Academics
Carleton College, with its low student-teacher ratio and small-town Minnesota setting, “is a rigorous school full of laid-back, outdoorsy students with a passion for learning and for developing strong community.” With a trimester schedule and an emphasis on the liberal arts and interdisciplinary scholarship, Carleton also boasts strong programs in the sciences and social sciences. The school has a reputation for being “highly rigorous without the cut-throat competition that other elite institutions are known for”; many students use the words “challenging” and “collaborative” to describe this tight-knit, highly focused academic community. One student sums it up as an “Ivy League education without all the Ivy League pretensions.” While academics are “challenging” and classes are “fairly fast-paced,” the work is “worth every ounce of effort” and professors are almost universally praised as “friendly, accessible, supportive, and enthusiastic about teaching.” Students “have no qualms about dropping in on office hours to chat” and have “been to many wonderful dinners at professors’ homes.” “Students help each other out a lot, too (even if it is just emotional support).” One student describes the school accurately with her reasons for choosing to attend: “I wanted to be at a place where I was challenged. I wanted to be surrounded by people who were smarter than me but also wanted to see me succeed.” Finally, students report excellent resources for pursuing graduate study, and visible improvements within career services.
