Carleton College

Really Relaxed

The school just wants you to be safe. Drinking is not a big deal. The only thing the school kinda cracks down on is pot, but even that is rarely something that gets caught. Basically, the rule is don't be an idiot and the school won't interfere.

Fantastic

The education here is phenomenal. Teachers genuinely care about their students and will work with you to get better. There is a lot of work, but everyone is doing it, so it's pretty bearable. There are resources for people with LD/ADHD and there are tons of support centers for any academic problems you may have.

So far, so good

I've only had one term here, and due to having an amazing teacher in high school nobody here measures up yet. But as far as I haven't had professors who blow me away, they are all extremely good at what they do, which is a nice change from high school. They're all dedicated to teaching, accessible and patient with students and they ALL know you by name. Professors here are often on first name terms with students and in terms of teaching quality it doesn't get much better than this. They give a lot of work, and sometimes difficult work, but they're understanding of the fact that sometimes you might not be on top of it all. You can often negotiate with them to reschedule a midterm or an exam, or get extensions for any work you might not have time to do and I got to take 3 assessments outside of class because my prof trusts us not to cheat- hard not to, given the level of personal interaction we have. The TAs regularly hold review sessions (they don't teach, though) and someone is always around to help you in case you get lost. This is what I love about academics here: the college doesn't want to "weed you out". It wants everyone to succeed.