CASA is home to Latino students who are seeking an additional level of community engagement on campus. I decided to apply because I loved the cultural and social events that CASA hosts on campus and the community they create. It was heartwarming to enter my house and recognize people who looked like me and to be able to practice my Spanish-speaking skills. I’ve lived in Casa for a full academic year and will live there again this fall!

A Special Resident

A surprising perk of living in CASA was that we had a house cat named Pina! She not only comforted me during my late night study sessions, but would also sit in front of my computer and stare me down to keep me on task.

Window View

On days when I woke up to find that snow had appeared, the campus became even more beautiful! It’s the perfect time to bring out your camera and snap some photos. That’s even more true at Casa, with our great views! Students are also always taking the opportunity to go outside and play in the snow!

Hosting Social Events

As a way to give back to the community, CASA hosts events open to the entire campus. One of our most popular was the Equites event—yum! We often collaborate with the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) on events like Sopita and Self-Care. Being away from home, it’s comforting for students like myself to enjoy familiar foods while relaxing with a face mask on.

Yap Sessions with Housemates

Short study breaks often turned into long hours chatting. Typical living room activities included painting our nails, renting equipment from PEPS to watch movies or play Mario Kart, and teaming up to bake cookies and brownies for the CASA community.

Rose, Bud, Thorn might just be a Carleton thing—but it’s a fun tradition where CASA members share the highlight of their week (the rose), something that could have gone better (the thorn), and something they’re looking forward to (the bud)!

House Bonding

Every term, we plan a fun house bonding event! In the past, we’ve enjoyed things like a carne asada day and a cozy brunch together. During the carne asada day, we collaborated with current residents, with a special visit from future house residents for the fall

Yahaira Salgado ’27 (she/her) is a rising junior with a psychology major and educational studies minor. Originally from Chicago, she works at the print shop and enjoys attending cultural and social events with food. Outside of school, you’ll find her either at the Libe, running or walking in the Arb, or crocheting in her room.

The post Living in a Cultural House (Casa del Sol) appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Campus storage

Carleton offers storage for anything you can’t or don’t want to bring home. The process is pretty simple: you go to the bookstore and buy tags for your boxes, and then show up at the storage time. Each day, there’s a specific storage space open at a specific time, so staying on top of the schedule is really important. Because you store by box, buying bigger boxes is definitely a good idea. 

Storing with friends

Not everything can be stored in Carleton storage. I didn’t have a box for my mirror or air purifier, so I was able to give that to a friend to store at her house for me. Look here to see if what you’re trying to store is allowed. If not, there is almost always someone who is driving home and willing to take it. 

Mailing things home

The mailroom can also help you send packages home if no one can take them. I’ve never personally tried this, but if you need something home that you can’t take on the plane, this is a great route to go.  

Starting early

Packing can be a much-needed break from studying. Last year, I helped my friends pack, so during the reading days, they came and helped me. The extra set of hands was really nice and we also used it as a chance to catch up in these busy times.

Things will change

This might sound ominous, but if you’re prepared for something to go wrong, then you’ll be okay. Sometimes storage hours change, or even worse, it might start pouring rain on the day you’re supposed to move out. Being prepared for anything will hopefully make this process less stressful (and a little rain never hurt anyone).

The saddest part of move out is saying goodbye to all of the amazing people here at Carleton. I always feel so lucky for this community, and I can’t wait to see them again in the fall (or in the winter for my friends going on OCS)

Kate (she/her) is a sophomore History major from the Bay Area, California. She loves Carleton’s artsy community, and is involved in both the Theater and Dance department and Vocal Studies Program. Kate’s favorite places on campus are the practice rooms, either in Myers or the Weitz, where she can sing or play the ukulele. She loves the campus during all the seasons, but fall is definitely her favorite. When not in class, you can find Kate either petting the nearest cat or forcing her friends to watch bad movies in a study room.

The post Ending Spring Term: Preparing to Move Out appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

We took to the Twin Cities for dining and entertainment. We watched Sinners (2025), which was fantastic, as well as participating in “puppy yoga” (which, yes, is exactly what it sounds like).

If all of this sounds fun to you, but you’re worried that you won’t be able to experience the fruits of the city whilst stuck on campus, fret not—there are a bunch of ways to get from Carleton to the Twin Cities, the airport, St. Olaf, or generally around the Northfield area.

