Student Body
Carleton in Their Own Words
To truly understand Carleton, talk to the people who know it best: our students.
We asked students to share their candid opinions about Carleton's student body, academics, campus life and more. Below is a cross-section of their uncensored comments.
Academics | Student Body | Campus Life | Choosing Carleton
Student Body
- “There are all sorts of people at Carleton, but generally everyone here is very friendly. Expect to have conversations with random people in lunch lines, at the gym, and in the laundry room.” —Ben Picone '11
- “I really don't think it's possible to describe the student body, and I really like that about it. You get all sorts of kids--kids who were cool in high school, kids who were (definitely) dweebs, people into music, science, community service, writing, sports, reading, partying, everything. OK, if I were forced to describe the student body, I guess I would say that it's generally people who don't take themselves too seriously, and who are interested in a lot of different things, and want to use this place to the fullest and learn new things about school and life and themselves.” —Anna Cooley '08
- “It seems to me that one thing that almost all of Carleton has in common is a sense of humor--a lot of the campus traditions and events that everyone participates in involve laughing, making fun of ourselves and others (not in a mean way though), and not taking life too seriously.” —Hannah Ebner '09
- “The students here are eccentric, and most revel in it. I don't think it particularly matters what kind of person you are here; varying interests are rewarded here in a way I don't see many other places, and there are a lot of people with a lot of varied interests, so you'll probably find people with yours. The Carleton student body is very, very liberal. There are conservatives here, but they're few and far between.” —Mark F. Stewart '09
- “Quirky! Carleton is like a giant bowl of stew. There are lots of different flavors but we all go together really well!” —Laura Barsness '10
- “Anyone who is willing to have fun and try new things will fit in here. The people who are critical of others' beliefs and uninterested in self development will have trouble fitting in here. The Carleton student body has a bit of every type of person, with the common thread of a willingness to hear new ideas with an open mind.” —Steve Merry '10
- “Carleton is casual, friendly and fun. You can really talk to anyone, join any club, group or anything. Everyone is welcoming.” —Dan Levy '11
- “Students who push themselves very hard and have a wide variety of interests (or just one interest, even if it's a school subject) about which they're very passionate fit in. Those who live for competition and constantly compare themselves to others, however, will have a hard time here and quickly realize the people around them are not here for those reasons but to learn and enjoy being in an intellectually stimulating environment.” —Christa Frintner '09
- “I think I would describe the student body as accepting. I am more comfortable being myself at Carleton than I have ever been in my whole life. Just ask one of my friends from high school--I was incredibly shy. But Carleton's acceptance and affirmation of me have made me much more comfortable around other people, and I tend to talk a lot. Therefore, I would say that everyone fits in at Carleton, as long as they are open to differences and open to all different types of personalities. You need to be inclusive.” —Hannah Campbell Gustafson '09
- “The student body here at Carleton is surprisingly diverse. You can have any interest, any talent, any background and still fit in well at this school. The only real generalization I can make about the students here is that nearly everyone I meet is friendly. Some are a bit more outgoing than others, but overall I'm still amazed at how many nice people could live on one small campus.” —Caitlin Unumb '11
- “The student body is friendly and driven. I don't think that any of us know exactly what we want and that makes us very curious--intellectually and psychologically.” —Ariel VandeVoorde '09
- “Basically you need to want to learn--as long as you have something you're really interested in and can get nerdy and enthusiastic about, you'll fit in pretty well. There's definitely the "ugly nerd" stereotype, but it's not really all that true. They are certainly here, but there are definitely attractive people, and people who are not totally socially inept. In fact, most people are pretty social and interesting, in addition to being really smart. This doesn't mean things like streaking and throwing things off balconies or in the lakes doesn't happen, it just means we can have philosophical discussions about why we did it, or calculate the physics to make sure it lands exactly where we want it to.” —Jane Sturges '10
- “I'd say that the Carleton student body is very intellectually diverse. Everyone fits in in their own way, the trick is finding your niche, whether it be hanging out with your floor or your classmates, everyone has a place.” —Anna Newman '11
- “The students here are super friendly, especially your first term here. Later in your Carleton career you do fall into a group and spend most of your time with them but movement between groups is pretty common and not as clique-ish as high school. The great thing is that people from all different majors can be friends here since you are not just taking large gen ed classes and classes in your major. My best friends are a geology, history, and economics majors while I am a biology major and we still have lots in common and can support each other in classes.” —Lauren Kanner '08
- “Anyone unafraid to be themselves, to be willing to engage in honest and open discussion, and unafraid of having their ideas challenged. Students must be willing to push themselves farther (in all aspects of life) than they think they are capable of.” —Hal Baseman '09
- “People who aren't interested in fitting in well are the ones who fit in really well here.” —Mary Ellen Stitt '08
- “The students are open, friendly, and not nearly as ugly as some people claim we are! I wish that my high school had the same number of open minded individuals who enjoy learning as we have here. There is a place for everyone because as a whole the student body is very accepting of difference.” —Marc Boyce '11
- “The student body is outstanding. People are welcoming, forthcoming, tolerant, interesting and most importantly have their own unique and brilliant character.” —Viveka Ranjitsinh '11
- “I'm not sure there is a kind of person who doesn't fit. Everyone finds their own niche, whether they be preppy, emo, or any other classification. You just have to be open.” —Rose Hyson '11
- “The student body is on the whole composed of highly intelligent and privileged students who are exceedingly nice about it. Of course there are exceptions, but most people are extraordinarily friendly, helpful and accepting of others. People who value wit and variety fit in well here, while those who are highly judgmental of others definitely would not.” —Emily Cogsdill '11