Yes, it is possible to do internships both during the academic year and over the summer at Carleton. In fact, the college has funds set aside for assisting students who do so at either time. It’s also possible to get credit during each of the terms for internship work when an organization’s internship policy requires they not be paid.
As you might imagine, not all internships require commuting to Minneapolis (or St Paul or Rochester), but if they do, a student could plan their academic calendar accordingly, so they have all their classes on M/W/F or Tu/Th. The drive to the Twin Cities is around 45 min, with Rochester being about an hour.
Carleton is a bit unique in that it has longer winter breaks than most schools (6 to 7 weeks vs 3 to 4.) This makes short term internships over the winter also possible and in fact quite popular, with over 250 students doing them each year (Carleton calls these Externships). They are short (1-3 weeks), but that can be valuable in terms of figuring out what one wants to commit an entire summer to. Some can be done remotely, some in person, some are a mix. My understanding is there’s funding for externships too but the awards are much smaller than for internships.
Absolutely. I admit I’m not entirely sure, but I am thinking of a non-profit, federal or state government, NGO. The idea is that I am working to help others, especially those who can’t help themselves. I would also be interested in serving/working abroad.
Again, all these answers and perspectives are appreciated.
One other question. Based on my public service specifications I described above, would being on the East Coast at Haverford be more advantageous for connecting with non-profits, NGOs, think tanks, government, and charitable organizations compared with the Midwest?
What you are describing that you would like to do is what community organizers do. There is no specific undergraduate preparation for community organizing. It is one of the majors in a graduate school of social work. However, an MSW is not required to work as a community organizer. For example, Barack Obama worked as a community organizer for 3 years after he graduated from college and before he went to law school. His majors in college were English Literature and Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations. Not exactly a social work focus.
So, let’s first look at what community organizers do. Basically they work with people within their communities to identify community needs, develop solutions to meet those needs, and then develop an action plan to implement those solutions. Accomplishing this requires a wide variety of skills:
Communications Skills - active listening, public speaking, and a range of writing skills from person-to-person, public statements & articles, and professional compositions including grant writing.
Leadership Skills - facilitating a process which gets other people to act on behalf of their own community by a combination of motivating, inspiring, and empowering others. Advocacy for others is included.
Interpersonal Skills - get to know strangers and listen to their needs, their hopes, and their aspirations. Through rapport, empathy, and patience work with them to achieve those hopes and aspirations.
Problem Solving Skills - after identifying needs through a combination of listening, analytical thinking, and critical thinking, develop effective solutions for the identified problems.
Organizing & Planning Skills - these are organizational skills involving the ability to mount a campaign and to manage the people, process, and events involved. Developing an organization and working sometimes givernment entities as needed is included. Such skills are often found among successful business people.
So, where do you acquire such a wide range of skills? Through a wide range of experiences. All of these skill sets can be taught and learned. In addition, it is helpful to learn about how communities function both in theory and in the real world. What is important is that you be in charge of your own learning process.
I believe that you can prepare for this field at any of your college options. As you’ve already recognized, your learning plan needs to go beyond the classroom. You’ve identified the importance of internship experiences. I would add that an important component should also be volunteering. To get ti know communities and how they work, you need to be part of a community. Internships are for limited periods of time, but spending a part of each of your 4 years in college to volunteer and get involved in a neighborhood (community) will be a learning experience by itself and will enrich your academic learning experience by adding a real world view.
Macalester - This is the cheapest option, so I’ll start here. What I really like about Macalester that you can’t access as readily at your other 2 options is its location. There you have an urban community at your doorstep for the volunteering opportunities which I just talked about. What I like at Macalester academically is the concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism. It will give you the overview that you need. Paired with Economics - or frankly, any of the Social Sciences - it will provide you with an in depth understanding of the history of struggles in which people have been engaged to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
Haverford - While Haverford has more limited opportunities for community involvement at its doorstep, it’s only a short train ride into Philadelphia for a myriad of opportunities for community involvement. What I really like about Haverford is its academic advising system, which appears to be the most robust of any of your 3 options. What you’ve described as your goals & interests don’t fit a cookie cutter major. Your course selections and choice of major will be very important decisions. You need to be able to articulate your long term hopes and goals to an advisor(s) who understands you and who can facilitate an academic process which will come together in furtherance of those aspirations. What I like academically at Haverford is the Peace, Justice, & Human Rights concentration. Paired with Economics - or any of the Social Sciences - here is an opportunity to understand the dynamics of class struggles as they affect ordinary lives - especially through the senior capstone project.
Carleton - One of the cornerstones of a Carleton education is Learning Beyond the Classroom. They have 2 entities to facilitate this - the Off Campus Studies Office and the Center for Community & Civic Engagement. You should visit both early and often to seek out opportunities for community involvement. Northfield is a small city (21,000), but that can actually mean easier access to community engagement, public meetings, and community service volunteering than in a big metro area like Minneapolis-St. Paul or Philadelphia. Your choice. What I like best about Carleton is its trimester system because shorter courses (10 weeks) means more course and a greater opportunity to investigate an increased number of topics. In your case, that is a good thing specifically because community organizers need such a wide range of skills and knowledge as I described earlier. What I like at Carleton academically is their commitment to having students “learn higher order thinking: disciplinary inquiry, analysis of evidence, arts of communication & argumentation, and problem solving strategies.” Just the things you’ll need. More specifically I like American Studies as a minor or even a second major. At Carleton, it is organized around 5 thematic streams which offer a rich context for understanding the American community.