Hiawathaland Transit

This will be your go-to for getting around Northfield on a chilly January day. The bus makes regular stops at all the places you might want—Target, Family Fare, Saint Olaf, City Hall, the YMCA, etc. When I lost my bike in the winter term (truly a tragedy) and couldn’t make the two-mile ride to Target, Hithawaland buses were there to provide much-needed support. They operate on weekdays from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so you should be able to squeeze in a trip once you get out of class.

Northfield Lines

If small-town vibes get overwhelming, Northfield Lines are the way to get into the Twin Cities without a car (or driver’s license… I should really get that at some point!). They can drop you at the University of Minnesota, the Mall of America, or the airport for 35 dollars, and they offer additional buses at the beginning and end of Carleton terms so it’s easy to catch your flight home. Each ride is about an hour long, so it’s also a great opportunity to catch up on some homework, or even just stare out the window and contemplate life.

Zipcar

This one’s for all the responsible folks who got their driver’s license during high school (not me): Zipcar. If you have a membership, you can book a car by the hour or day. They’re parked in the Skinner Chapel lot, and there are usually enough so that at any given time one will be available for use. For students, the membership is about 35 dollars per year—so if you didn’t bring a car to campus, it can be a great option if you’re often out and about.

Biking

In the fall and late spring, biking on campus is sort of a transcendental experience: the sun is shining, you hear the birds chirping, you see the flowers blooming, you greet people as you zoom by, and you think, “can life really get much better than this?” Well, it’s a different story in the winter. But we’re not here to dwell on the negatives. Biking is a great way to get around campus quickly (if you have one, you can get up 2 minutes before class starts instead of 5!), as well as trips to the movie theater and Target when the weather is nice.

This is a short list of some of the transportation options on Carleton’s campus. However, I’m always open to new suggestions of unique ways to get around—e.g. Segways, monoskis, monster trucks, hoverboards, and ziplines.

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 Transportation at Carleton appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Of course, my morning routine is EPIC. Why wouldn’t it be?

Clearly, I start every day with a cold plunge, 20 ounces of steak, and a gallon of raw milk. What else would I do?

In all seriousness, I’m someone who thrives in routine. Variety is the spice of life, true, but it’s comforting to be able to look forward to small parts of your day that you can count on to lift your spirits. I can’t say my daily routine is as exciting as I might have alluded to in the beginning, but hopefully it will give you a clearer look into what the life of an average Carleton first-year can look like.

The morning hours

I actually do wake up early. Pretty much every day begins at 7:00 AM. I hop out of bed, try not to wake my roommate, and head to the common room to make some breakfast. I usually keep some food in my room instead of heading to the dining hall in the morning—no hate to the food, but sometimes the cereal selection just doesn’t cut it! I do all of the boring cleanliness stuff as well (contrary to popular belief, I actually do shower!), but I’ll spare you the details.

After breakfast, I’ll usually head to the Sayles-Hill Campus Center for studying (or playing video games for a bit!). I like to crack open an energy drink to get me jazzed up for the day—if you ever need advice on which flavors to buy, you couldn’t ask for a more qualified connoisseur. From around 7:30-9:30 is my alone time before heading out to my first class. So far, I’ve had most of my morning free for every term. Fingers crossed it stays that way next year.

First classes

My morning classes are “Logic” on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and “Chinese Biographical Histories” on Tuesday and Thursday. Logic is sort of like math mixed with philosophy—concerned with things like “truth-values”, “material conditionals”, and why the argument “the sky is blue, and the sky is red, and therefore I am a shapeshifting robot” is technically deductively valid. Chinese Biographical Histories is a very different course: where we learn about Sima Qian, who wrote biographies of important historical figures in Ancient China (and often threw shade at them in the process!).

Lunch

After my morning classes, I usually grab lunch with some of my friends (most of the time at Burton. LDC only if I am peer pressured into it). If it is Tuesday or Thursday, then good news: I am free for the rest of the day! Yippee! If it is Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, then I have another class. Boo!

The afternoon stretch

That other class is my afternoon course: “Understanding Religion”. It’s pretty interesting, especially since I went into it not knowing what to expect at all. We’ve moved from discussing what religion is, to critiques of religion, to modern religious practices and how they differ from each other. It’s definitely a gap in my general knowledge that needed filling at some point, so I’m glad I’m finally getting around to learning about it!

