| 1. Regarding "other" student bodies, I'll second most of Weskid's Wesleyan board comments as balanced and generally accurate (though I presume Weskid meant to imply that Carls were tight KNIT, not NIT. Ours is definitely a campus defined by symbiosis, not parasitism).
2. If this were a multiple choice question in which one had to eliminate the selection that did not fit with the others, the outlier in your group of 5 would appear to be Colgate. There is otherwise a pretty fair amount of overlap in the student bodies among the remaining 4.
3. Having admitted that, what of Carleton specifically? I'd argue that unlike so many other colleges clinging to the work hard/play hard mantra, Carls work hard/have an incredible amount of fun. That may not be as edgy a catchphrase, but then this is a student body as devoid of hipsters, posturers and social climbers as you'll find anywhere. People come here to soak up as much as they can academically and intellectually in four years without compromising fun along the way. They bring a sense of humor, a devotion to individual expression, and an intolerance of pretentiousness that makes for a pretty uniquely wonderful college experience. |