So, without further ado, with two extra years under my belt after writing the original post, here are the most important things I (personally) think any incoming Carleton freshman should know.

Your social groups may change, and that’s totally okay.

There’s a lot of pressure to find your forever friends during freshman fall term. And I don’t know about you, but throughout high school, I always heard: in college, you’ll find the friends that last you a lifetime. And while that can definitely be true (I’ve made lifelong friendships during my time here), a lot of first and second years might feel like they need to rush this process. I’ve met some of my closest, most aligned friends during my third year, and I am constantly meeting new people I absolutely love.

I never felt a huge urgency to “find my people” right away, because I trusted that the right people would find me, and they did. And they will for you, too. If I could tell freshmen worried about making friends one thing, it’d be this: your people are out there. Be open. Follow your interests, don’t feel like you need to “act” a certain way, and they will find you.

Put yourself out there and talk to your professors. Seriously.

If I were to pick one thing really great that I did as a freshman, it would be this. As a first-gen, low-income student, I showed up with the intention of soaking up every resource available, and that started with office hours.

You don’t need to be confused about class material or have questions on the homework to go to office hours. I wanted to learn from my professors as people. Now, I babysit for professors I used to be intimidated by, have made lifelong connections, and even joke about inviting some of them to my wedding.

Profs at Carleton are brilliant, kind, and genuinely want to know you. Let them. It will open up so many connections and opportunities. 

Let’s be real… you might meet your hubby.

Okay, okay… I mostly just wanted that headline to grab your attention.

But the real point is this: you’re here to grow into yourself. I remember some freshmen (…and actually, select people from all years…) feeling pressure to date or “find someone”. During New Student Week, you’ll even hear Carls Marry Carls! a lot.

However, whether or not romance enters the picture, your priority is you and your journey here, so don’t feel like you need to spend energy trying to find someone else. Cultivate your passions, your voice, your weird hobbies. If love comes along, great. But don’t stress about it. My current partner came into my life at a time when I wasn’t searching! And for all of my other coupled friends, they had the same experience.

There is so much cool stuff to do here. Take advantage of it.

Where else can you go birdwatching at 6 a.m., take yoga or aikido classes, learn guitar, live in interest housing, pet dogs, play a sport, learn philosophy, and volunteer— all in the same week?

Carleton is full of hidden gems and free resources. Take advantage of them. You might never again have this kind of access to so much variety, support, and exploration.

Cultivate a you outside of school.

Maybe this is my almost-senior-year wisdom speaking, but I wish I’d let myself breathe more during freshman year. I spent a lot of time worrying about grades, internships, and “figuring it all out.” If you’re a prospective or admitted Carleton student, you are most likely a very high-achieving and driven human. Trust in that. It will work out for you.

Also, since Carleton is a small school (which comes with many pros), sometimes you can forget there is a whole world out there. Things do come together, and stress can make the journey so much harder. Remind yourself to breathe deeply, smell those roses (or your Friday Flowers), since you are never going to get these 4 years back.

Emma is a junior Psychology major with a Neuroscience minor, originally from NorCal and now living in Miami, FL. Needless to say, she’s happiest when the sun is out and there’s no snow on the ground… which, in Minnesota, isn’t always the case. She stays energized and positive by diving into her comps and doing academic research in the Perception Lab. You can usually find her lifting weights at the Rec Center or sipping matcha at her favorite cafe downtown (Little Joy… and only Little Joy). As a first-gen, low-income student in TRIO and a former peer leader at the GSC, Emma is passionate about community and support systems on campus. She’s also one of the few Brazilians at Carleton. Como vai?

The post What I Wish I Knew as a Freshman appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Financial aid

This was one of the biggest determining factors in where I could go to college. Carleton’s financial aid made it possible for me to attend a place I loved (and that was out of state, which was very valuable to me) without financial concerns.

As the Financial Aid website states, Carleton “meets 100% of every student’s demonstrated need.” The majority of the people I know at Carleton are receiving some sort of financial aid, and many friends have told me that other elite institutions do not give as much financial aid as Carleton does.

As a low-income student receiving aid, I’ve met with the financial aid office many times (usually once a term), and I’ve felt very looked out for. All of the advisers in the financial aid office are easy to reach and supportive.

Connection with professors and hands-on research

To prove my point, please refer to the image above of the Perception Lab hanging out at Professor Julia Strand’s house, watching her lovely children put on a play for us.

At Carleton, professors genuinely want to get to know you. Not just as a student, but as a person. Professors want to be called by their first name, and are happy to meet with you outside of class to talk about literally anything. I’ve yapped about existential questions and my life with some of my favorite professors. The “profs”— as you’ll start to call them if you go to Carleton— are here because they genuinely love teaching and want to see you succeed. Which, I’ll just say it, is usually not very common at other bigger, non-liberal art institutions. I feel like a very specific type of person is drawn to teaching at a small liberal arts college that prioritizes academic curiosity, and it is reflected in the type of profs you will meet here.

There are also so many opportunities to get involved in academic research, and I talk more about my lab in my most recent blog post!

Access to resources and facilities

If you need a resource for anything, Carleton most likely has it. Free counseling? Yep. Academic support? Yep. What about if your computer breaks, if you want to work out, or need accessibility resources? Mhm. Whatever it may be, Carleton probably has an office for it. And it’s all free.

As a first-gen, low-income student, I am a member of TRIO Support Services, and have been able to receive my textbooks completely for free.

Tight-knit community in a tight-knit town

There’s something comforting about walking through campus or downtown and always seeing familiar faces. Northfield is the kind of town where people always say hi to you on the street, and it feels like an extension of Carleton’s community. I’ve studied in almost every spot possible (cafes, the library, outside, you name it), ate at (almost) every restaurant, taken pottery lessons at the art guild downtown, and shopped for crystals and books at stores.

