes. You can also check individual departments’ websites.</p>

<p>It seems like this isn’t an issue. But. Was it hard to balance school and fun? How intense were the academics?</p>

<p>School takes up time, but this varies enormously from person to person (your background coming in, and what you want to do at Carleton); however, I’ll say that you should have time for all kinds of stuff. Most people here who run low on sleep, I think, just make a lot of commitments because a bunch of things looks very cool. :)</p>

<p>Was the workload manageable? Were you able to maintain a good GPA?</p>

<p>Again, varies based on your background and what you want to do.</p>

<p>Also, how often did you go into the Twin Cities?</p>

<p>Personally, not too much, maybe once a term.</p>

<p>Is there much to do in Northfield?</p>

<p>Anything specifically? There are a couple of nice eating places, St. Olaf is nearby as well.</p>

<p>What were the best things about Carleton?</p>

<p>People are quite chill and relaxed, professors are very supportive and personal.</p>

<p>What were the worst things about Carleton?</p>

<p>Not a big fan of cold weather, though this year it’s been much warmer!</p>

<p>Is there anything I should know before I make my decision?</p>

<p>Nothing comes to mind right off the bat, but if you can visit during the accepted students days, definitely do – it’ll be a nice preview into the college. :)</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for the replies!
That website you linked to was super helpful! And lot’s of those classes look really fun! </p>

<p>So, are the distribution requirements just these listed below?</p>

<p>“Arts and Literature (12 credits required)
Humanities (12 credits required)
Social Sciences (18 credits required)
Mathematics and Natural Sciences (18 credits required)
Recognition and Affirmation of Difference (1 course required)
Writing Rich (1 course required)”</p>

<p>Another question! What’s The Cave like?</p>

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<p>As you can see, it says “For students who entered prior to Fall 2010:” at the top of that. You fall under “For students entering beginning Fall 2010 <a href=“excluding%20transfer%20students”>and later</a>:”</p>

<p>The new requirements are more specific, but require a smaller total number of ‘breadth’ classes/credits. Older requirements were broader, but required more classes.</p>

<p>The Cave is fun and you can even stage your own shows there, provided you reserve the space in advance. I don’t have that much knowledge on it though, so I’ll let it up to someone else to provide more details. :)</p>

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<p>Oh okay, sorry. Yeah, I see.
Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Which dorm are you in? Do you like it?</p>

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<p>Are there less hard-core math classes for humanities majors?
No. Our department, big for Carleton’s size, is still very small. You won’t get multiple “tracks” here. But for what it’s worth, coming from a prospective Classics major, I didn’t find either Calc 1 or 2 “hardcore”. I came in without Calc but I can’t imagine it’s much harder than Calc BC, but of course I wouldn’t know.</p>

<p>Will I be required to take many high level math classes?</p>

<p>Nope. You need 6 credits of math (Formal Statistical Reasoning) and 3 courses of Quantitative Reasoning Encounter, which can be math, or Econ, some Psych, Physics, Bio, Chem, etc.</p>

<p>What are some options that exist to fulfill the ‘science with lab component’ requirement?</p>

<p>If you don’t like “hard” sciences, try Geology or Psychology.</p>

<p>It seems like this isn’t an issue. But. Was it hard to balance school and fun? How intense were the academics?</p>

<p>It is what you make of it. You can take relatively “light” (relatively. There’s nothing light, in the way of high school, at Carleton) courses or overload. I found it a little hard to balance work and fun, but I don’t have a conventional definition of fun. For instance, I don’t ever party and like to learn on my own on my “off” time and a lot of times I’m just mentally exhausted from school work to do that.</p>

<p>Was the workload manageable? Were you able to maintain a good GPA?</p>

<p>Yes, and yes, for me personally. I took Calc 1 and 2, Latin 1 and 2, Philosophy and Greek Lit. I didn’t find them that hard, but it depends on what you want to do. For instance, my roommate took 2 lab sciences last term (NOT recommended. Labs are 4 hours long).</p>

