<p>Hey, everyone. I've been looking at this forum a lot lately, because I'm essentially between Carleton, Wesleyan and Kenyon... I'm making pro-con lists now because, for a while, I'd really been gung-ho about going ED somewhere. (Now it seems I'm too indecisive.)</p>
<p>When I visited Carleton, that "gut feeling" thing was totally there, and I love the quirkiness and awkwardness of the student body (me in a nutshell, right there!). However... while my "heart" might be rooting for Carleton, my "brain" tells me Wesleyan because, logistically, as someone living in NJ, it makes more sense, in addition to their English Major requirements (not a huge deal, but an aspect), and... the stress I've read about.</p>
<p>At Carleton I believe I've asked this, but I'm especially curious how you feel (a) trimester system affects stress and (b) if it seems more (significantly more) than at other LACs, namely Wesleyan in my case.</p>
<p>We just returned from visiting our freshman D at Carleton for family weekend. They are at their midterm break, so have just finished a round of projects/papers/tests, and the overall mood was very relaxed. Our D confirms the "work hard, play hard" impression of other posters - she says that students' first priority is studies, which creates a supportive atmosphere as they get their work done. Then, there are many organized activites as well as informal silliness on the weekends. Most of our D's friends are playing intramural or intercollegiate sports, and are finding time to work out (run, play racketball, rock climb) evenings after dinner. Many of them are volunteering in some capacity as well. All in all, it seems like a very balanced life - yes, you'll work hard, but at least at this point, I wouldn't call the atmosphere "high pressure." Only taking 3 classes seems to keep the students from feeling spread too thin.</p>
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Only taking 3 classes seems to keep the students from feeling spread too thin.
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That does seem on the surface as an advantage. However, keep in mind that these are 3 semester courses being completed in 10 weeks. The amount of material covered so quickly, with two to three exams (particularly in the sciences) during that short period, does result in some "high pressure". Most like this schedule, or they wouldn't have come to Carleton. As Moltian says, Carls have the ability to balance demanding academics with EC and social activities. And as Moltian's D observed, there is a very supportive atmosphere. My junior D has participated in more study groups/review sessions/office hours than I can count.</p>
<p>As a student on a semester abroad program now, I cannot emphasize enough how much better the trimester system is. Taking three classes at a time instead of four, five, or six totally makes up for the fact that each class you take is essentially a semester compressed into 10 weeks. You just have to accept by going to Carleton that you're not going to have as much time to adjust to your classes as you would on a semester schedule, since midterms pop up on you rather quickly. If you can get into gear and maintain decent study habits, Carleton is not really any more stressful than similar LACs on semesters. The only thing I don't like about the trimester schedule is that we get out in June, so summer jobs/programs/internships can be tricky because those can start in late May while you are still at Carleton.</p>
<p>I agree...the trimester is a big contributing factor to Carls' stress. Things like midterms, final papers can and will pounce on your already bent back. Usually I have a love/hate relationship with courses b/c the material is so captivating but there's...so...much... of it.</p>
<p>Are you on a Carleton study abroad program (versus one through another school)? If you have time, I'd love to hear a little about it. My son is really interested in the study abroad options. Thanks (but if you're to busy to reply, that's ok too--I was young once).</p>
<p>I'm on a non-Carleton abroad program that has standing approval (Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, which is its own entity but currently coordinated stateside by a professor at St. Olaf). As the name says, it is a semester program, so I've been in Hungary since mid-August and won't get back to the US until Christmas. It's all taught in English and the offerings are mostly math courses, but there are some cultural/historical/language ones as well. There are five other Carls here with me on this program, making us the most represented school among the 50-odd participants. The other students are largely from similar LACs (Bates, Swarthmore, Oberlin, etc.) and all pretty serious about math. It's been a lot of fun, i've done some traveling around Europe, and between the pre-election protests in front of Parliament over Gyurcs</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply and the link. I'm sure my son will look into it. Even at this point he wants to keep open the option of a whole year abroad, so I'm trying to help him research it as best we can.</p>