My favorite cafe in town (this is a huge on-campus debate, as you’ll come to learn) is Little Joy. Apparently, it used to be HideAway, according to this blog I made in freshman year, but what can I say, I see the truth now. But wherever and whenever I go, I always see my friends and people I know.

Academic exploration

At Carleton, you’re encouraged to explore. People genuinely love studying the most niche subjects, and no one is shamed for it. Here are some examples, just off the top of my head:

• My lab and I research speech psychology.
• One friend is in a biology group project studying frog calls in the arb.
• Another friend is taking citar lessons.
• There are clubs for juggling, swing dancing, and riding horses.

You don’t declare a major until the start of your sixth term at Carleton, which, if you’re taking the norm of 3 classes a term, that’s *at least* 15 different chances to explore classes in departments you can major in.

I knew I wanted to major in either Psychology or Cognitive Science, but I had no idea how much Neuroscience would grow on me. I honestly thought it was too STEM-heavy, and it would be difficult. Alas, it’s now my minor!

Emphasis on studying abroad

The majority (usually ~70%) of students study abroad during their time at Carleton. It is very encouraged, and there are many opportunities to do so. I am so hyped for my semester abroad this upcoming fall in Copenhagen, studying neuroscience and mental illness. The best part? My financial aid transfers over, and I’m going to get academic credits while studying abroad.

Fellow blogger Hannah was able to study abroad twice, once to London and a second time to New Zealand. I also have friends who have traveled all over: Prague, India, Chile, Brazil, and more.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a college is a big decision, and it’s deeply personal. For me, Carleton offered the perfect mix of academic rigor, supportive community, financial support, and many other things. Wherever you end up, I hope you find a place that feels like home, just like Carleton became for me.

Emma is a junior Psychology major with a Neuroscience minor, originally from NorCal and now living in Miami, FL. Needless to say, she’s happiest when the sun is out and there’s no snow on the ground… which, in Minnesota, isn’t always the case. She stays energized and positive by diving into her comps and doing academic research in the Perception Lab. You can usually find her lifting weights at the Rec Center or sipping matcha at her favorite cafe downtown (Little Joy… and only Little Joy). As a first-gen, low-income student in TRIO and a former peer leader at the GSC, Emma is passionate about community and support systems on campus. She’s also one of the few Brazilians at Carleton. Como vai?

The post What Makes Carleton Special? appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

When looking at colleges, I wanted my college experience to have everything be the best it could be, the best classes, professors, opportunities, abroad programs, people, activities, internships etc… I basically wanted college to be perfect. Which meant I spent hours and hours looking at school after school (including reading Carleton’s blog), trying to decide which one would be the best for me.

At the end of my college search, I ended up applying to Carleton through Early Decision. Because I was accepted during the first round, by December 15th, I had already committed to a school: Carleton.

I was stoked, of course, I got into my first-choice school, but I also started doing a bit of overthinking. I was thinking things like… what if Carleton isn’t the right school? What if I don’t fit in with other students? What if nobody shares the same interests as me? What if I don’t like the classes? What if staying in Minnesota isn’t a good idea— should I have gone further from home? What if I do poorly academically? What if I’m homesick? Essentially anything and everything I was worried about.

In some ways, I was right–I did get homesick, Carleton was hard, sometimes I struggled academically, it took me a while to develop good friendships, and I didn’t find my place on campus right away. At first, I questioned my college choice: was Carleton wrong for me? I started thinking about all the other schools I had looked at— did I commit to the wrong school? Freshman year me probably would have said maybe. Me now? I would say I can’t imagine going anywhere else. I know that is terribly cliché, but I mean it.

If I hadn’t chosen Carleton, I would have never declared  Geology as a major (I was going to major in Political Science!). If I hadn’t chosen Carleton, I would have never quit track to play ultimate frisbee (a sport I didn’t even know existed) and met all my amazing teammates. I never would have studied abroad twice, never have failed some things so I could learn how to succeed, never have taken classes in things I wasn’t comfortable in, never have known the fantastic professors I get to work with— the list goes on for a while.

Perhaps most importantly, I would have never met all of the amazing, wonderful people that make up Carleton’s campus. The other day, I was talking to a friend, and I realized that I have so many people in my life that I am struggling to fit them all in! This spring is one of the busiest terms I’ve had, and I have so much going on in my life that I am having to do a bit of “Tetris” scheduling to do everything I want to do. Which sounds a bit ridiculous— my freshman year self could never imagine having so many friends that I wish I had like 8 extra hours in the day so I could see them all. I am so grateful for the Carleton community— they are what makes Carleton so incredible.

As I near the end of my undergraduate experience, I like to think about an Instagram reel that my mom once sent me (thanks mom). It was a video of Dr. Ellen Langer, a professor psychology at Harvard. Dr. Langer was discussing how to make the “right decision.” She says a lot, but the thing that has stuck with me all this time is this quote: “Rather than waste your time being stressed over making the right decision, make the decision right.”

I switched my major, the sport that I played, my post-grad plans, and more. Even though I was worried about making the wrong college choice, in the end, I chose a school that had all the resources to make it “right”. Essentially, I had to commit to the decision I made and make it the right choice. That’s not to say you shouldn’t ever shift your life focus or your path or whatever you want to call your vague plan for life–that’s part of life! You grow and you change. But when I did make a choice, Carleton was there to help me make it the “right choice”. And as I look back on the past four years, I could not be happier with my decision to attend and stay at Carleton.

The post Choosing Carleton: Looking Back on Four Years appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Even if you’re certain you’re a Carl, now’s the time to (re)visit campus to orient yourself. After all, it’s your home for the next four years—and you’ll want to hit the ground running as a certified Northfield, Minnesota expert.

