1. I've heard something about a common reading. What is it and when will I get my book?

On Thursday, September 11, new students, faculty, and staff attend a convocation organized around the work Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli. It will be sent to you in mid-May. At the Common Reading Convocation, we will have an opportunity to listen to speakers talk about the book. Following this, students and staff will get together in small groups for a discussion of the issues the book raises. Yes, most students do read the book before coming to campus!

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

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.

3. What do I need to know about priority registration?

Carleton students register in priority order. That means that for most courses, seniors register first and first-year students register last. Special courses for first year students are an exception; these courses are reserved for you. Students register three times a year and are assigned three registration priority numbers, one for each trimester. Each student’s numbers add up to 42, ensuring parity.

Practically speaking, this means you can’t always get into a course you want during the term you want to take it. When you have a “good” registration number, use it! You’ll soon learn which classes fill up quickly. If you have questions, your adviser, Resident Assistant (RA), or a student departmental adviser (SDA) can help you figure out how to strategize. Do keep in mind though that not all courses are offered every term.

4. How do I know what courses are available?

Consult the schedule at: www.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule.html. Remember to check times at which courses are offered!

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

Most students will be signed up for one of the “special courses” for first-year students. In order to enroll in one, you need to register electronically online at www.carleton.edu/student/new by July 11. Some of you may be signed up for an English 109 and a special course. So that’s one (or two) course(s). 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 descriptions go to: www.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/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. To help you start thinking about what courses to take, there's an excellent Registration Decision Tree on the New Student Website.

6. How do the “special courses” fit into my schedule?

It’s a good idea to visit the Registrar’s Office online and take a look at the fall schedule of classes: www.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule.html. You can look up the times for all the freshmen seminars to make sure they don’t conflict with any other regular classes that you want to take. For instance, you might not want to sign up for a History 110 course if it conflicts with the French class that you need to take for your language requirement.

7. What is the purpose of academic advising?

Academic advising is an educational process intended to aid students in making decisions about their Carleton academic careers and lifelong career choices. Academic advisers coordinate course selection, discuss educational and career goals, and encourage students to consider questions of personal growth. Advisers also aid in planning academic programs and in referring students to other campus services. Students are responsible for pursuing this process as they deem appropriate for their needs; effective advising is only possible when communication yields an exchange of ideas.

First and second year advisers are assigned generally; that is, a student thinking of majoring in studio art might have a mathematician as an adviser, or an aspiring chemist may be advised by an English professor. This is not a problem. In addition to your academic adviser, department chairs are available to meet with students during New Student Week and throughout the year. RAs, New Student Week Leaders (NSWLs), and Student Department Assistants (SDAs) are also available during New Student Week and beyond. You will also have a chance to attend an Academic Fair during your first week on campus to meet with faculty and student representatives from various departments.

8. Will I have an adviser to help me register?

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’ve prepared a Registration Decision Tree and Worksheet on the New Student Website to help you organize your decision-making process, and finally, we have an on-line message board on the New Student Website.

9. Where do I get my books?

You will be able to purchase textbooks, manuals, and all necessary materials at The Carleton Bookstore located in the Sayles-Hill Campus Center. Also, see the brochure in Summer Mailing #1: Buying College Textbooks: A Special Guide for First-Year Students. 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 www.bookstore@carleton.edu. If your placement in certain courses (i.e., 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.

10. Do I have to take the placement tests?

Everyone has to complete the writing self-placement inventory online at the New Student Website. For specifics, go to the section on Placement Exams and the section on Carleton’s Advanced Placement Policy. Note: certain SAT II scores may exempt you from placement tests.

11. What should I do to prepare for placement tests?

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.

12. I've taken some AP exams and participated in the IB program. Generally speaking, what is Carleton's policy about these exams?

Earning a Carleton degree means that most of your academic work has been done at Carleton or on an approved Carleton off-campus studies program. For this reason, Carleton accepts up to 36 credits toward the Carleton degree for entry-level students, which is the equivalent of two (out of your twelve) terms, or six courses. These credits can be College Board Advanced Placement credits, International Baccalaureate credits or approved pre-matriculation credits. No one, of course, expects you to repeat courses where you have already mastered the material; even if you exceed the credit limit, individual departments will be happy to talk with you about appropriate placement.

If you took a College Board (CEEB) AP examination while in high school and wish it to be considered for credit and/or placement at Carleton, you need to follow the Advanced Placement Program instructions to make sure your score report is sent to Carleton. AP grade reports are mailed to colleges in early July. If you have misplaced your AP materials, write to AP Exams, CN 6671, Princeton, NJ 08541-6671. AP, SAT, ACT, or IB scores are posted to the student’s individual Hub account.

13. What are the departmental policies on AP scores and placement?

See the Carleton’s Advanced Placement Policy section on the Registrar’s homepage under “Academic Catalog” and click on “Prior Credits Policy.”

14. What has to be done to fulfill the writing requirement?

Based on how you scored on the writing self-placement inventory, 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 details go to http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/writingprogram.

15. What is "scrunch"?

"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 185 to 199. 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.

16. What do "Distros" and "RAD" mean?

"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. (See #17 below.)

"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.

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

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," which often means the course is interdisciplinary.

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

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 pages to see if the department you are considering has suggested particular courses or sequences appropriate for first-year study. If you're thinking about majoring in science, read on!

19. Do the science departments (biology, chemistry, geology, and physics/astronomy) have any suggestions for prospective majors?

Yes. See the New Students Website.

20. What is a concentration?

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.

21. Are courses at St. Olaf available to me?

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. See the Registrar with questions.