The rest of my day is less structured. Depending on how much work I have, I might head to the library to lock in until dinner. Or, if it’s a nice day, I’ll lace up my shoes and go for a jog in the arboretum. Sometimes I’ll do both (though not at the same time). Now that it’s spring, I’ve been trying to spend more time outside—something that would have been extremely irresponsible to attempt during the cold months of January and February.

Evening activities

A grand feast at dinner precedes rock climbing practice from 8:30-10:00 PM. I’ve already blogged about the sport, but I have to reiterate: if you are at all interested in trying out a fun new activity (that is actually not as dangerous as it might look), then you should drop into the bouldering cave on Tuesday and Thursday night. It’s a great time—the only downside is that, when I’m finished at 10, I’m so hyper that it’s difficult to fall asleep afterwards!

Sleepytime

Alas, I force myself to hit the hay. I aim for before eleven, but most of the time I’m satisfied with before midnight. After all, tomorrow is a new day—and 7:00 AM is when the grind begins again .

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 A Day In The Life At Carleton College appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Measuring My Success
If success in my case were measured solely by new adventures, then I would say the break was a resounding success. I worked at the ITS Helpdesk, and it was as enjoyable as it could be. Each day offered new opportunities to learn, perfectly aligning with my mantra for the break. ITS welcomed me back and gave me a glimpse into one of its popular departments, the Knowledge Base Team, where I was introduced to writing and publishing IT articles. I also assisted a faculty member with a Wi-Fi survey, using a device to pick up signals across campus buildings and analyze the data with software. This experience was particularly enjoyable—mention a room in a residential building, and I could say I had been there.

While I thought I was merely keeping busy to distract my mind, I realized that I was actually giving my life new meaning. I had never engaged with so many people in such a short time before.

I recognized that I hadn’t taken the opportunity to know others during the fall term because I was too caught up in my personal struggles of adapting to this new environment—perhaps not a bad thing, technically. However, it was surprisingly fulfilling to realize how meaningful life can be when you understand that you are not alone. Making the most of life and time wasn’t just about doing a lot; it meant engaging more with others and recognizing that I share this world with many.

In those moments of cold silence, I came to value the small interactions—those brief lunch breaks with a dear friend, the personal stories shared during work breaks, and the appreciation I felt when others acknowledged my presence and invited me to join them, even for something as simple as sitting at a dining table together. While I may have been successful in accomplishing many tasks, those moments did not erase my thoughts or self-reflections. In fact, I would consider that a success too. At the end of the day, I rediscovered a forgotten part of myself, buried deep within the cold of staying over, and I heard myself better in the silence.

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 In Silence: A Reflection on Time Spent Alone appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

1. Traying

So while Minnesota is known for being incredibly flat, we promise that Northfield does in fact have hills. Our soccer field, Bell Field, rests at the bottom of one of these hills behind one of the dormitories. In the winter, that hill becomes a prime spot for sledding, although sleds might be a strong word for the things students ride down the hills on.

There are old pizza boxes, frisbees, or, most commonly, dining hall trays. It’s super fun to do with friends, and while I won’t officially recommend that you accost any Carleton property, let this be a warning if you choose a less ideal sledding implement.

2. Skiing in the Arb

One of Carleton’s calling cards is its proximity to our 800-acre arboretum that wraps around most of the campus. During the fall and spring, this is a fantastic resource for students, both academic and personal. It is a popular running or walking place for people looking to get away from the stress of classes, and while in the winter running is not exactly advisable, the trails are groomed for skiing, and the rec has a stock of skis and snowshoes that students can rent out for those who either don’t want to bring their skis from home or who have never tried before!

3. Ice Skating

Carleton transforms our typical in-campus outdoor activity space for winter as well! During the warmer months, the Bald Spot is home to people studying, playing frisbee, spike ball, or relaxing in the sun, but in the winter, it is frozen over into two ice rinks! Right next to them is a warming hut with skates, sticks, and helmets for people to play hockey or go skating. We also have broomball, which I always tell people is hockey for people who can’t skate. Instead of using a puck, you use a ball, and it is played on ice in regular shoes.

