<p>So… these kinds of threads were very helpful to me when going through the college process, so I figure it’s only fair that I now start one of my own. I’m currently in my first year at Carleton, and would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about the school and about the application process in general. So fire away.</p>
<p>how important would you say test scores are in Carleton’s admission process?</p>
<p>I know you’ve probably only been there for a couple weeks…but what do you think the school could improve on?</p>
<p>@ paul09: Carleton is like any other highly selective school–because so many of its applicants have great high school GPAs, the admissions office has to give more consideration to other elements such as test scores, extracurriculars, etc, in order to get a more complete picture of each applicant. I quote from the admissions website here: </p>
<p>“The Admissions Committee is best able to make sound judgments about candidates’ academic abilities when the secondary school record is supplemented by the results of standardized examinations. Carleton requires each applicant to submit results of the SAT I or the ACT with writing prior to admission. Further, we recommend but do not require, that candidates submit the results of their SAT II: subject tests, formerly called Achievement Tests. We have found these tests valuable aids in the assessment of the quality of student achievement in a wide variety of secondary school programs. It has been our experience that SAT II test results usually enhance a candidate’s credentials and only rarely constitute a negative factor.”</p>
<p>With that in mind, I’d say that test scores play a significant role in Carl admissions. However, so many of the people I met during New Student Week didn’t talk about their test scores, but about the interesting research or extracurriculars or community service that they’ve done, which leads me to believe that Carleton would rather have someone who’s done something interesting and unique–one girl I met is a serious karate competitor, another has done quite a bit of genetics research–than someone with a 2400 on the SAT.</p>
<p>@birdhouse: I’m running out to Sweet Lou’s Waffle Bar in Northfield right now to have breakfast, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer your question until later–but rest assured, I will answer it!</p>
<p>okay, birdhouse, here goes: as you mentioned, I haven’t been at Carleton for much time, so the list of what I think the school could improve on doesn’t run long. Right now, I think the biggest thing that needs changing is the dining hall hours and policies–in my opinion, dinner closes a little too early and you can’t go into the dining hall and grab a lunch to go on those days when you’re super busy. The only way to get a decent meal after 8pm is to go to the snack bar in Sayles-Hill, and you have to pay for that with either cash or prepaid Schillers. </p>
<p>Academically, I haven’t taken enough classes to have an opinion on whether anything in any of the departments could be improved; so far, I really like my classes and my profs. I will note, however, that there are times when my friends have needed to go to the Math Skills center or to a computer lab to get some work done, only to find that there are no tutors on duty and no computer labs unlocked, even though the signs posted outside of the skills center and outside of the labs say that there should be tutors available and that the labs should be open. That inconsistency is a little frustrating, but it’s only happened once or twice, so as long as it doesn’t become a trend, it’s not that big of a deal.</p>
<p>IzzyD: it used to be worse. Dinner used to stop being served at 7 pm until last year. (You could get into the dining halls up until then and they left the food out, but lots of things were not being made after then.) Sodexho extended the hours to 8 pm by popular request and I guess Bon Appetit decided to keep those hours in place. You have to realize that most Minnesotans seem to think that starting dinner after 6 pm is absurd. As a student worker I found the dining cultural disconnect between Carleton staff and students to be strange, with staff thinking events should be held at like 5 pm with dinner starting shortly after, and students not even thinking about food until 7 pm.</p>
<p>I’ll help IzzyD out and state that ResLife is one area needing change. Getting good housing at Carleton seemed to have been a much more stressful process than for people I knew at similar schools. Trying to get permission to live off-campus (Northfield Option) is even worse, and Carleton times everything to make sure it’s a maximum pain in the ass for you to actually sign a lease by keeping you in limbo about whether you can get cleared. Maybe the new housing being built will improve the situation by making on-campus housing less competitive, but I doubt it, as it sounds like the college hopes to bring a lot more upperclassmen back on campus. We’re lagging behind our peer schools in this respect.</p>
<p>So has the food improved with the arrival of Bon Appetit?</p>
<p>Hi IzzyD first of all thanks for doing this!