That’s why I’ve compiled a list of tips, tricks, and things to do when visiting Carleton this spring.

Take a stroll down Division Street

I’m sure you’ve seen it before. In the Carleton brochures, on the website, in advertising materials: Division Street. It’s the classic, cute, college-town main road with restaurants and shops lining the sidewalk. On a warm, sunny spring day, a trip to Division Street has the remarkable ability to make you feel about 25% more relaxed than before. Maybe it’s just because of the general prettiness of the town—but I choose to believe it’s the result of black magic. 

Some of my favorite spots are Desi Diner, Vintage Etc., Indoor Fins Aquatic Pets, and Little Joy Coffee.

Drop in on interesting classes

If you have the option to attend a class or two, definitely take advantage of the opportunity. It’ll help you decide which courses you might be interested in registering for in the fall, and generally give you a sense of what you might be looking for in a classroom environment. Maybe you think you’ll like small, discussion-based classes. Or maybe you’ll prefer large labs where you can conduct research on enzymes with a partner. Why not attend a couple of sessions to find out for sure!

Eat out at the dining halls

A perfect way to get to know some of your future classmates is by showing up to lunch and striking up a convo! As I’m sure you already know (because you obviously read all of my posts religiously!), there is a correct answer as to which dining hall to choose, and it’s Burton. But any one will do. I’ve met some of my closest friends by just asking if they wanted to grab some food some time, and it’s also a good way to familiarize yourself with the space and figure out which routes to the dining hall are most efficient (so you can be ahead of the lunch craze when classes get out!)

Catch a movie at the Weitz Center

If you’re visiting on a Friday or Saturday, going to a screening at the on campus movie theatre—the Weitz Cinema—is a must-try activity. Throughout the term, the Weitz plays popular new releases (as well as some classics!) at 7 and 10 in the evening. It’s the perfect way to wind down after a stressful week, or to relax after a long day of walking around Northfield and taking in the sights. Cars was playing last week—so you know I attended that one.

Rock climb in the bouldering cave

Maybe I’m biased, but I think the perfect way to get a vibe of the campus community is to drop in on the bouldering cave in the Rec. Students at Carleton are big into outdoor, rugged activities—you’ll get to meet a bunch of really cool people (maybe you’ll see me there!) who can show you the ropes, and you might even enjoy it so much that you’ll join the team! It’s the perfect opportunity to try out a new sport without commitment.

Feel free to take any of these tips to heart! 

(As long as you compensate me monetarily).

Inigo (he/him/his) is trying very hard to turn interests in subjects like film, english, and psychology into a manageable course load. Originally from Somerville, Massachusetts, he can often be found running in the Cowling Arboretum (and getting passed by everyone on the cross country team) or rock climbing at the bouldering cave in the evening. He loves Carleton’s walkability: it didn’t even matter that he forgot to bring his bike to campus. He considers bad horror movies to be the ultimate form of entertainment.

The post How to Make the Most of a Campus Visit appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

If only!

Oh wait…

Thankfully, in the grand age of technology and development, an all too familiar solution exists for this devastating minor inconvenience: 

There’s an app for that.

My friends and I learned about the built-for-students app for the first time during fall term our freshman year. Chances are, you heard about it pretty early on too (or will, if you’re a recently admitted student! Congratulations, by the way!). The Carls App is indisputably one of the most useful tools a student here could have and use, and everyone here seems to know about it! The Carls App doesn’t exactly get a spotlight during orientation, but trust me—you’ll want it on your home screen by week two. Consider this an introduction to your handy dandy pocket guide to Carleton!

Upon opening the app, you’re faced with this screen of glorious colorful buttons. Navigating the interface is really easy; everything is neatly categorized and labeled for maximum efficacy. 

Best of the Carls App: a Highlight Reel

I’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of all the most helpful parts of the Carls app—the features that’ll save you the most time, stress, and maybe even a few unnecessary treks across campus. The app can help you answer all sorts of common questions, like:

1. “What’s for dinner?”

This is a big one. On the Carleton website, you have to individually select each dining hall or cafe under “Dining Services” to see what’s being served that day. On the Carls App, this information is all located under the “Menus” tab. I check this at least once daily before I make any decisions about where I’m going to eat that day. If you look at this as religiously as my friends and I do, you’ll never miss a Burton burrito bowl day again.

2. “Is ____ open right now?”

Never have I ever: walked all the way across the Carleton campus and tried to enter a building, only to realize that the door was locked (I, unfortunately, am very guilty of this). I’ve since gotten better about checking building hours before I go places, and the Carls App makes this really easy! Dining hall, campus resources, and Rec hours among many other things are all listed under the “Building Hours” tab. 

3. “Who’s that one person again?”

We all know and love the campus directory for this one. Thanks to the Carls App, it’s colloquially referred to as “Stalkernet,” and is (conveniently enough) located under the Stalkernet tab. Unfortunately, you do have to sign into your Carleton account to view this one (sorry prospies and admitted students, you can’t stalk us current students quite yet) which is an extra hurdle, but it’s still great for quickly pulling up someone’s OneCard photo. That way, your friends can put a face to the name of the classmate or the prof you’re telling them a story about!

4. “When is the bus coming?”

The bus schedule is rather elusive on the Carleton website, and for students without cars, this is a hugely important resource to be able to access! The bus schedule and all its stops can be found under the “Transportation” tab, and it makes your obligatory monthly trip to Target, a quick dinner at Culver’s, or coordinating movie theatre visits infinitely easier to figure out. I did once get stranded at Arby’s for an hour freshman year because I missed the bus home from Target. Be better than me and check the app so that never happens to you. Oops.

Take a look around!