4. Book Across the Bay

And last but certainly not least, the off-campus opportunity that I alluded to in the beginning! Book Across the Bay is a 10k skate, ski, or snowshoe across a bay of frozen Lake Superior! It’s not a Carleton-exclusive event; our outdoor student organization and interest house CANOE takes around a hundred students to participate, but we join as many as 4,000 people from all over. If you consider yourself a competitor, it is technically a race, although most people are there for the excuse to spend some time with their friends outdoors. At the end of the event, there is a concert under a massive tent, a nice warm way to end a long day.

Will’s (he/him/his) favorite thing about Carleton is the amount of open space that 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 disc golf club and board game club.

The post Winter Outside Activities appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

It’s nice to have something to look forward to at the end of each week. Classes screech to a halt for an extremely welcome two days, but once you’ve gotten all of your homework done, one can often feel directionless. After structuring your schedule around academics for five days straight, something else must fill the void left by the lack of classes. The weekend is long, and as Phineas and Ferb so eloquently put it:

“The annual problem, for our generation, is finding a good way to spend it”.

The Student Movie Organization (SUMO) is dedicated to this task. Every Friday and Saturday night, at 7:00 and 10:00 PM, a film is screened in the Weitz Cinema. Hand-picked by student representatives, the movies are often recent releases, creating an experience that emulates what one might experience outside the seemingly frozen-in-time-bubble of college. At the beginning of the term, the schedule for screenings are posted around campus—meaning you can plan ahead for which movies you won’t want to miss each week. Or you could go in blind—but it might mean you unknowingly stumble into Longlegs when you were expecting Inside Out 2.

As a film ‘connoisseur’ myself—yes, I do have a Letterboxd, thank you for asking—I’ve attended my fair share of Weitz screenings over fall and winter term. SUMO organized most, but a few were screened by the Carleton Film Society, a student-run club that supplements the mainstream movies hosted by SUMO with lesser-known or independent films. I’ve decided to rank (from worst to best) and briefly review each movie I’ve seen during my time at Carleton—not only to give you a glimpse of my impeccable artistic taste, but to demonstrate some of the variety of media that you might see playing at the Weitz.

Videodrome

As a horror film lover, I felt disappointed by this cult classic. It follows a man whose reality begins to distort after he finds a disturbing videotape. Maybe it’s just old, and my attention span is fried. But in any case, I found it a bit boring, and, despite the lots of general body-grossness present, quite tame.

I Saw The TV Glow

I have to admit, I’m definitely not the target audience for this film, but I still found myself enjoying bits and pieces of it. It’s a slow burn, technicolored fantasy-horror about someone’s reality falling apart after watching a strange TV show. Now that I think about it, it does sound a lot like Videodrome…

It’s not the kind of film that you put on to turn your brain off, or chomp down on some popcorn with your friends on a night out. It’s beautiful, slow, (frankly, also a little boring), and contemplative. I didn’t enjoy it all, but I respect the film a heck of a lot.

Cure

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s gloomy Japanese detective story was a breakout hit in the US, jump-starting the Japanese horror trend that rocked America in the early 2000’s. It’s another cult classic, and another slow-burn, but I appreciate the grimy atmosphere the cinematography conjures, and the amazing performances from the leads. It leaves you with more questions than answers, but if you’re a fan of ambiguity and atmosphere, Cure will certainly deliver.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Now we’re getting somewhere!

In the biggest stylistic switch ever, the next film down is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Remember when I mentioned movies that you can turn your brain off while watching? Nowhere has that sentence been more applicable than Bill and Ted. It’s very dumb, but sometimes something dumb is all you need after a stressful week. At the screening, my friends and I laughed, cried, and pondered the nuggets of wisdom that the film graced us with. As Ted says:

“All we are, is dust in the wind, dude”.

Longlegs

If Cure was a plodding detective noir, Longlegs is Silence of the Lambs cranked to eleven. Nicolas Cage plays a bizarre killer with connections to the occult—and his performance is worth the entry alone. I found it terrifying, and if you’re okay with seemingly unending feelings of dread (yay!), then watch Longlegs. Preferably alone. At midnight.