How do you find the social life at Carleton so far? When I visited, I definitely got the impression that everyone was exceptionally welcoming and friendly. I have also heard that the student body overall is relatively accepting and so “midwestern-nice”… But are there like any cliques(not in the negative sense) at all? Do students from different backgrounds mesh well? Or do they generally tend to stick with whoever they are similar to and keep that group until they graduate? I guess you might not know the answer since you just got there, and everyone tends to be approaching and nice when they are new. But I guess what I’m more curious is about … well, I have seen a couple schools that boast a ton about their diversity and… while the various groups of different students do exist, making the whole school eclectic, they don’t mesh with one another at all!!<br>
Oh! and how are the sports? Doesn’t everyone have to play sports at your school? Is that stressful for someone who is not into sports? what’s the BEST sports team at Carleton that everybody loves to watch? Or do people not attend games…
Also… what’s your ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE thing about the school so far if you had to pick ONE? Thank you soooo much in advance for the answers and well i hope you stay warm in Minnesota… it’s getting colder everyday.</p>
<p>@magneticpoet: from what I’ve heard, yes, Bon Appetit is better than Sodexho was. The food, at least in my opinion, is actually decent here(certainly better than it was at my high school!). </p>
<p>@starbucks08: haha, no problem. So far, I really like the people here–they’re very accepting, as you noted: most people at Carleton don’t care about what you wear or how rich or well-connected your family is, etc–and the place is brimming with “Minnesota nice,” which takes a little getting used to if you’re not from Minnesota, but overall makes the campus and the town very welcoming. As for the whole “like sticks with like” situation, I honestly think that’s inevitable to a certain extent at any school, not just Carleton: new students arrive, they’re nervous, and so to reassure themselves, they seek out the familiar and find people similar to themselves. But the great thing about Carleton is that a) it’s small enough that you get to know many people, not just those similar to you; b) most people here, including upperclassmen, really are so accepting and nice that it’s easy to befriend them; and c) the college makes a strong effort during New Student Week to mix the students up. Obviously, I’ve never been to a New Student Week at a school other than Carleton, but I was really impressed by NSW here and met so many interesting people. I do understand what you mean when you say that at certain schools, the student body as a whole looks very diverse, but when you take a closer look, isn’t very well-integrated at all, and while I haven’t been here long enough to disprove that statement at Carleton, I can say that several of my upperclassmen friends have a wide range and mix of friends from different backgrounds, ethnicities, countries, and cultures; so far, it doesn’t seem that the international students here clump together as they do at many other colleges, which I really like. </p>
<p>As for sports, don’t worry–you don’t have to worship or even like them to fit in here. I remember hearing somewhere that the vast majority of Carls participate in at least one club or intramural (I’ll have to double-check that, though), but playing at that level is more about having fun with your friends than about any sort of serious competition (though there are many clubs and IMs here that are quite good and take their sport seriously). I was a three-sport athlete in high school and fully intended to play club sports in college, but there are so many other interesting activities here–theatre, Scottish dancing club, volunteer opportunities, etc–that I’m rethinking that earlier intention. So there’s definitely no pressure to play at Carleton and lots of alternatives to athletics. </p>
<p>As for people attending games, I haven’t even heard of a single sports event on campus yet, so I don’t think that going out on Friday night and cheering on the Knights is too popular, but I could be wrong as I haven’t gone to a game yet. The most beloved, and arguably most talented, team at Carl is definitely ultimate frisbee. They apparently went to nationals a year or so ago. I didn’t even know there was an ultimate frisbee national championship… my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE thing about Carleton so far are the classes. They’re incredibly interesting and detailed, and I’ve learned so, so much just in the few weeks that I’ve been here. Then again, I’ve always been a bookworm…</p>
<p>Both the men’s and women’s ultimate frisbee teams go to Nationals every year. The men’s team (CUT) made it to the semifinal’s this year, and I think if anything they’re going to be even better next year. Syzygy, the women’s team, is just as good, making it to the finals in 2004 with Callahan winner Miranda Roth. Carleton also has GOP, the top rated men’s “B” team in the nation. </p>
<p>I highly recommend playing ultimate while at Carleton, and continuing to play on a club team after graduation. I’ve played ultimate in many different US cities and am still amazed at how ultimate players immediately recognize the name Carleton. It’s a nice change from the usual blank and confused stares you usually get when you say you went to Carleton College.</p>