Some of the things on here are functions I’d never even looked at until writing this blog. The “SUMO” section, for example, lays out all the movies being shown in Weitz on Fridays and Saturdays. My friends and I have been to a lot of these, and I had no idea the schedule was so accessible this whole time!

The “Calendar” tab also lists events happening at St. Olaf and in Northfield at large for quick reference (I WILL one day attend whatever “Cowaroke” at the Contented Cow is). And the campus map includes the addresses of a lot of houses that are otherwise pretty hard to find! I’d definitely advise you to click through and see all the features the Carls App has to offer. And if you’re a prospective student not living here on campus yet, taking a peek at some of the things on the app is a great way to get the inside scoop on what campus life might look like for you when you get here. It’s certainly worth checking out!

If you’ve ever found yourself lost navigating the metaphorical maze of Carleton’s website or wandering the actual maze that our campus can sometimes be, the Carls App is your new best friend. 

Download it. Use it. Love it.
And maybe—just maybe—you’ll never have to say, “Wait, what time does Burton close?” ever again.

Leksi (she/her) is a sophomore Carleton student from Colorado Springs, Colorado and a (recently declared!) pre-law Psychology major. So far, she could not be happier with her college decision! Northfield and Carleton have done an amazing job providing Leksi with the only five things she needs to thrive: local coffee, music, wilderness, the gym, and ice hockey. She is heavily involved in both men’s and women’s club ice hockey and loves hanging out on the Bald Spot or Bell Field with her friends, some good music, and a football/volleyball/frisbee in the warmer-weathered off-season. She also spends a great deal of time in the cities checking out cool local restaurants and music venues! If you’re unsure where to find Leksi on campus, your best bet is the group tables on Fourth Libe, a Hasenstaab Hall study room, the weight room in the Rec, or hopelessly lost somewhere deep in the arb. Meet the Other Bloggers!

The post The Carls App: Your New Pocket Sidekick appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

College is big.

Both physically, and in its emblematic presence.

It represents a big change of scenery. A big change of pace. A big change in the people you know, and relationships you maintain.

Its grandeur means it’s garnered a sort of fabled reputation in popular culture. College isn’t just school, it’s a lifestyle. A place where anything and everything can happen, where parties rage into the dark hours of the morning, where schoolwork piles up like the rubble that wiped Pompeii from the map. But does it deserve this notoriety? Which expectations of mine were fulfilled my first year, and which were not?

I’ll briefly take you through some of my presuppositions before coming to Carleton. In an effort to appeal to the Letterboxd fans out there, I’ll assess how accurate they were by ranking them on a scale from 1 to 10: the lowest meaning “totally incorrect”, and the highest indicating “100% spot on”. 

Expectation: the food will be bad

Maybe it was my high school dining experience tainting my assumptions, but I initially had severe doubts that any meal service provider that had to serve 2,000 kids three times a day would manage to cook decent food. Turns out I was mostly wrong. I generally think the food at Carleton is pretty good. It’s possible that my particular oh-so-low expectations made it taste even better, but I think anyone will be able to tell you that the meals aren’t half bad, and the variety that’s available makes up for most shortcomings.

Accuracy rating: 3

Expectation: people party every night

This seems like a natural assumption given the way college is represented in most media. Think the red cups, beer pong, thumping music, and sweat-soaked basement raves. To be honest, though, people keep their heads in their books most weeknights. Friday and Saturday offer opportunities for people looking to go out, but an institution of waking up every morning filled with headaches and regret—Carleton is not.

Accuracy rating: 2

Expectation: you have so much more freedom

College life is certainly a step up in terms of personal autonomy. There can be pros and cons: on the one hand, the lack of immediate parental support can be daunting. On the other, if you decide one day that you want to have ice cream for dinner… no one’s gonna stop you. You get used to figuring things out for yourself a bit more. But don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need support: there are always people to lean on!

Accuracy rating: 8

Expectation: you have no free time because of schoolwork 

I’d qualify this as a slight misjudgment rather than flat out incorrect. It’s true that the homework load is much heavier than in high school, and expectations are higher. But it doesn’t feel overwhelming because of the schedule of the classes: on any given day, I have, at most, 2 70-minute-long lessons to attend, and the rest of my day is essentially free for me to mold into whatever I think will be most productive.

Accuracy rating: 3

I hope these offer some insights (and possibly quell some fears!) about Carleton life and the college experience in general. Adjustments take time, of course, but trust me: soon enough you’ll find yourself in a routine that works well for you.

Inigo (he/him/his) is trying very hard to turn interests in subjects like film, english, and psychology into a manageable course load. Originally from Somerville, Massachusetts, he can often be found running in the Cowling Arboretum (and getting passed by everyone on the cross country team) or rock climbing at the bouldering cave in the evening. He loves Carleton’s walkability: it didn’t even matter that he forgot to bring his bike to campus. He considers bad horror movies to be the ultimate form of entertainment.

The post College: Expectations vs Reality appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Campus Life Without a Car

My friends and I drove everywhere in high school. I was extremely used to relying on my car to go to and from home, friends’ houses, school, practice, and everything in between. Sometimes just “going for a drive” was our activity for the day. In the grand scheme of adjusting to college life, the first few weeks without a car might’ve been the rudest awakening I dealt with. Despite this, I firmly believe it was a necessary adjustment! 

As a freshman, no one has a car despite a few special cases. This is great for campus culture because all the newer students are concentrated on campus together! My new friends and I collectively learned to rely on campus events, join student organizations, and explore local Northfield spots to keep ourselves entertained. This brought us so much closer as friends, helped us become more familiar with our new hometown, and encouraged us to do some self-discovery to find our niches within the Carleton community. 