The Substance

Finally, we have The Substance. You know of it by now. The body-horror film that was nominated for five Oscars this year. It’s absolutely, positively, off-the-walls insane. Everything is maximalist: from the editing, to the over-the-top performances, to the extreme makeup effects, to the punchy soundtrack. After my friends and I exited the theaters, half of us thought it was the best movie we had seen this year, and the other half thought it was absolutely abhorrent. If that doesn’t scream “watch this film!”, then I don’t know what does.

As you can tell, the Weitz plays films from a wide range of genres—there’s something for everyone. I really do believe the screenings are the perfect way to cap off a long week.

For now, I’ll leave you with some wisdom I learned from my good friend Bill:

“Party on, dudes.”

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 Exploring Carleton’s On-Campus Movie Theater appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

As I somberly write this post, I sit in my dorm room, alone. Snow flurries whisk through the air outside my window, and my suitcase lies open, half-packed, on the floor. The food in my mini-fridge has been removed. My belongings have been stripped. My bed has been made. (Only joking, of course).

Because bright and early tomorrow morning, I travel home to Boston. My finals this term all took place during the last week of classes—meaning I have no further commitments. I’m done. While my friends get to enjoy the snowy weather on campus for another week, I’ll be relaxing in the famously balmy Massachusetts sun.

I already wrote a blog post that evaluated the classes I took this term, but just to recap, I was in Philosophical Dialogues, Field Geology, and Intro to Psychology. All three were interesting classes in which I learned a great deal—from what factors influence our individual personality to how glaciers form.

For Philosophy, our final assignment was to write a dialogue between two fictional characters discussing an aspect of one of the readings that we did in class. My paper was concerned with identity—how someone can persist over time, and if it is possible to survive the destruction of your body.

Geology had a final exam in which we assessed how the Earth’s tilt affects glaciation, drew a geologic cross-section of Rice County, MN, and talked about how glaciers can deposit sediment onto the land. (If you had asked me at the beginning of the term what all these words meant, I would have short-circuited!)

Finally, for Psych, we wrote a final paper that analyzed and provided evidence for a central “theme” of the course. I landed on “the mind-body connection”: which says that psychological processes are physically represented in the body. It was a fascinating topic, one that took me from studies of people with injuries to specific parts of their brain, to reports of the placebo effect working even when participants know they are taking a placebo.

And now it’s over. No more work. No more waking up early. I’ve tied a bow on the whole term. Satisfied.

Until the 5th week of Winter break rolls around—when I’m bored out of my mind, just itching to come back to class!

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 Preparing for Winter Break appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

However, for most of my time at home I didn’t want to put the extra burden into making vegetarian options for me so I decided to wait until college to do this. Three months before I left for college, my family actually made vegetarian options for every meal (thank you so much mom and dad!) and I was curious if there would be a lot of options here at Carleton or if I would be restricted to only one or two options.

Turns out, there are actually a ton of options here!

There are a lot of times when I’m in the dining hall and there are two or three options that don’t look appealing to me on that day but low and behold there’s a fourth vegetarian option that looks good! 

At Carleton, there’s always a vegetarian option for soup, multiple vegetarian options in the entree sections, a salad and sandwich bar, and almost every side is vegetarian. This has made it really easy for me to find options which is so nice to not have an extra layer of stress to college.

Carleton has a big commitment to helping address the climate crisis through internal actions so picking eco friendly choices are encouraged on campus (although you can find so many different kinds of food if you don’t want to go vegetarian or you like red meat!)

I will say though, some of the vegetarian options are really popular *cough*tomato basil soup*cough.* So if I get to the dining hall late after a run or after rugby practice there may only be a couple options which can be frustrating but it’s rare. 

So now the big question: is the food good?

And the answer is (imagine a dramatic drumroll playing) it depends! I’ll be 100% honest: the food can be hit or miss. Most of the food is hits with only some misses and there are always some things that are consistent in the dining halls that you can rely on if needed. In my opinion, the soups are always a good option, as well as most things from the grill and the chopsticks and woks station. 

You can also know exactly what is vegetarian and what is not because everything is very clearly labeled vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc. If there is any confusion then you can just ask the people behind the counter and they are very helpful in clarifying what the food has.