<p>Also, how often did you go into the Twin Cities?</p>

<p>Never.</p>

<p>Is there much to do in Northfield?</p>

<p>Nope, unless you count eating. If there were, you wouldn’t have much time for it.</p>

<p>What were the best things about Carleton?</p>

<p>Professors. For the most part you don’t meet incompetent teachers here.</p>

<p>What were the worst things about Carleton?</p>

<p>Location, pace and, well, haven’t met a lot of people like me. It seems that nearly nobody has significant intellectual projects going on outside of class. People study hard, but they er party hard.</p>

<p>Is there anything I should know before I make my decision?</p>

<p>This is a real college. We do real work. You’re going to be both impressed and worn out. Depending on the rigor of your high school, you might get shellshocked.</p>

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<p>Impero, math-wise there’s stats 115 (baby stats) and math 106, introduction to mathematics, both pretty non-hardcore. And as you said, Calc I isn’t that bad either (Calc II varies, I think).</p>

<p>siriusly, I PMed you with the dorm info. :)</p>

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<p>equillibrium: I’m considering Carleton as well. Any chance I could get some info on the dorms as well? Where are the freshman usually put?</p>

<p>Question on overloading: Still unsure of what I want to do in life, but I’m interested in the 4-2 engineering program which seems to require a physics major. I’ve also got an interest in biochemistry (looking at BME or ChemE) but would still like to take advantage of the breadth a liberal arts education has to offer, especially in the humanities. I don’t mind putting in the extra work if I have to, but is this line of thinking reasonable/doable? </p>

<p>Also, regarding career services/alumni network: I’ve heard mixed reviews about the advising system. Is it any good or am I on my own?</p>

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<p>I don’t know much about math offerings here, as the only math class I took was behavioral stats :-/ but from what I’ve heard they’re generally pretty challenging. </p>

<p>Was the workload manageable? Were you able to maintain a good GPA?
Workload is pretty high, which is why you find out pretty quickly that you should only take classes (or at least non S/CR/NC “Scrunch”) classes that you find really interesting, as these are the classes that you’ll really be willing to put in the work for. If you’re not sure you want to take a class, it’s probably better not to take it, or at least scrunch it. Of course there are the distribution and major requirements to fulfill, but they’re not so bad, and you can usually find courses you’re at least somewhat interested in to fulfill them.</p>

<p>Also, how often did you go into the Twin Cities?
Hardly ever, only for plays, concerts, events, occasionally restaurants, etc. But it’s nice to have it nearby. Northfield doesn’t feel super removed from civilization, but it’s not an exurb/suburb either, which is nice.</p>

<p>Is there much to do in Northfield?
You can make your own fun in Northfield, but unfortunately to a lot of students this means drinking heavily. Personally, I like nature and the outdoors, and Northfield has a lot of interesting things to explore in this regard. The downtown is also really quaint, and feels alive with bars that hold live music, people walking around and fishing in the Cannon, and some cool independent shops.</p>

<p>What were the best things about Carleton?
The campus is beautiful and the thing which initially attracted me to Carleton (along with the academics but all the schools I was looking at were fairly good in this regard). The arb is amazing, the buildings are nice, the recreation facilities are wonderful, and I like the open feel of the campus. I also like that people are pretty modest and don’t ever talk about grades, or try to put others down.</p>

<p>What were the worst things about Carleton?
Somewhat of a bro/party culture, you’ll see a lot of guys walking around in sports jerseys and backwards hats, playing beer pong, and listening to crappy rap music. Not that this is a bad thing if that’s what you’re into, but I’m more of an arts and culture guy and I’ve found Carleton somewhat lacking in this respect, although this is changing somewhat with the Weitz Center, and other additional investment in the arts.</p>

<p>Is there anything I should know before I make my decision?
Be prepared to work the hardest you’ve probably ever worked in your life, but also receive the best education you can find anywhere. You will graduate Carleton with the ability to hold your own in any conversation, intelligently debate any topic, and you’ll have a skill set that allows you to succeed in practically anything you want to do in life.</p>