All three of these colleges have distribution requirements which control at least a third of the courses you’ll be taking. While there are some specific courses and/or seminars which are required, most are not. What is required is that you take some courses in a specified area - courses which you will select in consultation with an academic advisor. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to be in charge of your own learning plan and that you make high quality decisions in your course selections. You are not seeking a cookie cutter major but a set of skills and knowledge which will come from a wide range of sources.
I can’t recommend one of these colleges over another. I’ve tried to highlight some of the opportunities which they offer in relation to the community organizer skill set. They all provide an opportunity for growth in skills and knowledge to enable you to become more fully the person you are. You as a person will be your primary instrument in making an impact on the lives of the people you want to help. So, personal growth and personal development are your primary objectives in this journey. So, the place which you feel fits you best and where you fit the best is the best choice for you.
Bloom where you are planted. So find the place to plant yourself for the next 4 years . . . and bloom!
Actually, there are a myriad of community service opportunities in the immediate surrounding areas. The Marilou Allen Office of Service and Community Collaboration is an excellent place to look for these opportunities. I would recommend looking through their list of Community Engagement Organizations which includes organizations in Ardmore, a racially and economically diverse town that borders the college. Community service has always been a fundamental part of the fabric of Haverford.
Haverford alumni include Mark Levine, the current Manhattan Borough President who is running for NYC Comptroller, Indya Kincannon, the current mayor of Knoxville, TN, Steven Drizin, Clinical Professor of Law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and co-founder of the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth (CWCY), the first innocence organization to focus on representing defendants who were only teenagers when they were wrongfully convicted; many former members of Congress, and many alumni engaged in community service around the world.
Trying to suss out the best fit makes sense. College is far more than the major, the gen eds, and the career outcomes.
You have to live there for four years and be with the other students 24/7…how do the students fit with who you are? While at many schools a given student can find their peeps, that can be more difficult in general at LACs, and even more so at some specific LACs.
Do your research, including asking students what their day to day life is like, and ask yourself is that the environment and vibe for me. For example, is it relatively more pre-professional? More hippie like? Are politics a focus? Any school spirit? Etc.
Beyond a campus’s political persuasion, find out how politically active it is. Where does it fall on the liberal/conservative continuum? For example, there are some campuses I would not encourage anyone who is right of the progressive Democrats to attend.
What will the dating pool look like?..especially when you are talking LACs. Example, there are some LACs where I would not encourage a non-athlete CIS male or female to attend because the dating pool may be too small.
Please don’t underestimate these types of considerations. All these schools will have strong econ majors and potential outcomes. Good luck.
Haverford’s Quaker roots seem to nurture/encourage students who are looking for ways to use their education for the greater good. Philadelphia has a LOT of organizations you could work with. I’d encourage you to ask about this at your visit.
These are all fabulous choices, btw, so while you can optimize for you, you also can’t really go wrong.
My daughter is about to graduate from an average ranked regional public in the Southeast. She’s interned for our state in civil rights (we are Caucasian) and a prominent DC think tank where she helped organize presentations and document the speeches for press releases. A lot of grunt work but a highly desired internship.
If you watched the Jan 6 hearings, schools like Christopher Newport and Kent State were prominent.
When we visited with a prof at W&L, the head of their DC program told us Sewanee places more per capita in DC than anyone.
Pick the right school for you - the school where you feel best.
You can achieve ALL your goals from most any school, especially these three.
You will be the secret sauce to make it happen (or not). It won’t be the school - all of which are strong. The question will be your contribution - whether Mac or Mary Washington, Haverford or Hofstra, Carleton or like my daughter goes College of Charleston.
Btw -my daughter has a great post grad opportunity - that has kids from high ranked and lesser ranked.
Hi everyone. Thank you to everyone who replied; the replies provided me with insight into not only what college to decide on, but also how to make the most of my four years. I wanted to let you know that I have verbally committed to Carleton!
A good part of it was gut. I visited Carleton on Carl Days and adored it. I also had great conversations with the faculty and students. I also found the trimester system attractive. It seems intense, but incredibly academically fulfilling. I also reached out to some Carleton alumni from my school. There have only been two in the past decade, but they both loved their experiences and are now very successful.
Additionally, Carleton’s career seems robust, and I’m excited to use its resources and advising: to intentionally choose my courses and gain the skills to best serve my field and the public. Carleton also emphasizes an intense writing curriculum, which I also find attractive.
Talking more about the “gut” part of my decision, after my Carleton visit, I would fantasize about going to Carleton (I still do) and get giddy about going there. My best friends also said that I talked about Carleton differently, in a way that invoked a real sense of excitement about the college.
Congrats on wonderful acceptances!
I am a bit puzzled about how you got into Haverford and Carleton without visiting them first? Haverford is huge on demonstrated interest and wants to admit students who take time to explore the school and get to know their staff/students. My son visited 3 times before their decision.
I’m not sure how the various factors go into their decision, but, as a datapoint, our twins also got in to Carleton despite not having previously visited. I would imagine they know that it can be tough for some people to get to Northfield. (Ironically, because Haverford is near family, we had actually walked around that campus, but they didn’t end up applying.)