And if you get something from the dining hall that you don’t like, it’s really easy to just get a different option. In addition, there’s a variety of options between meals. At Carleton, there’s two dining halls: Burton or LDC. If you don’t like lunch at one, if you go to dinner at the other, the options will be completely different. The options also change every day so there’s a really wide variety of foods to choose from every day.

Something that’s also nice about being vegetarian at Carleton is that everyone else is very accommodating of your needs. At every single club meeting I’ve been to, there has always been vegetarian options if they provide snacks or meals. Even things like day long field trips for classes will ask if there are any dietary restrictions and are very accommodating. 

Overall, the culture here is very conducive to making being a vegetarian or vegan super easy so if you are a vegetarian or you would like to try eating more plant based foods in general, Carleton College is a very good place to do so.

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 meeting new people every day! She loves learning about the “whys” behind the world and hopes to be a physics major. You can find trying all the new clubs and opportunities she can at Carleton and hanging out with her friends.

The post Vegetarianism At Carleton appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

But even on that first day, I could tell that I had nothing to worry about. Linnea (my roommate) and I had the same humor, and started to become close friends. So, if you are worried about your random roommate, here are my top five tips for creating a great relationship with them. (Spoiler alert: mismatched decor is not the end of the world)

1. Start conversations:

It’ll be awkward at first, I promise you. But nothing is worse than not talking to your roommate until an uncomfortable amount of time has passed. Even asking simple questions like: where are you from? or What do you like to do? can lead to so much more. On the first day, Linnea and I started talking about our hometowns and ended up talking until about one in the morning. It really helped us get to know each other better. 

2. Find out why you were matched:

ResLife places you with someone who has similar rooming expectations. It was a fun game for me to figure out why I was matched with Linnea. I would say something like “I said I wanted to live on a medium social floor” and she would say, “Me too!” It was really cool to know that there was someone in my class who was so much like me. This conversation also helped us talk about room expectations, which lasted the rest of the year. From that day on, I didn’t feel nervous to ask if I could have the room for an hour, or if she could tell me her schedule for the next day. It was like we could mold our space into something that worked for both of us. 

3. Do small things together

Use your shared space as an opportunity to hang out. My roommate and I both painted our nails every week in high school (which is a wild coincidence since she’s the only other person I’ve met who did this). After the first week, we started doing it together. It wasn’t like we were going out of our way to hang out with each other, but doing things we would normally do alone, together. You don’t have to plan something elaborate, but find something in the room that you love to do together. 

4. Don’t be afraid to be yourself

The main reason why Linnea and I got along was because we didn’t try to be anyone else. It can be intimidating to meet someone new and immediately have them see you in your natural habitat, but being yourself is the best way to connect. Sometimes, all it takes is one joke or question to get the ball rolling. So whether you want to laugh about your ridiculous clumsiness or ask about the meaning of life, do it. Chances are, your roommate will join in. 

5. Don’t stress it

I know it’s a cliche. And that it doesn’t help when someone says “Don’t stress,” but let the relationship flow naturally. You were matched for a reason. You’re at Carleton for a reason (see Will’s blog on belonging!). Don’t worry about not fitting in or making friends because you will. Even if you aren’t best friends with your roommate, you’ll have many opportunities to meet new people and try new things. 

It’s totally normal to be afraid of living with someone new, but try to think about it as a built-in support system. College is a big transition, but having someone by my side made it so much easier.

Kate (she/her) is a sophomore from the Bay Area, California. She loves Carleton’s artsy community and is involved in the Theater and Dance department and the Vocal Studies Program. Kate’s favorite places on campus are the practice rooms, either in Myers or the Weitz, where she is often making music with her friends. When not in class, you can find Kate either walking in the arb or forcing her friends to watch bad movies in a study room. 

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Friday

When the Admissions Office set me free at 4:30, I first swung by Anderson Hall and bumped into a few of my friends who are here doing research over the summer. With nothing eventful planned for the evening, and because many of them will be leaving for a math program in Budapest in the coming weeks, we figured we would use up the rest of a bag of charcoal on one of Carleton’s public BBQ grills and cook up some dinner. We made a quick trip to the local Aldi and a stop at the Co-op. On the menu, we had a fresh tabuli salad, burgers, and hotdogs with a homemade sauce cooked on the grill.

Later in the evening we went to the open house at the Goodsell Observatory and got to check out the Ring Nebula (Messier 57) with the 16″ telescope from 1890, along with other nebulas and star clusters (with more modern equipment).