And if students without vehicles find themselves needing to get off of Carleton’s immediate campus, the Northfield Lines bus system is actually pretty convenient! Taking the bus around town is always a little bit of an adventure. Nine times out of ten I found myself meeting Oles, catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in a while, or hopping off at random stops on a whim for fun. Plus, it goes without saying that learning to navigate public transportation is an extremely useful life skill (which I evidently did not have prior to college, hence my intense dependency on my car).

Plus, there are a great few spots to check out in Northfield that are less than a 10-minute walk from Carleton. Hopping on a bike cuts that time down even further. If you’re big on thrifting and coffee, you needn’t go any further than Divison Street here in town! I’ll hold off on listing everything there is to do in Northfield because that could be an essay-length post all on its own; the bottom line is that students have tons of options right off campus!

The Transition: Bringing a Car!

Last July, I decided to apply for an on-campus parking spot this past summer and a road trip to campus for my sophomore year. Getting approved was a little bit of a shot in the dark; even though sophomores are technically allowed to bring vehicles, parking is limited, so not every underclassman application is accepted. Thankfully, though, I did end up getting a spot! I set off on my 13-hour drive back to campus in September, and my car now occupies a space I was assigned in the lot by Evans Hall. 

By the end of freshman year, I felt like I’d settled into my new home and seen most of what Northfield has to offer. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it here; most weekends I don’t go any further than a 20-minute walk from my dorm. Sometimes, though, my friends and I feel like we need to change things up and be a little more adventurous.

Enter: the cities.

Minneapolis and St. Paul. A whole new world of possibility. An unexplored frontier. An awesome place to spend a Friday or Saturday night when you’re feeling spontaneous! Being able to pile all my friends in the car and make the 45-minute drive north opens up so many opportunities, of which we’ve definitely taken full advantage. Having a car means I can vist the University of Minnesota, eat at one of the fantastic restaurants in the big city, shop at the Mall of America, or head to a music venue for a live show whenever I feel so inclined. I’ve been to five concerts this school year alone, and I have plans for at least two more in the next few months! One of my close friends and I even picked up muay thai and boxing, which we did every weekend up in Eden Prairie for a while.

All of the things Carleton students can do in the cities could also be an entirely separate post. The bottom line is that having a vehicle allows you to do things like that without relying on the inherently less flexible bus system or asking friends of friends for a ride. Having a car this year has certainly made me more independent, but there are definitely new responsibilities that come with that.

The Flip Side of Vehicular Freedom

Bringing a car to campus comes with a whole new set of responsibilities. My car did in fact need maintenance at some point early in fall term, and getting it to and from the auto shop was a difficult inconvenience. Carleton students are also only allowed to park in their assigned lots during weekdays, which means that I have to be cognizant of where on campus I leave my car so I’m not breaking the rules. As it would turn out, I personally am rather bad at this. I’ve managed to accrue $60 worth of parking fines in the past few months. Oops.

It’s also a significant financial burden to drive! Beyond the staggering cost of vehicle insurance and driver insurance, there are lots of other hidden fees. It was also nice not to have to pay for gas freshman year, and the freedom I have to conveniently go where I want when I want means that I’m now spending embarrassingly excessive amounts of money as a consumer (the Northfield Target is the main culprit, but quite a few other places are draining my bank account too). The harsh winter conditions here mean that road salt also takes a toll on a car, so wear and tear is something to consider too.

Having a car on campus also comes with a certain level of social responsibility. Because many of my friends didn’t drive to Carleton this year, it often falls on me to take friends to events, the airport, Urgent Care, the store, and anywhere else they might need a ride to. Most of the time I’m happy to help, but taking on this role in your group of friends can be a little taxing on occasion

Should You Bring a Car?

Being a carless freshman versus being a mobile sophomore are different experiences, and both have their costs and benefits. I never thought I’d be thankful for the year I spent without being able to drive, but here we are! So, to car or not to car? That is the question that so many returning Carleton students wrestle with each summer when the college begins accepting applications for vehicle registration.

For me, the answer was obvious. I would be lost without my beloved personal method of transportation. I think it’s a great choice to bring a vehicle if it’s feasible for you! But for many (one might even say most) people here, that’s not the case. And if so, it’s really not a big deal in the slightest. There’s plenty to do in Northfield, and the bus system to Minneapolis has you covered if you do need to get your big city fix every so often. Chances are you’ll even make a friend who has a car and never really have to worry about driving yourself. But for the weekend trippers and adventurers out there who are headed to Carleton, I definitely recommend it. The freedom is awesome, and really lets you maximize everything Minnesota has to offer!

Leksi (she/her) is a sophomore Carleton student from Colorado Springs, Colorado and a prospective pre-law Psychology or Cognitive Science major. So far, she could not be happier with her college decision! Northfield and Carleton have done an amazing job providing Leksi with the only five things she needs to thrive: local coffee, music, wilderness, the gym, and ice hockey. She is heavily involved in club ice hockey and loves hanging out on the Bald Spot or Bell Field with her friends, some good music, and a football/volleyball/frisbee in the warmer-weathered off-season. She also spends a great deal of time in the cities checking out cool local restaurants and m

usic venues! If you’re unsure where to find Leksi on campus, your best bet is the group tables on Fourth Libe, the weight room in the Rec, or hopelessly lost somewhere deep in the arb. Meet the Other Bloggers!

The post Carless, (and Not so Carless!) at Carleton appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Carleton’s winter break is easily one of the best parts of being a Carleton student. I assume that you, dear reader, have been looking at Carleton material previously. In that case, you will probably have seen some information about our winter break, which runs from the Monday before Thanksgiving until a few days after New Year’s Day. There are some self-explanatory reasons why this is a good thing, and one of the ones we always touch on on our tour route is Carleton’s externship program. For those who haven’t heard the speech yet (we would love to tell you in person or online!), externships are one to three-week internships over our six-week long winter break, offered only to Carleton students!

