Carleton College
- Parking

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The three biggest complaints about Carleton are the weather, the food, and the parking. There’s nothing that anyone can do about the weather, and people complain about the food everywhere. But the parking at Carleton deserves every complaint it gets. If you live on campus and bring a car, you must place it in dead storage unless you have a valid reason to use it. If they find you using your car without permission, you’ll get ticketed. Campus security does actually patrol the streets near campus for Carleton cars. The college has two lots—by the Rec Center and the football stadium. Stadium parking is preferred because it’s closer, but both lots are far enough away from classes and dorms to discourage students from using them.

There are ways around getting ticketed. You can park in campus lots after 5 p.m., and then park in the street during the day. You should move your car every day to avoid tickets. Some students even use St. Olaf bumper stickers to fool campus security (they can’t ticket visitors). You can’t leave your car overnight on the street in the winter because of snow removal. You can get a parking spot in one of the dorm lots if you can convince the college that you have to use your car every day, but it’s difficult and there’s a lot of red tape preventing you from getting spots. A car is nice if you’re an upperclassman, but freshmen and sophomores don’t need one. Come to school without a car, then decide if the hassle of parking is worth it.

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Parking at Carleton College

Griffen

'19

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

4.6

A

No Real Need for a Car

Parking is always available for students who have cars (and have permission to have cars). Most student parking is by the rec center which is on one side of campus and not more than an 8-10 minute walk at the most to anywhere on campus. One of the great things about Carleton is that only a few students have or need cars.

Nov 16, 2011

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Parking at Carleton College

keaide

'12

Language Studies and Linguistics

3.5

B

Not Really Applicable

Carleton is a tiny campus, which means you don't really need a car. Having one is a plus, but I never have, so I really can't speak much about parking. Most people get parking spaces at the Rec Center, which is a little out of the ways but not horrible. It's not like you can drive around on campus anyway.

Oct 12, 2011

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Parking at Carleton College

kfrance714

'12

Chemistry

3.1

B-

Far Away but Unnecessary

Really, there is no need for a car on campus, but lots of people bring one anyway. If you don't have an excuse for having your car here, that means that they will make you park at the far end of campus, which can be frustrating. However, its easy to get a parking space (whether close or far away), and the cost of parking is reasonable. Freshman are highly discouraged from cars, which is fine because everyone has friends with cars anywhere.

Oct 12, 2011

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