http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html Life at CAC - Comments en http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html Though most reviews of Carleton will tell you this, it's true that Carleton is a very unique place. The faculty is beyond helpful and accessible. They do perform original research, and lots of it, but... Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:16:02 GMT StudentsReview 705-86071 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 705-86071 705 52 Undecided Male Undergraduate Class 2015 1st Year Positive Though most reviews of Carleton will tell you this, it's true that Carleton is a very unique place. The faculty is beyond helpful and accessible. They do perform original research, and lots of it, but their primary purpose on campus is the teaching of undergraduates. Some professors will even tell this to their students. Also, not only are all classes taught by professors, but many courses also have teaching assistants and "prefects" who are assigned solely to individual classes to help any students who have questions or who need review. Some courses even include mandatory TA sessions outside of normal class meeting time.
While many would consider liberal arts colleges to be weaker in the sciences, Carleton's science departments are very strong. A low faculty to student ratio allows students to receive personal attention from the faculty in their major department (or, frankly, in any department). A smaller student enrollment means fewer students per major, and therefore greater access to resources for students in their major.
Socially, Carleton is a place where there the only type of person who could ever feel out of place would be an arrogant, over-competitive, unfriendly person. You can really be as unusual or different as you want and you'll find that many others are the same way. There's a sic-fi interest house. There's an assassin's guild. There's interest housing for Jews and for Muslims. Ultimate Frisbee is Carleton's strongest sport. Traditions include eating a full breakfast in the dining hall the night before finals, and chasing after a plaster bust of German poet Friedrich von Schiller. The party scene is whatever you want it to be. If you party, you can do so, and find plenty to do. If you don't, you're far from alone and you can still have a fun weekend.
Carleton's housing is definitely widely varied. There are residence halls, which have either rooms from singles to triples or suites, there are houses and townhouses that have a more community-based setup, and there are interest houses, where you can live with others who share a common interest. Most of the houses are nice, and are very desirable choices during room draw (the housing selection process). While most of the residence halls are nice as well, there are anywhere from one to three exceptions. Musser Hall is usually avoided if possible, and some who are really picky would say the same about Myers and Goodhue halls, but they're really just fine. Some halls are more historic and have an old-school feel, and others were either recently renovated or recently built, and it's easy to tell. Dining, from what I understand, has been improving significantly over the past ten years, and it's probably only going to get better. Bon App?tit does a good job for the most part, though there are always a few days each term where there's just nothing you want to eat. Then again there are also more than a few days where everything looks worth eating. There's always a lot of variety and vegetarians will usually have some good options. Of the two dining halls, each has its strengths and its weaknesses, and Sayles Caf? is usually pretty reliable if you're on the twelve meals per week plan or if you're hungry outside of mealtime or late at night. If you live on the east side of campus though, (not as close to Sayles), you're probably more likely to order a Domino's pizza than to walk across campus.
Safety is really fantastic on campus. The security guards are pretty lenient if you're consuming a beverage that you shouldn't be consuming, however not so much in certain other situations. I don't know anyone who's ever been worried about walking across campus, or even across town at any hour of the night or day. Heck, the most frightening security text alerts sent out this year were for a man who approached a professor claiming to be "the son of the King of Iceland" who could start World War III if he wanted, and for a man who had a phone holster on his belt that someone thought was a gun holster.
The campus is beautiful and well maintained. There's an 880-acre arboretum, used both for recreation and for research. Downtown Northfield may not be very exciting at night, but there's a decent selection of restaurants and the town is definitely beautiful and historic. Northfield is 45 miles from the twin cities, and while there definitely aren't hordes of students leaving Northfield every weekend, the cities offer what you'd expect from a major US city and are just a bus ride away. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:16:02 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html Carleton deserves much more credit than it gets. Its challenging, stimulating, and has some of the best students around.... Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:06:42 GMT StudentsReview 705-73366 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 705-73366 705 57 Economics Male Undergraduate Class 2014 1st Year Positive Carleton deserves much more credit than it gets. Its challenging, stimulating, and has some of the best students around. Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:06:42 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html Although the experience was rigorous (in all the right ways), I had an incredible time at Carleton and would, without question, choose the school all over again. My time at Carleton built my character... Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:56:22 GMT StudentsReview 705-72196 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 705-72196 705 17 English Female Undergraduate Alumna Class 2000 Positive Although the experience was rigorous (in all the right ways), I had an incredible time at Carleton and would, without question, choose the school all over again. My time at Carleton built my character, my mind, and my sense of independence, and provided me with the opportunity to get involved hands on in theatre, which in turn led to a professional career path that has made me incredibly happy.

I am one of five people in two generations of my family to attend Carleton, and the school has set each of us up with equal degrees of success for very diverse careers (theatrical manager, two attorneys, college math professor, sports administrator). But, more importantly, it was true liberal arts experience that prepared us to be well rounded, critically thinking human beings and not just trained vocational monkeys. Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:56:22 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html I loved Carleton and I am very glad I went there. I was on the fence before I choose to go, but it is not a decision I regret at all. It's not perfect, but no place is. Things to consider befor... Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:19:51 GMT StudentsReview 705-70663 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 705-70663 705 60 Art & Design Department Female Undergraduate Class 2004 4th Year Positive I loved Carleton and I am very glad I went there. I was on the fence before I choose to go, but it is not a decision I regret at all. It's not perfect, but no place is.

Things to consider before you choose to go here are that, yes Northfield is a very small town, and as a result, there is not much to do in town on the weekend. It is not a party culture school. Small parties predominate, which I preferred, but that is not for everyone. I think my major criticism is that it is not a very diverse school, which mostly results from it being in a small town in the mid west. I am latina, and I still loved the school. People are tolerant and overall very nice and friendly, but it can be isolating. Sadly, the most intolerance I found was within the tiny latino community at Carleton rather than Carleton at large. Things may have changed, but when I was there they were more focused on excluding what they called "fake" latinos, who didn't fit their idea of a real latino (what ever that is) than building a supportive community that celebrates our cultural and ethnic/racial diversity.

Otherwise, the professors are fantastic, and people are overall friendly. When ever I had a question, I always felt comfortable asking for help from my professor and they were all super willing to meet one on one to go over things I was struggling with. Studio Art profs can be a bit harder to get a hold of outside of office hours or class time since most of them commute from the cities, but I found class critiques helpful and informative and not designed to break you down or force you to make art like the professors work. I only regret that I took the minimum of art history credits instead of taking advantage of the excellent art history department that does offer a surprising range of very focused classes for such a small department. I also wish I had taken more geology... that is another fantastic department at Carleton.

For freshmen I would highly recommend playing an intermural sport, there are tons of them (not just frisbee, which is the most popular) and they are all fun and nice stress relievers and a good way to meet people other than your those in your dorm.

All in all, I loved Carleton and I am very proud I went there and I would definitely recommend it. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:19:51 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html Seriously, if you have any social skills or standards, DO NOT GO HERE!!! It truly is a school full of ugly nerds...but they are only ugly because they do not have any sense of hygiene. It is not unco... Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:26:09 GMT StudentsReview 705-65267 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 705-65267 705 52 Undecided Female Undergraduate Class 2011 1st Year Negative Seriously, if you have any social skills or standards, DO NOT GO HERE!!! It truly is a school full of ugly nerds...but they are only ugly because they do not have any sense of hygiene. It is not uncommon for people to go days without showering and if you even think about wearing makeup, you will be scoffed at. The majority of people here come from rich backgrounds and they can be very snooty and classist. They are judgmental on top of being extremely awkward. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:26:09 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/MN/CAC_comments.html