I chose Carleton because I wanted a small learning environment where professors would be accessible and the student body would be motivated, open-minded, and passionate about learning.

There are few colleges with professors and programs as good as Carleton's, but such colleges do exist. There are, however, no colleges with the same combination of playful intellectual spirit and downright friendliness as Carleton.

Long story. It started with my sister Annie. She's four years my senior and graduated from Carleton in 2005, three months before I would begin my freshman year. Annie is an uncommonly good writer and a talented musician, and I'd spent 12 years following behind her in school, being "Annie's little sister," compared to her by peers and teachers alike. She's a tough act to follow. So my first priority was “Anywhere but Carleton,” because I finally had the chance to get out from under my sister's legacy. I wanted to get out of the Midwest, be alone and far from home and force myself to deal with that separation. It seemed like a very romantic and appealing challenge, so I started to look at schools out East. But though I didn't admit it to myself at the time, looking back I can see that I was using Carleton as the meter stick against which I compared all my other options. The East Coast schools are old, prestigious, beautiful, well-renowned, and exciting. Thing is, Carleton is all of those and more: friendly, open, and laid-back. The East Coast schools lacked the sense of humor that Carleton has in spades, and spending a few weekends on campus during high school with my sister gave me a taste of the personality that practically oozes from the walls here. In the end, I realized I’d looked all over the country for a school I’d like better than Carleton, and I never found one. At Carleton I’ve been able to pursue a completely different set of deeply-fulfilling interests than Annie did – the folks that know both of us here can never believe we’re related. It’s been a great fit for both of us, but it has fit us totally differently.

I felt that at Carleton, I could explore a number of disciplines I knew nothing about (political science, economics, etc.), and that if I ever needed help, there would be faculty members who would know me and be willing to help me understand the material. Also, being close (but not too close) to home was a benefit, as escaping campus every once in a while is much easier if you have a place to go. Finally, the financial aid helped A LOT!

I chose Carleton because it offers appealing classes with professors who know me, and it allows me to live with a small community of students. The dedication and enthusiasm of professors at the school and the opportunities to form relationships with them are very important to me and I recognized this in Carleton as I was applying. Carleton has class sizes that are small, but large enough to supply the critical mass necessary for a lively discussion. Carleton upholds traditions and produces proud alumni that are eager to share why they think it is a fantastic place. All this, and the snow.

Carleton offered every subject I might have wanted to study, which is a lot of subjects – the major deciding ones were archaeology and film, which weren't offered at several of the other colleges I looked at. The atmosphere also seemed fun and down-to-earth, and I wanted to experience a different part of the country after growing up in New England.

Because of the school's academic rigor and the extracurricular activities the students have access to.

I am a curious person. The education system in Senegal offered me the opportunity to have a broad understanding of academic fields such as history, geography, biology, French, etc., [that] I missed during the two years I prepared for the IB in New Mexico. So, I looked for an environment where I could continue my quest for knowledge in fields that weren't primarily mine (mathematics and physics) while building a solid background in mathematics.

I was looking for a reputed liberal arts college and Carleton fit the category. Also, I had heard good things about the geology and the biology departments through friends.

I chose Carleton because I felt I could get the best possible undergraduate education here. I was accepted to some more well-known schools, but I love the personal atmosphere of Carleton. There is no place in the world quite like Carleton, and I have to say that I consider it to be the best choice I've ever made.

I chose Carleton because of the small environment, the people I met when I visited, and the close relationships students seemed to establish with their professors. However, Carleton's selling point was its academic environment. I saw that the curriculum was very rigorous but that students did not compete with each other in the classroom. Carleton students don't take themselves too seriously and are incredibly self-motivated when it comes to their studies. Those attributes were very apparent when I observed students in and out of the classroom during my overnight visit.

My sister went to Carleton, class of '02. As a young high schooler I sometimes came to visit, and every time I came I fell more in love with the place. I felt there was real community here. Students here get excited about ideas. They love to learn. And the campus is beautiful.

I always liked the small school vibe: discussion-based class sizes, lots of opportunities to get involved, and a strong sense of student community. I searched the Midwest for schools that exemplified these traits, and not only did Carleton meet the criteria exactly, it ended up being my most affordable option.