Saturday

I kicked off my Saturday with some time in the Arb, which is never a bad idea if you’re an early riser like me. Whether you are walking or running (or skiing in the winter), the Arb has a ton of trails to explore.

On Saturdays from 9-1, Northfield hosts a farmer’s market on Bridge Square. This was my next stop of the day. I picked up a jar of cherry jam made in Northfield, and some potatoes and sweet onions to cook up next week.

For the rest of the day, I hung out in my hammock on the Bald Spot and read a book that I picked up while on an OCS program in Vienna. Later in the evening, I attended a Bonfire on Mai Fete Island hosted by Residential Life. I can never turn down free s’mores.

Sunday

On Sunday we took a little detour to the Twin Cities. We stopped at the Mandarin Kitchen for Dim Sum before watching the Twins beat the White Sox at Target Field. Upon our return to Northfield, we took a dip at the Northfield Public Pool to take advantage of their admission discount after 5 p.m. Not a bad weekend at all.

Harrison (he/him/his) stays busy at Carleton! He is a captain of the club water polo team, plays both IM basketball and broomball, and participates in activities hosted by the German and physics departments. He loves the atmosphere of Carleton in that its students are focused on academics but they don’t let it get in the way of fun.

The post How I Filled My Weekend appeared first on Carleton Admissions.

Academics

DO get some of your liberal arts requirements out of the way, particularly if you don’t yet know what you want to major in!

DON’T pigeonhole yourself into one discipline — even if you know you want to be an English major, challenge yourself to branch out and try something new like a geology class.

DO talk to your academic advisor; they are one of your most valuable resources and can help direct you to other campus resources if needed.

DON’T skip out on office hours, they’re there for a reason! Even if you don’t have a burning question about course material, it’s a good opportunity to chat with the professors and deepen your understanding.

DO find a few study spots that work well for you. Some people work well with background noise, others need total silence — your first-year fall is the right time to develop good study habits.

DON’T get into the habit of skipping class. College attendance is less rigorously policed than in high school, but it doesn’t mean it’s not important! If you start skipping regularly, you’ll fall really behind before you know it.

Activities

DO put yourself on as many club email lists as you can find — even if you don’t attend right away, you’ll know when events happen.

DON’T miss the activities fair during the first week of classes. This is where most clubs and organizations do their recruiting, and you might find a new club you’ve never heard of!

DO take advantage of the dorm kitchens and Dacie Moses. Food brings people together!

DON’T be afraid to try something new — all clubs at Carleton are beginner-friendly and encourage you to participate even with no experience.

DO take advantage of the many lecture and concert opportunities. Carleton always brings guest speakers and artists to campus with cool lecture topics or concert themes, and they are all free to the Carleton community.

DON’T stretch yourself too thin! As much as I encourage trying new things, trying to do everything all at once is a recipe for burnout. It’ll all still be there next term!

ResLife

DO make your dorm room feel like home. Put things on your walls! Fun decor doesn’t have to be expensive and a cute poster or tapestry goes a long way.

DON’T forget your towel when you go to shower. Trust me on this one.

DO take advantage of your RAs. They are super knowledgeable about all things Carleton and generally just lovely people. (Shoutout to my freshman year RA for providing Benadryl in a time of desperate need…)

DON’T ask your RAs how to do laundry. I mean, you can, but that’s a skill you can learn before coming here

DO go to the floor/dorm events, there’s usually free food involved.

DON’T bring too many clothes. This was something I needed to hear. 7 pairs of shoes is not necessary.

There’s so much more that could be said about your first-year fall, but the most important DO is to have fun and explore! Put yourself out there and you’ll be surprised at all the amazing things Carleton has to offer. Feel free to email me at leeq@carleton.edu with any questions, I’m always happy to share my thoughts.

Quinn (she/her/hers) is an American Studies Major and Chinese Minor. Quinn has a deep love of the Carleton community; she says she is so lucky to be surrounded by such brilliant and kind people. Quinn is an active member of the student-run radio station KRLX, the orchestra, the equestrian club, and the music department! Following her love of music and radio, her favorite place on campus is the record library. And finally, a fun fact about Quinn is that her family helped to found the Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Parade!

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