<p>And, what exactly is Malt-o-Meal?!</p>

<p>Malt-o-Meal is a cereal company that has their main factory in the town. There are a ton of cereal factories in this area by the way (you can probably guess why when you see all of the agriculture here). Anyway, Malt-o-Meal casts wonderful smells of cereal through town and is a lovely little quirky thing which sets Carleton apart. Seniors talk about this being one of the big things they will miss after graduation.</p>

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<p>Hi guys!
How’s the food on campus? And off campus, in Northfield?</p>

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<p>Inkmuse,</p>

<p>Sorry for the delayed response, work/classes got the best of me for awhile. :slight_smile: Freshman are put in Myers/Musser/Cassat/Nourse/Goodhue/Burton (no Davis starting next year), so a bunch of places, really; hope I didn’t miss any of them. You get doubles or triples. </p>

<p>4-2 wise, I would advise to double check with the receiving institution (the one you complete 2 years at) and Carleton too, I guess, if physics major would actually be <em>required</em>. I think I have seen someone do it w/o physics major, but I could be wrong. In any case, overload wise… It’s possible and manageable, but doing so regularly is likely to burn you out (it’s pretty challenging). Also, doing science, you will have labs, and I am not sure how feasible overloading would be in that case. If you have some relatively solid coursework completed in advance, so you don’t need to start with the very basic classes, you would be in a better shape. Feel free to PM me for more info; I don’t think I was able to pm you for some reason. :)</p>

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<p>Oh, also, I found the career services to be fantastic, in my personal experience with them. :)</p>

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<p>^ ditto that.</p>

<p>The Career Center a few years ago (recession breeds rethinking) got smart and decided it was time to make better use of the insanely dedicated alumni base (Carleton has had the highest alumni giving rate of ANY college in the US for years). So began “Carls Helping Carls.”</p>

<p>They set up an “Engagement Wanted” program where graduating seniors (and some juniors) post their interests and call out for job/internship help from alumni. “Mentor Externship” programs have been established along with “Job Shadowing,” an “Alumni Mentoring Program,” etc. These have all been huge hits, written up in a potpouri of national magazines/newspapers, and now being emulated at other colleges nationally. Tons of kids doing summer internships in cities away from home have found free homes away from home living with Carleton loving alumni or even parents of Carls. </p>

<p>Small school with a big Rotblatt bat of crazy, devoted, open armed Carls.</p>

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<p>^ and ditto that. My junior d said she wished she’d gone to the Career Center freshman year. </p>

<p>The Engagement Wanted got her an internship offer - actually an alum who was willing to create an internship for her at one of the top neurodevelopment labs in the country.<br>
One post to the Parent maillist generated lots of offers of assistance, too. The Parents become quite dedicated to the college as well.</p>

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<p>Does Carleton have a Quidditch team?</p>

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<p>We have a Quidditch tournament for sure (just got the email about it), not sure about a college team specifically though.</p>

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<p>Wow! Thanks for all the great responses! :slight_smile: It’s really been helpful in narrowing my choices down. </p>

<p>I’m stuck between Carleton and Emory now, and while they feel totally opposite of each other, I can really see myself studying in Emory’s library (or libraries). If only I could have Carleton’s people and Emory’s campus! Are there any good “hidden away” studying areas at Carleton? I fully intend on going exploring when I visit next week. Hopefully it’ll be warm enough this time to do so! :)</p>

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<p>There’s the library, various places in Sayles, study rooms/lounges in buildings (basements and sometimes on the floor), especially in Cassat – check out the basement! You can also study in the concert hall sometimes, or the Language and Dining Center, or Center for Math and Computing, or even in the hall that connects Olin and Mudd – there really are a ton of places to choose from depending on what you like. Make sure to ask your host for heads up! :)</p>

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<p>Don’t forget the Weitz Center. It’s huge, with loads of rooms to explore and comfy furniture. It’s somewhat removed from the bustle of campus, and I’ve found it to be a great study space.</p>