-
Academic life at Carleton is rigorous. What separates it from being the same kind of daunting "rigorous" as in high school is that you have a lot of time to do the work. Most classes meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This means that you often have all of Tuesday and Thursday to complete an assignment. Only taking three classes means that you can only have three classes worth of work to do, which is great compared to the 5 or 6 classes in high school. Also, having classes spread out over the day allows you to do work at different times. The fact that classes are only 10 weeks means that you start right away and go at a steady pace. This might seem a little overwhelming at first, but it is not hard to keep up once you realize that you need to!
-
Difficult but also within a very accommodating and supportive framework. It's OK to struggle, it's OK to fail. Professors are there to help you get better and to learn. Everyone is good at "their thing." Even if you are SUPER BAD at something like math (like me), no one on campus will judge you for that. Teachers and other students are there TO HELP. The only expectation is that you to work hard, and to care about the work that you do.
-
Cliff Clark (faculty) says:
Carleton students are serious about their studies but friendly and warmly supportive. I have always been impressed by how willing Carleton students are to help each other, whether it is supporting a friend who is having difficulty in a Calculus class, or working together on their senior comprehensive essays. Students here are competitive with themselves but not with their peers.
-
Academics at Carleton are rigorous - there's no way of getting around that. Professors expect you to have not only completed the assignments, but put a good bit of thought into them too. Although it takes a little extra time, the reward of interesting, intellectual classroom discussions makes the extra work well worth the effort.
-
My two favorite classes at Carleton have been Environmental Chemistry and Symphonies from Mozart to Mahler. I loved learning intro chem through an environmental lens and designing a final research project.
-
Yansi Perez (faculty) says:
Academic life is challenging! I know that my students are working extremely hard in all the classes they are enrolled in but that does not lower my expectations for them. It is a rigorous academic institution and all the students I've talked to chose Carleton precisely because of that reason.
-
Marty Baylor (faculty) says:
Academic life is intense. The pace of the term, the high expectations of faculty for students, and the high expectations students have for themselves and the faculty keeps everyone on their toes.
-
We work hard for our weekends.
-
Al Montero (faculty) says:
Every week begins with an array of breath-taking challenges and every week ends with only partial resolutions and many on-going tasks yet to do. It just keeps coming until time runs out on the trimester. And then it starts all over again. After this, 'real life' seems to move much slower; it is 'easier.' So Carleton students feel that much more empowered to do more after graduation.
-
I designed and conducted an economics experiment this fall using real money and student test subjects to explore charity donation strategies, with the goal of maximizing donations.
-
People take their academics very seriously here, and everyone has at least one subject that they really love. People are generally very engaged – there’s no one taking the class “just” to fulfill a requirement.
-
Scott Carpenter (faculty) says:
Academic life at Carleton is like one of those jungle scenes in old movies -- filled with novelty and adventure (not to mention the occasional scary plant), and whenever you fall into a pit of quicksand, there's always someone around to pull you out with a vine.
-
Sam Patterson (faculty) says:
Academic life at Carleton is intense, but everyone is focused on the same goal.
-
Susan Jaret-McKinstry (faculty) says:
Everyone here takes the life of the mind very seriously, and demonstrates that ideas matter by talking, writing, thinking about, and applying them in so many ways. For those who want to be challenged, Carleton is ideal.
-
Cliff Clark (faculty) says:
During a senior oral exam there was a knock on the door, and the student’s roommate, dressed in tails with a linen napkin on his arm, appeared and served us all champagne. Carleton students have a great sense of humor.
-
Which Carleton classes have been your favorites? Why? Kiyo Gomi '12 says:
Special Relativity (PHYS 151). While the title seems intimidating, the concepts and ideas presented in the class were so interesting, I still enjoy talking to people about the class.
-
You know you're at Carleton when someone who has an 8:30 a.m class is staying up with you until 3 a.m. to help you with work -- definitely happened to me on more than one occasion!
-
Academic life at Carleton is challenging. Carleton primarily builds its reputation on academic prowess and it takes this responsibility very seriously. All students here have excelled in high school and most graduated near the top of their classes. This makes for a classroom where students perform to a high standard and go beyond it. At the same time however, students are really open to learning together and I have never felt like I couldn't approach someone else for help.
-
Kathleen Galotti (faculty) says:
Academic life is intense! Tailored to an audience of highly motivated and hard-working students who thrive on intellectual challenges.
-
Louis Newman (faculty) says:
Carleton students are eager to learn, inside and outside the classroom, and to engage with faculty and with one another.
-
Adriana Estill (faculty) says:
Carleton academic life is intense, fast-paced - for thrill-seekers. Challenging.
-
Intense. Also, people don't keep their academic lives to themselves. They talk to their friends about the ideas they are learning about in class, and their friends talk back.
-
Marty Baylor (faculty) says:
Carleton is for students who love to learn something new. Whether it’s trying something they have never done before like jewelry making or delving deeper into a subject they have seen before, Carls live to learn.
-
Cindy Bell Neville '75 says:
Carleton taught me that I can learn anything I put my mind to.