Before I continue, I want to clarify that externships are wonderful, I had an amazing time doing work over winter break, and the flexibility to work for 1-3 weeks leaves time to spend at home. However, I must admit that my favorite two winter breaks were in my freshman year and just this past winter. Why? Because I took the entire time to go home and recharge my batteries. The reasons this was beneficial at those very different points in my Carleton career are similar, but they have some key differences.

Why I Chose to Stay Home…

On tours, I have often heard someone ask, “Do you feel that the trimester system is too fast?” My answer has always been no. I categorize it as intense but not overwhelming. However, I would advise incoming students to be wary of the final two terms of freshman year. In the time that students at a typical school complete one semester, you will have already undergone one finals period and will most likely be wrapping up the midterms in Spring. I will admit that this increases the chances of burnout. The jump from high school to college is a lot, with this part being particularly tough. So, while it might seem appealing to take on those externships, I highly recommend recharging over your first break. After you’ve gotten used to it, those externships will still be there for the remainder of your time at Carleton, and you’ll make some amazing connections to maybe have an internship or job in the summer!

…And Why I Did the Same This Year

So why, after having all that experience with the system, did I decide to stay home and do as little work as I could over my last winter break? Right now, my main project for the term is COMPS. Comps is our senior capstone project. It is almost entirely self-guided, and one of the options for English Majors is to write up to 60 pages of creative prose. I’ve had my idea for my comps for years now, it’s a story close to my heart, and I refuse to look back on this process and have my first memory be of how stressed and burned out I was while completing it. After trying to little to no avail to get some work done around Thanksgiving, I put down the computer and hiked. I went to the mountains twice, saw a concert and a pro wrestling show, and read some of my favorite books. While it has made readjusting to school work a little bit harder, as I have had to get back in the swing of doing homework, I have attacked my comps with a lot more joy over the last couple of days than I would if I had struggled through it over the holidays.

Will’s (he/him/his) favorite thing about Carleton is the amount of open space the campus has, as it is a good reprieve from stress. He has seen the movie The Princess Bride at least 20 times, and can recite large portions of it! Outside of the classroom, Will is a member of CHOP, one of Carleton’s D3 ultimate frisbee teams, and is a member of the disc golf club and board game club.

The post To Externship or Not to Externship: How to Best Use Your Winter Break at Carleton appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Living away from my family

I was terrified of moving away from home for a myriad of reasons. Up until a couple of days before visiting Carleton, I thought I was going to be in-state and not far from my parents. Unforeseen circumstances prevented this and I ended up at Carleton, 902 miles away from my home in Denver. 

While I miss them every day, I have found an amazing community of people here. The people I see and interact with every day give me a sense of home and family. I was so terrified that I would end up alone in college but instead I have already made some of the richest friendships of my life. 

Physical Contact

Like a lot of people my age, physical contact can be a little bit iffy for me. In high school, it was a huge boundary for me, which is perfectly fine, however it affected me enough where I decided that it was something that I wanted to work on in college. 

So what did I do? I joined rugby. I honestly cannot think of many sports with more physical contact. Just google scrum and you’ll know exactly what I mean. I got over my fear of that real quick. The environment on the team is very supportive and understanding of everyone’s comfort level. It’s easy to trust the people on the team which makes it a very comfortable environment to work on that.

Another thing I’ve gone to is social dance. If I told my high school sophomore self that I would be going to social dance club (think waltz, tango, rumba, dances like that), I think she would’ve laughed in my face. That one was a little scarier for me, but again the environment here is very understanding and when I inevitably max out before the meeting is over, there’s never any judgment.

Putting Myself Out There

Wow, was this one a challenge. In high school, I could take charge of a room or a project easily and I had no problem expressing my opinions to others. However, when it came to making friends, that was definitely a struggle. Going up to new people with the intention of making friends was just something that I couldn’t imagine myself doing at any point in high school or middle school.

However, since getting here, some sort of switch flipped in me that said, “Girl, these people are really cool. Do you really want to miss out on getting to know them?” That was the motivation I needed to put myself out there. I’m so happy that I did because, oh my gosh, people here are amazing. So many people that I’ve talked to have huge passions for things, giant hearts, and awesome senses of humor. This is the fear I’m probably the proudest of getting over because it’s opened up the world to me in so many ways I didn’t know possible.

Coming off as less than “the best”

Okay, I’m trusting you guys not to judge me here. In high school, I always felt the need to be at the top of my classes all the time. It felt as though if I wasn’t the best, I wouldn’t be taken seriously. 

So when I came to Carleton and it was no longer possible for me to be the best, I was seriously humbled. It’s a typical experience of those who go to a selective college, however that doesn’t make it any less challenging to not be at the same level you once were in high school. 

I’ll be real with you, there have been times where I’ve felt like the dumbest person in the room or in my social circles, and it might sound ridiculous (it does to me writing it now,) but I was legitimately worried for a little bit that it I wasn’t the smartest, I was the dumbest and that I would be on the outs.

This was the imposter syndrome that I had to overcome by reminding myself where my roots were. I had to remember where I came from and where I’m going and that put things into some much needed perspective. 

Overall, college so far has definitely given me some opportunities to choose to overcome my fears as well as shove them in my face and say “you will either overcome or go home.” I hope my being vulnerable here will cause whoever is reading this to feel less alone in their own fears as well as excited for the opportunity to grow and become better versions of themselves.

The post Facing First Term Fears appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Sometimes, all it takes to solve a problem is just asking. I’m excited to share my experience at Carleton’s Information Technology Services (ITS)—a vibrant hub dedicated to finding answers!

