@intparent I applied undecided, but I have a strong interest in Chemistry and in Drama.
Broomball. Huh. I have not heard of that sport before, but I am practically as un-athletic as they come so that probably would not make a big difference for me.
@MidwestDad3 Thanks! You seem knowledgeable on the midwest. Although I am American, I lived only briefly in New York, and am not really familiar with the Mid-West attitude. What kind of personality is it?
I went to school in the mid-west. It’s called “midwest nice”. It’s generally liberal but not radically so, but polite, tolerant and earthy.
Um… “earthy”? (I grew up in Michigan, lived in MN for 30 years, and recently moved to the west coast). “Earthy” might come to mind in a farming community, but that is not what you are going to find at Carleton. Carleton has students from all over the US, and many international students. You will find that Carls are not pretentious, and pretty low key compared to a more East Coast student body. OP, broomball is played on an ice rink they flood on campus (outdoors), and my guess is that you will be invited to play casually with your roommates or friends at some point if you attend Carleton (but being Carls, no big deal if you decide not to try it).
Just wanted to add another factor to consider: trimesters (Carleton) vs. semesters (Haverford and Reed).
Yeah: more drugs, anarchism, socialism, radicalism, authority-questioning, etc. Google Reed Renn Fayre, for example, and you might get a better sense of what I mean.
Haverford all the way for an international.
Okay, let me address some of the points made here about Reed…
-
The graduation rate for international students is usually over 90% (i.e, students who finish within 4 years), and has often reached 100%. So, no, it is not a big risk, and if you have international experiences, you can find support from international students very easily whenever you feel down.
-
Drugs exist but most people do not do it (at least not with any semblance of regularity), ‘anarchism, socialism, radicalism’ kind of mentality exists among only certain groups of students, not all; a lot of us are normally liberal. A lot of Reedies are apathetic to social causes and are mostly interested in ideas…
-
It is incredibly useful to live in a city so close to the airport if you plan to travel internationally. It is also fun to live like a non-LAC student and commute to school if you want (25% of the school does it), but you can also have the LAC student experience.
-
It does not rain that much. I came here for the rain and I must tell you that I am disappointed. The spring semester is particularly filled with sunny skies and pleasant weather.
-
Reed is a normal school, god. I have been comparing syllabi with friends at other schools, how they do things, etc, and I honestly don’t know why people think we are some kind of mecca of intellectualism or something… It’s literally the same material. It’s only hard if you try to do everything almost perfectly… because that is, unfortunately, the only way you will get an A. I sincerely feel that people spend more time complaining or smoking than actually doing work.
There are, no doubt, things we do a little bit more intensely than other schools. In intro languages, it isn’t shocking if the professor made you read a page or two of Camus or of Kafka… just for fun and giggles … or if they made you write a journal in the language from the second semester. Or if they just start throwing Flaubert and Maupassant at you in the second-year class. Or if they hold Russian classes everyday, even for second year (at Pomona, they struggle to justify 3-4 day language classes). We try to get to the same place other schools are going to a bit faster.
I honestly don’t know what happens in other schools, but I don’t see how it could possibly be very so much more intense. I think it’s only hard if
a) you study things you just aren’t interested in
b) you do drugs regularly, then you will probably fail
c) you are a grade grubber and try to get As in all of your classes, because then you have no friends… lol
d) you had poor acad. preparation from high school
e) you are a physics major (half-joking here)
Generally speaking, most schools exist within a self-contained “bubble” to a certain extent. College students are really busy, and spend much if not most of their time on campus.
Having said that, each school does exist within a greater community, and there is some interaction between the school, the students and the community. All three schools have national and international student bodies. But the vibe at each will be somewhat impacted by its location in the east, in the Midwest, and in the west. I think @OnTheBubble said it very well in post #22.
@LuckyPenny711 Thats a good point. For all that have had trimester systems, what do you think of it?
fencingchick, many people presented trimesters to ds as a negative, but he didn’t find it a negative at all. Yes, the pace is faster, but you only take three core classes so it’s not that difficult to manage. The long break over Thanksgiving and the winter holidays was a HUGE plus, in our book. No flying home (or not) at Thanksgiving, worrying about weather, making flights, etc., and then flying home again a couple of weeks later. When he came home the Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week (cheaper than Wednesday) he was here until after the new year. He used those several weeks to work, but others do externships. And in terms of doing study abroad, lots of kids do it in the fall so you’re just subbing one trimester for one semester, and then you still get two trimesters on campus.
@Youdon’tsay Interesting to hear your opinion on that. I also happen to agree. The longer breaks will be useful to visit family and what not.