Carleton College Admissions

A Carleton student knows how to be dedicated to something and can take a joke. People are enthusiastic and involved and pursue a lot of interests here. If you talk to a Carleton student long enough, you'll discover that he or she has done something amazing in his or her life. We're all nerdy under one definition of the word. Someone wouldn't fit in well at Carleton who is fiercely opinionated or competitive.

Carleton is filled with all sorts of different people from around the world. A lot of students are actively involved with issues, specifically environment and political. Also, the campus seems to be big into helping others via volunteering. I know plenty of students who have worked with Habitat for Humanity, volunteer at Northfield hospital or tutor at the high school. Although many Carleton students can be ignorant on many issues, especially regarding race, ethnicity and class, the student body as a whole seems to be willing to try to educate themselves in this regard.

Students here are almost universally friendly, quirky, and smart. Most people have great senses of humor. Also, there's a culture of openmindedness. An unfriendly, conformist, stupid, close-minded person would not fit in here.

You have to be smart, and not just SAT-score smart, either. You'll fit in if you build your own robots at home, or if you speak Esperanto, or you're passionate about the political situation between India and Pakistan. There's a niche for everybody. Well, there is a darker side. If you're of conservative bent, you will find a lot of students disagreeing with you. But they won't make you an outcast.

I knew I was going to a prestigious school, so I thought it might be a competitive atmosphere. Yet Carleton students are some of the most humble people I have encountered.

When meeting other people on campus, you soon realize how different, unique, and interesting everyone is here. I think these characteristics make it pretty easy for Carls to get along with each other. I guess that there is no need to worry about fitting in at Carleton if you are passionate about something--the social aspect of your experience here will take care of itself.

The students all seem to be extremely happy about being here. Everyone is excited about who they're meeting and what they're learning. On the other hand, someone who only cares about academic learning would not fit in well. Carleton students realize that academics are only half (a very important half) of the learning experience. If all you want is a place to do your work, Carleton is not the place for you - it has too many cool things to be experienced!

I remember the brochures stressing the humility of Carleton students, which I think I didn’t believe, because it’s sort of an oxymoron to declare in an admissions brochure that students are humble. I’d just like to say that I’ve found this to be 100 percent true. No one brags about their accomplishments or tries to one-up anyone else in terms of how hard their classes are or how much stuff they’re doing (which I saw in high school all the time). Even when people have genuinely amazing skills, they tend to downplay them. The result is that you feel like you’re going to a school full of perfectly normal people who just happen to do really impressive things.

I honestly have not seen anyone rejected or treated badly in a social situation. The only way you wouldn't fit in is if you were intentionally offensive or unfriendly. The student body seems very funny, relaxed, and open.

Carleton students are generally fun. It's difficult to categorize the student body...but if you are serious about academics, funny, and laid back, it shouldn't be difficult to find a circle of friends!

People who are passionate and curious fit in well at Carleton. Motivated people who take the initiative to make their Carleton career exactly what they want it to be. Everyone usually fits in at Carleton, they just can't be afraid to limit themselves.

Carleton students are intellectual, fun, talented, driven, grounded, happy, passionate, and politically active.

This may seem silly, but I was surprised to feel that I wanted to get to know and have lengthy conversations with the vast majority of people here. People here do not fit into groups as students typically do in high school. I remember meeting football players who were Classical Studies majors and French majors who were also pre-med.

People constantly defy my expectations. When I first came to Carleton I would meet people and think I had them figured out, only later to discover something fascinating about them that came as a total surprise. Maybe you'll meet a "football jock" who turns out to be a singer/songwriter in his spare time, or a "geeky math nerd" who is also captain of the rugby team, or a girl you assume is vain but who is actually one of the most compassionate people you know.

We like learning, talking and listening. We're a little ridiculous, in a good way. But don't come here if you don't like hard work or if you don't like people.

The student body at Carleton is very welcoming. People that fit in well here are friendly, smart, humble, and have at least one quirky part to their personality.