How I Got The Job

A few months before moving to campus, I had the option to fill out an interest form on the Carleton student employment website. This form would help match me with the “perfect” job for me if I answered some short questions about myself, or I could browse the job postings and apply for positions that caught my eye. Curious about which route I took? Don’t worry—I chose the first option! I decided to trust Carleton to connect me with the right opportunity. As an international student, I had a lot on my plate with planning my big transition. So, letting Carleton take the lead felt like a blessing.

For me, getting a campus job was part of my financial aid package, but that’s not the case for most Carleton students. A significant number of my fellow Carls work on campus not just out of necessity, but because they want to gain experience and earn a little extra cash—not just relying on their parents’ support. I believe working here isn’t just about the money; it’s also a chance to connect with the campus community, develop new skills, and make lasting friendships. Whether it’s for financial reasons or personal growth, having a job at Carleton opens up a world of opportunities for everyone involved!

Conflict Between Thoughts and Reality

By the time I arrived, I was thrilled to know I’d be working in a place where students come for help with their tech problems. The thought of being part of a team that supports my fellow students was really exciting! After all, what’s the meaning of life if you can’t help anyone – not even yourself?
But then, the nerves kicked in. I started asking myself all the possible “what ifs”. What if I didn’t know anything? What if I just ended up fetching coffee like those interns with mean bosses in movies?
Those thoughts were a bit scary but there was only a way to find out.

Starting Out

When I finally got to the office, all my intimidating “what ifs” vanished. The team organized fantastic training sessions that covered everything from communication skills to hands-on tech fixes. They made sure I felt ready to tackle any situation. On my first day at the Helpdesk, I sat behind the glass, heart racing, but eager to help. With limited knowledge, I jumped right in, and to my surprise, it felt great!

Growing And Learning Each Day

Now, I’ve been here for weeks yet each day is a chance to learn something new. One of the best parts of working at ITS is the supportive atmosphere. The staff love to teach, and they’re always willing to help you grow.

I started at the Helpdesk, where I answered questions and helped troubleshoot issues. But I wanted more hands-on experience, so I expressed my interest in tech repairs. Thankfully, they arranged for me to join the Drop-off Centre (DOC) for practical training. Now, I’m actually fixing devices and learning the ins and outs of tech repairs, which feel amazing!

Join Us at ITS!

If you’re facing tech troubles, come visit me and the awesome staff and CarlTechs! We’re here to help with anything from tricky laptop issues to navigating campus tech. At ITS, we believe getting help should be fun and feasible. So, if you ever need assistance, don’t hesitate to stop by. Let’s work together to turn your tech headaches into solutions, and maybe even share a laugh while we’re at it!

Agnes (she/her) comes from Ghana. While it might seem like a faraway land, the strong sense of community, the incredibly kind people, and the enormous number of trees at Carleton make her feel at home. Her love for science stems from her fascination with nature, as science finds an interesting way to explain the natural world. She is a member of the FOCUS Program.  When she’s not writing, dancing, or singing behind closed doors, you can probably find her engaged in conversation somewhere. She likes to spend time researching medical school and life beyond; that should tell you about her great interest in pre-med. While she continues to explore her interests, she has discovered a great interest for Biology, Chemistry, and CAMS classes at Carleton.

The post My Student Employment at ITS: Where Tech Meets Fun appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

I’m only a first-year student who hasn’t completed my fall term yet so I don’t know the ins and outs of the academic side of things, however, I think it’s important to share this part of the journey because eventually, every freshman will encounter it. I think everyone should know that they’re not alone in the unknown. So here are the things I’ve seen notice that I’ve had to adjust to as a first year at Carleton who went to a public high school where grades were deemed all-important. 

There are not a lot of grades here.

It’s almost week 8 and breaking and here’s the breakdown for the amount the assignments I’ve had:

• Field Geology: 2 Labs and 2 Tests
• Multivariable Calculus: 1 Test, 2 Quizzes
• Philosophy: 2 Essays

Were you counting how many assignments that is? If not, I’ll tell you: that’s 9 assignments for 7 weeks of work. This means that each test, quiz, homework assignment, and the things that would have been tiny fractions of your grade in high school, have huge effects on your grade. This is true of a lot of colleges, but it’s especially true here because the 10-week term doesn’t allow for a lot of time for professors to grade work and therefore they give you fewer opportunities to show what you know for a grade. This can be extremely stressful, especially if you do poorly on one of the assignments and you know that you don’t have many opportunities to make up for it. 

However, the professors here aren’t mean and evil. They take care of you and while you still have to earn that A, they won’t make it impossible. For example, in my philosophy class, we can rewrite our first two papers or in field geology, our more difficult tests will be curved. However, since I haven’t gotten to the end of the term, there is a nagging feeling that everything might not go as well as I thought they would at the beginning of the term. Again, it’s much more difficult to get good grades here than it was in high school, however even knowing this, it’s challenging to rewire my brain to be okay with getting lower grades.

Studying for Things is Much More Difficult

Study guides don’t exist here. Actually, that’s a lie, they do, but they are few and far between and they don’t always have what will actually be on the test. If there is an upcoming test, it’s up to you to figure out what to study for it. 

However, you do have resources. You can go to your teacher assistants (TAs), you can talk directly to your professors about different things, you can collaborate with your classmates, all of which can help you become more confident for your tests.

One great example of this was in my field geology class. One day our professor just went to the board and wrote “Rock Exam next Thursday. There will be rocks and there will be questions.” We didn’t get much more of an explanation than that. It took going to TA hours every chance I could for hours at a time to glean as much information about rocks and about the test from the people who had taken this class before. When I got to the test, despite our professor not really telling us what would be on it, I felt confident because I had gotten help from other sources.

