Carleton College Advising Handbook FAQs

When do Carleton students declare a major? If I already know what I want to major in, can I declare a major early?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:24:18 -0600

Carleton students declare majors spring term of their sophomore year. Students cannot declare earlier. Why not? We expect you will spend at least part of your first two years exploring the different fields of study that are part of a liberal arts curriculum. It’s amazing how often interests change on encounter with different subjects at the college level! We really want first-year students to strive for variety and exploration in all the distribution groups. We know, though, that some students enter college already planning to major in a certain field, while others have narrowed the possibilities. If you think you know what you want to major in, check the department web site to see if the department you are considering has suggested particular courses or sequences appropriate for first-year study.

Are courses at St. Olaf available to me?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:34:15 -0600

Yes. By special arrangement and if space is available, students may take courses at St. Olaf College which are not offered at Carleton. These courses count as part of the total credit load for the term. Contact the Registrar's Office for more information.

Do I have to take the placement tests?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 12:47:23 -0600

While certain SAT II scores may exempt you from some placement tests, all incoming students must complete the writing self-placement inventory. For specifics on other placement tests, view the Placement Testing information on the New Students site and Carleton’s Prior Credits Policy on the Registrar's web site.

O.K. So I'll take three courses my first term. How do I know which ones to take?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 11:28:55 -0600

Most students will pre-register for one of the special courses for first-year students. In order to enroll in one, you need to register electronically online. You can pre-register through the Course Navigator from June 15th through July 11. Some of you may be signed up for an English 109 seminar and a special course, so that’s one or two courses. Almost all students who have not fulfilled the language requirement enroll in a language class sometime during their first year. If you place into Spanish 103, for instance, you'll wait until spring term to enroll. If you decide to start Japanese, you'll want to enroll your first term.

What else? All departments have courses designed for incoming students. For complete course descriptions, see the academic catalog.

You will meet with your adviser during New Student Week and have a chance to drop/add courses you have registered for before classes begin.

What do I need to know about the 3-3 calendar?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 11:06:32 -0600

You may have already noticed unusual features of Carleton's calendar. In some ways, it resembles the quarter calendar some of your friends or siblings may be on, but there are significant differences. Our academic year is divided into three terms—roughly ten weeks in length—with the school year running from early September to early June. Students generally enroll in only three six-credit courses each term (credits for participating in music and drama activities are extra). You register three times a year, changing courses each term after talking with your adviser.

What does this mean in practical terms? For one thing, while students at semester schools have to fit their course work into eight terms over four years, Carleton students have twelve terms. A student planning to major in chemistry at a semester school probably needs to start chemistry the first term of the first year—the second semester at the latest—or the student will run into trouble fitting in all the requirements. Because you have twelve terms at Carleton, you can enter a major a bit later; in fact, Carleton students don't declare majors until the end of the sophomore year. As a result, Carleton professors recommend you spend some of your first year trying out new subjects.

Will I have an adviser to help me register?

Thu, 04 May 2006 02:26:24 -0500

You will be assigned an academic adviser after summer registration, but before you arrive on campus. To advise you over the summer we have set up a telephone helpline staffed by trained faculty, staff, and students. In addition, we'll be rolling out a new Course Navigator feature on the New Students site to help you organize your registration decision-making process.

What has to be done to fulfill the writing requirement?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:07:15 -0600

Based on how you scored on the self-placement writing placement exam you will be directed to enroll in a Writing Rich (WR) course either first term or sometime during your first year. Successfully completing a WR course fulfills the first part of the writing requirement. Part two involves submitting a portfolio of writing done at Carleton. Students entering with AP scores of 5 or IB scores of 7 on English language, or literature exams are not required to take a WR course but must submit the portfolio. For more information, visit Carleton's Writing Program web site.

What are the departmental policies on AP scores and placement?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:03:16 -0600

See the Prior Credits Policy on the Registrar’s web site.

Where do I get my books?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 12:43:35 -0600

You will be able to purchase textbooks, manuals, and all necessary materials at The Carleton Bookstore located in the Sayles-Hill Campus Center. Most instructors hand out a list of required texts the first day of class; the bookstore also has a complete listing of required and recommended texts for each course. Once you’ve registered, you can order or look up the textbooks for your classes on the bookstore website: www.carletonbookstore.com. Just follow the textbook links. You can also call the bookstore with questions at 1-800-799-4148 or email them at bookstore@carleton.edu. If your placement in certain courses (e.g., foreign language) will not be definite until early in the term, it is advisable to delay purchase of these textbooks until exact placement and registration are confirmed.

How do I know what courses are available?

Thu, 04 May 2006 02:21:50 -0500

Consult the paper schedule on course information sent to you in summer mailing # 3 or look on the Web at: www.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule.html

What do "Distros" and "RAD" mean?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:12:13 -0600

"Distros" are distribution requirements, which require you to take a variety of courses in four different areas. The specifics of this will be available in the Academic Catalog, but you needn't worry about Distros too much at first: no matter what you take your first term, you will inevitably be fulfilling some requirements.

"RAD" refers to the Recognition and Affirmation of Difference Requirement which can be satisfied through a wide variety of courses. Carleton students are required to successfully complete at least one six-credit course or its equivalent centrally concerned with issues and/or theories of gender, sexual orientation, class, race, culture, religion, or ethnicity as these may be found anywhere in the world and requiring reflection on the challenges and benefits of dialogue across differences. Students are urged to complete this requirement in their first five terms.

What do HU, AL, SS, MS, and ND stand for?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:20:05 -0600

About one-third of the courses you take at Carleton will fulfill distribution requirements in our groupings of courses. HU stands for Humanities, AL for Arts and Literature, SS of Social Sciences, MS for Math and Science, and ND designates "no distribution."

What is a concentration?

Thu, 04 May 2006 02:43:18 -0500

Students may elect to complete one of Carleton’s 16 concentrations in addition to a major. A concentration is an integrated interdisciplinary program that may strengthen and complement a major, but a student majoring in any department could potentially participate in any concentration. Concentrations bridge the boundaries of academic disciplines, promote communities of learning, and relate academic studies to the kinds of issues and opportunities students confront outside of Carleton.

What is "scrunch"?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:09:34 -0600

"Scrunch" refers to Carleton's Satisfactory/ Credit/No Credit (S/Cr/NC) grading option. For this option, S=A to C-, Cr=D+ to D-, NC=F. A student may choose to take up to 30 credits on a S/Cr/NC basis during the four years at Carleton, but only up to 6 credits in any one term. Opting to take a course on a S/Cr/NC basis will be a two-step process: by the second week of the term (that is, before the end of the drop/add period), a student may designate one course as a potential S/Cr/NC option--this is called pre-S/Cr/NCing; before the last day of classes the student may elect to exercise that option or not. A student can only "scrunch" a course that has already been "pre-scrunched". By the end of the term, you must go to the Registrar's Office to actually "scrunch" the class. If this is not done, you will be graded using regular grading options (letter grades).

The limit of 30 credits does not include mandatory S/Cr/NC courses, nor does it include courses in applied music or music courses number 185 to 199 (Carleton Choir, Carleton Pro Musica, African Drum Ensemble, etc.). Graduate schools sometime re-compute GPAs and assign S grades the same value as a C-, so using this option is something you'll want to discuss with your adviser after you arrive on campus.

What should I do to prepare for placement tests?

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 12:49:16 -0600

The purpose of the placement tests is to make sure you get into the right course for you. Cramming for them is not going to be useful -- to you or to us. Reviewing a subject you probably haven't looked at for three months, though, is a good idea.