The Alumni Affairs office rented out the upstairs of The Reub for all seniors to take a break from the busy end of winter term and enjoy food and drink specials, and karaoke with friends! So we all gathered by Sayles, the campus center, and headed to downtown Northfield! The expression on the faces of passers by was priceless! Imagine about a hundred excited college seniors in a big group! Yup-that was us. Spring break plans, post graduation trips were definitely on everyone’s tongues. It was great seeing so many people out and about after a while. You might think this odd—this sudden excitement about seeing everyone—but for most seniors it has been a long winter term. Some of them had been working on comps through winter break and thus were ready to come out of hibernation. As for me, I wait with baited breadth to hear back from my advisor about the fate of comps which is to be determined at the end of the term.
Saturday brought with it more surprises. Asad, an ’06 graduate, and Teek, an ’08 graduate, came back to campus just to visit. I met up with them over an extended two hour long dinner as there was obviously much updating that had to be done. Seeing them back on campus made me realize that the ties with Carleton didn’t necessarily have to end with graduation, instead, they strengthened with every returning visit. Asad used to be a senior when I was a freshman. It was a strange feeling meeting him after almost two years as once again we both stood at the dawn of new stages in our lives. He has worked for three years and is ready for an MBA while I am preparing to join the work force. I don’t know when next I'll see him but I know I can always count on him—the common Carleton experiences we share shall always keep us connected no matter where we are. Since Carleton is a small school, I feel that every Carl realizes that there are few others that share these Carleton experiences and from that realization the bond grows stronger.
Before I continue to reminisce on my experience as a Carl for hours, there is still a spring break to enjoy and a term to go. Just a week left before I leave for my Europe travels and MUN conference at The Hague. Lots to do before that—for now I need to temper my excitement and get through finals!
More later. Ciao
Comments
Hi!
I am from Chandigarh too and I have recieved admission in Carleton:) I am still deciding whether I should accept the offer or not.
I am concerned about whether carleton students have good opportunities to other good graduate schools and jobs. I am interested in a combination of Economics and Political Science.
I would really be great if you could help me out!!
Thanks!
From Yuvika Diwan
Hi Raiul,
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you find this blog an interesting resource. Where are you from and are you considering studying in the US?
Hi Yuvika,
Congratulations on receiving your offer of admission to Carleton.
About your question, yes, many Carleton students have received job offers in spite of the present job market situation. Students will be working at various Federal Reserve offices in the country, consulting firms, investment banks, Teach for America and Peace Corps and business analyst positions at diffent companies. I also know of some classmates who are going directly to graduate school for public policy and law schools, though most students prefer to work before enrolling into a graduate program. This gives them time to decide what it is they would really like to do in graduate school.
The Career Center at Carleton offers information and help on a variety of subjects ranging from internships and fellowships to jobs and grad schools. There are also programs during winter breaks designed specifically for students to reach out to and network with Carleton alumni and ask them about their fields and jobs. Sometimes if opportunities arise, students even shadow the alumnus for a specified period of time to gain more experience in the field. For example, I went on the Business scholars program to New York and met many alumni working in the field of finance. I got to shadow two of them over break as well just to gain an insight of what their jobs really are.
I hope this was helpful. Feel free to contact me with more questions.:)
Which school did you go to in Chandigarh?
Aparna
Hello Aparna,
I am from Mumbai and and just finished with by High School.Am looking to pursue my education from either Yale or Carleton(Since these are the only 2 'good news') I have heard from till now.
As i was reading a bunch of your blogs,you mention that you are stuck up deciding whether to join Credit S as an IB or pursue Higher Education.What have you finally decided? :-)
I too have some what the same ambitions of getting into IB myself. But with this current market and economic slowdown,I feel that the shine from IB has gone.
What is your advise for me once(If I decide) to join Carleton and life after that. Higher Education or IB?
Hi again
Okay thats good! Coz I was also hearing the same that due to the financial crunch, jobs and internships have gotten more impossibly competitive.
I studied in Carmel Convent till standard 10. Then I left for Singapore on a scholarship.
Since I have never been to Carleton or the US, do you have any advice on how I should be preparin for college? (esp food, since im vegetarian lol)
thanks again!
Yuvika
Hi Prateek,
Congrats on hearing from Carleton and Yale! I'm sure you'll be spending a decent amount of time making a decision between the two schools.
As for me, I'm going ahead with the analyst program for 2 years at Credit Suisse, NY. It seems like the right thing to do for me right now as I can take the next two years to decide what field it is that I really wanna get into. Unless you are sure you know what you want in grad school, it is a good idea to take a year or two to decide.
As you may have read already, I am an economics and math major. I'm really interested in Development and think I would do that later on- but a PhD in Econ is not the only option for me. There are loads of other programs that involve hands on learning and public policy sort of work which would suit me equally well. So I'm gonna make that decision after a while.
As for advice to you, I would recommend that you first chose what field it is that most interests you. Don't base the decision solely on the career ahead. IB may have lost its shine right now but it'll be back in sometime. I came in thinking I wanted to pursue Biology, but ended up in Math and Econ all together. One piece of advice, however, is that while you are here, you should try to reach out to as many alumni as possible and try getting internships. Carleton has a strong alumni network and through growing efforts, each year the career center has been trying to get more students in touch with alumni. Its a great way of leaning whether or not you really like the job you think you want to do.
Hope this was helpful .Feel free to shoot more questions.:)
Aparna