While this was really frustrating at first, I kind of realized that this is what life is like. You don’t get a study guide in real life. Instead, you have to collaborate with others and use your past experiences to figure out how to solve the problem ahead of you. 

You cannot do it alone.

In any sense of the word. If you want to succeed at all, isolating yourself is the first step in the wrong direction. There are so many resources to take advantage of! There are way more resources here than this, but these are the ones I’ve taken advantage of here so far:

Talking to my professors when I don’t know what’s going on in the class is always very helpful. All of my professors either have office hours or places to schedule appointments and they are all very accessible and very helpful when I need it.

Studying in groups helps keep my spirits up. Just having someone else in the room when I have 5 hours of homework ahead of me helps me want to study.

Counseling. At Carleton, you can take advantage of a limited amount of individual counseling sessions at SHAC or unlimited group counseling sessions. College can be challenging at first but the counselors here are amazing and willing to help when you need it.

TA hours really help when you have extra questions about the class and you need another student’s insight. This can be very helpful when there’s a test coming up and you need an idea of what to study for or if you need things explained in a different way than your prof does.

You Don’t Think About Grades As Much Here

Most classes don’t have a way to see your cumulative grade throughout the trimester. This combined with the fact that so few grades go into the gradebook makes it so that there’s no reason to be obsessing over your grades every other second. I love this aspect because it means I can focus on the cool things we’re learning in class rather than a letter that doesn’t even matter that much. 

In the end, grades don’t really matter. It’s been hard trying to convince myself of this, but I’m glad to be going to a school that forces me to accept this truth. But as with everything, it’s just putting in the effort to get to that eventual goal.

The post Grades Quirks at Carleton appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

So this week I’d like to talk about something that nobody really has a full understanding of: balance. Specifically I’d like to talk about the balance between being who you are and trying new things.

Entering college gives you a new sense of freedom to be who you are or to change how you’re perceived to other people. You can express yourself exactly as you are and you can try a whole host of new things and discover new parts of yourself. Balancing these two things is really challenging. 

For me, I wanted to try exploring the parts of myself that aren’t strictly for useful things. In high school, just about everything I did was for the goal of being productive. Studying, extracurriculars, spending time with family, sports, outside community service, internships, my life was scheduled every second of every day. I didn’t have any time to hang out with friends outside of school or specifically designated activities and when I did have the time, I never had the energy. I was “on it” all the time. 

When I stepped onto the Carleton campus, I decided I didn’t want to just do that. So I let myself goof off more often and hang out with people solely for the sake of hanging out with them and nothing else. 

However, for some reason there was a disconnect between the high school me and the college me. There’s a ton of things I like about the college version of me: I’m more open to people and to experiences, I’m less stressed about life, and I’m with so many different super cool people every day. 

But there’s a lot I really liked about the high school version of me: I was passionate about everything I did, I didn’t talk to a lot of people so my brain was always on and always thinking about science and new theories, I had a very tight community that I could talk to about anything, and I could feel confident that I was on the right track. 

Mending that disconnect has been my focus for the past week and it’s a really hard thing to overcome. Imposter syndrome is a real thing here and while I walked onto the campus confident, the sheer amount of incredible people here could make me feel like maybe I didn’t belong. 

It’s also difficult when normal

support systems are gone. For me, my family and close friends are my anchor. I could always know who I am because I know who I am in relation to them. However I can’t talk to them all the time like I could when I was living at home and that’s been a really tough adjustment. 

So what’s someone to do when they are trying to balance all the changes that come with college with the person one was before? 

Well, there’s a lot of things that have helped. The thing I miss most is my family so calling them from time to time is a huge help. It can get extremely busy at Carleton and there are days where every second is filled with class, extracurricular activities, travel time, plans you made with friends, studying, work, and meals and there’s not a lot of time where you can spontaneously call someone. So for me, any time I do have that kind of time, I call someone in my family. Scheduling time to talk with them and make them a priority also helps. 

Feeling anchorless is hard but luckily we live in a digital age so I can always call them and be reminded of where I’m from and who I am despite all the newness of my current situation. 

Another part I really missed was my passion for science. During my first few weeks here, it got lost along the way of figuring out everything. So I decided to change that: in the mornings I tend to eat breakfast alone (peopling that early is hard!) During that time I would make it a point to read the new astronomy news or listen to a science-y podcast or read a good book. (Right now I recommend Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku!)  Reminding myself why I wanted to go to college and study science in the first place gives me additional roots.

Something else that helps is running. When I’m running, literally nothing else matters. I have blocked out that time to do nothing else except run so there’s nothing else I can do except enjoy the time where I can be out in nature and feel good about myself. On my hard days here, I can always rely on a run to bring a little bit of joy and clarity to my life. 

One other great thing that helps is gratitude. I feel so incredibly lucky to be here: I live on a gorgeous campus with incredible people where my only job is learning about fascinating subjects that I’m genuinely interested and passionate about and every opportunity to try new things is open to me. While I won’t deny that there are some tough parts about campus, reminding myself of how fortunate I am definitely grounds me and gives me some perspective.

Everyday I succeed in some parts of this balance and fail miserably at others. I have to constantly remind myself of my values, why I’m here, where I come from, and how I got here. It requires hard work and discipline to remind myself of these things as well as cutting myself a lot of slack when I forget. It’s a balance that I haven’t figured out yet (and probably never will completely) but putting in effort every day makes my time here so much richer and more radiant.

Grace (she/her) is always up for a good adventure and is right at home trying new things. At Carleton, that’s everything from exploring new sections of the arb to joining sports like rugby to working ITS to meeting new people everyday! She loves learning about the “whys” behind the world and hopes to be a physics major. You can find her trying all the new clubs and opportunities she can at Carleton and hanging out with her friends.

The post Balance of Old and New Self appeared first on Carleton Admissions.