<p>I had posted this after CUT and Syzygy’s last trip to nationals in May of this year:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060405736-post1.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060405736-post1.html</a></p>
<p>As farmergirl points out, it’s pretty remarkable that Carleton’s multiple squads can challenge for national titles year after year against giants like Florida, Wisconsin and UCLA.</p>
<p>CUT finished the season ranked 4th in the country:
[College</a> Open: UPA Top 25](<a href=“http://www.upa.org/scores/scores.cgi?page=22&div=18]College”>http://www.upa.org/scores/scores.cgi?page=22&div=18)
[CUT:</a> Carleton Ultimate Team](<a href=“http://orgs.carleton.edu/cut/]CUT:”>http://orgs.carleton.edu/cut/)</p>
<p>Syzygy finished ranked 7th:
[College</a> Women’s: UPA Top 25](<a href=“http://www.upa.org/scores/scores.cgi?page=22&div=34]College”>http://www.upa.org/scores/scores.cgi?page=22&div=34)</p>
<p>In addition to CUT and Syzygy, farmergirl mentioned, “GOP” (Gods of Plastic) playing in the national men’s B league. But not to leave anyone out, also registered in the men’s B league and deserving recognition (even if just to promote a great name), “Hot Karls.” </p>
<p>And in the women’s B league, “Eclipse” (I presume an astronomic cousin to Syzygy, “the alignment of three or more celestial bodies in the same gravitational system along a straight line.”)</p>
<p>You don’t have to play ultimate to come to Carleton, but I’m pretty sure you need to know how to play to graduate.</p>
<p>Oh mah god is Bon Appetit better.</p>
<p>As I put it to a friend over dinner, Bon Appetit can be hit and miss… but at least there are hits. However, the new anal policies about carrying food out are a definite downside (you can’t even get a coffee or tea and take to class, which was my breakfast pretty much every day last year).</p>
<p>Also, the snack bar accepts dining dollars, which are distinct from Schillers. First term freshman have to be on the 20 meal plan (a.k.a. 20 meals a week + $75 in dining), but after that you can choose your plan. I’m on the 12, which gives me $275, so I eat a lot of meals at Sayles. So don’t despair if you’re a late eater.</p>
<p>…falafel sandwich at the snack bar is actually a legitimate piece of food, unlike ANYTHING Sodexho ever served up.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>When I visited Macalester, EVERYONE was complaining about that…</p>
<p>I visited over the summer and noticed they had tazo tea in the dining halls. Do they still? (Jeez, my questions are so superficial. But Carleton’s definitely my first choice, so it’s not really going to impact anything one way or another.)</p>
<p>What was the one thing you totally didn’t expect that ended up being true/happening/whatever?</p>
<p>I know that since Carleton is a small school, it (understandably) has fewer choirs/a cappella groups on campus. How competitive are they? Are there opportunities for everyone who wants to participate? I’d love to sing in college but I don’t have the kind of voice to earn a I rating at state.</p>
<p>Also, how about the creative writing classes? Are they super-competitive or do they fill up quickly?</p>
<p>
OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I always got hot tea or coffee in the winter to keep my handsies warm when walking from the LDC to Sayles or whatever. Holding a hot cup made crossing campus in the middle of winter so much more bearable. I’m really sorry to hear that Bon Appetit did away with the coffee/cocoa/tea to-go station.</p>
<p>Oh! I thought of another one: How serious are the students who take private music lessons for credit? Can you take lessons through all four years, or is it a one-term thing?</p>
<p>
Nothing big comes to mind, but I had kind of forgotten that Carleton had athletes when I came. It was weird to observe the cultural disconnect between some varsity sports teams and the rest of campus. To me, it seemed that many of the athletes were from MN, politically more conservative, career-minded econ majors, occasionally ******y at Mai Fetes (tossing kegs in the lake), and sometimes contemptuous of the rest of the hippy dippy student body. For some reason, I hadn’t expected that Carleton football players and the like would be that different from non-athletes, but then I learned that not everyone chose the school because they were interested in top liberal arts colleges with a reputation for weirdness. Some just go because it’s a good school not too far from home.</p>
<p>
I think if you have sung in choirs before that you can basically be in the choir at Carleton unless you’re really terrible. Even then, you’ll still probably make it. The a cappella groups vary in their selectivities. Each only takes a handful of people each year (1-5 or so depending on how many seniors graduated?), but I have absolutely no idea how many people try out. You can probably get into one of them if you have a singing background, but not necessarily one you’d want to be in. You can always try out again after freshman year, too.</p>
<p>
You register by the term, so it’s really up to you. Some people do lessons all four years and others just take a term or two for fun. It’ll probably depend how much you like the instructor for that instrument.</p>