<p>We travel a lot as a family, to more unusual destinations like Greenland, Cuba, India and Venezuela. One or more of us usually ends up sick, but we never regret our view into another culture.</p>
<p>Use a toothbrush - Your Budapest semester sounds wonderful!</p>
<p>I noticed that twice in your post you said it was nice to get away from Northfield. Is that because Carleton/Northfield is so small or just a regular need for a nice change of pace? My major concern about Carleton is that it is so small esp for someone coming from a similar size high school. Do you go to the Twin Cities often?</p>
<p>I'm wondering the same thing. I went to an LAC in a tiny town, Yellow Springs, Ohio, but we would go out on co-op jobs in other places, so I was always happy to get back to campus. </p>
<p>I do have one relative who went to Carleton, was from the NYC area and now lives in the Adirondack area in upstate NY. She loves it there, but I heard real longing in her voices when she talked about her Carleton years. She said the only problem she had was leaving.</p>
<p>Still I imagine it feels too small to some preople?</p>
<p>I am currently a junior and here is my perspective on its location--I came from around Seattle, so Northfield was definitely a change. Many prospective students express concern over Northfield´s size, a very valid concern. But I have never felt confined because there is just so much going on at Carleton. There are simply too many activities going on, and Northfield holds its own by being a sweet, accessible town (unlike St. Olaf, we can walk to town in minutes) with cute coffee shops, markets, etc. Seriously, when I am at Carleton, my schedule is absolutely bursting (mind you I like it this way) so I never feel that I need to get away. I would like to explore the Twin Cities more, but Northfield´s small size rarely becomes a problem. The only time I felt the urge to leave is when I stayed over the summer. I also didn´t have a car, and so with not much happening on campus, the smallness of Northfield hit me.</p>
<p>I am currently studying abroad in Spain on a non-Carleton program, and I chose it because I thought it´d be interesting to meets students from other schools. Right now, having met other students and experienced non-Carleton classes, I cannot wait to back to Carleton. I realized that I had taken Carleton´s quality of teaching for granted. With so much intellectual stimulation in the air, Carls like me feel more confined by our ability to take in information (because there is so much to do and learn and so little time!) than the town.</p>
<p>Due to Carleton´s small size, we do end up getting to know or at least recognize a good number of the students and bump into them everywhere. I´ve sometimes thought that it would be nice to be a larger place where I didn´t recognize everyone, and I imagine students at high school of a similar size might feel the same way. It all comes down to the pros outweighing the cons. Thanks to our small size, the classes are small, and there is pretty much no red tape. If you want something done, it gets done. </p>
<p>I think too many students overlook Carleton for its location and size (I know, because I almost did) but the school itself could be absolutely anywhere it would still be just as wonderful. I also was content with coming to Northfield because I knew for sure that I would attend grad school somewhere big, and most people do. There is something endearing about Northfield, where people will offer to help you if you´re carrying a big box and look like you´re about to collapse. This has been long, but as you can see, although my experience in Spain has been wonderful, I really, really, really miss Carleton :)</p>
<p>Aw, grannysmithapple, your post made me so happy! </p>
<p>A few posts up someone had said something about stress in the sciences vs. Humanities. I'm definitely more interested in Humanities, and was curious what your input was on this. :)</p>
<p>im not sure if you're still on...but I was set on carleton until i saw your comment on internships/ summer jobs being difficult since carl gets out in june. Can you clarify a little more? </p>
<p>I think what she means is that Carleton gets out a bit later then most schools. Because of that if students go home and intend to start searching for work jobs/internships are harder to find as many are taken or started earlier. However,t his can be counteracted somewhat by searching in advance and has not been a problem yet for me or any of my friends. Also if you want to find work over winter break, Carleton students have a distinct advantage because we get back earlier and can work for a relatively extended period ofver that break.</p>