<p>I graduated from Carleton 22 years ago, so I realize that it might be easy to dismiss my comments on this discussion as those of an out of touch, middle aged alum. However, I did work in college admissions for three years in my 20s and continue to work as an alumni volunteer for Carleton’s admission office, so I think I have a bit better sense of the admission realities today than most people who graduated in 1990.</p>
<p>One thing I will point out that I don’t think has been mentioned (sorry if it has and I missed it) is the fact that Carleton’s applicants tend to be a somewhat more self selected bunch and this has an effect on their overall admission rate compared to Williams. Williams is a school that nearly all strong students are familiar with, and while Carleton is certainly well known and respected, it tends to be known by a somewhat smaller group of students which naturally results in a smaller group of applicants.</p>
<p>I loved Carleton and thought the education and the student body were top notch across the board. If you go to Williams and you live outside of th midwest, you will probably find that more people recognize where you went to school and the fact that it is one of the best schools in the country. It can be a bit frustrating when people look at you quizzically after mentioning that you went to Carleton. The one place I can say, though, that Carleton is extremely well known and has a sterling reputation is with medical schools and Ph.D programs (especially in the sciences). Carleton is known for being a breeding ground for future college professors - if you think of yourself as going in that direction (which I realize can be very difficult until you’ve taken college level courses and done serious research), I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Carleton.</p>