User Profile
fierkej
Carleton College '12
Majoring in Psychology
Member since 10/17/2008
A-
Safe Haven
I have always felt very safe at Carleton. Northfield is not super large, and walking around at night has never made me feel nervous. It is generally safe to leave your backpack in the library for an hour or so while you eat dinner. Coming from a public high school where my locker was broken into several times, I find this amazing. Also, as a person who loses things a lot, I've come to appreciate the fact that the good samaritans that make up most of the student body will help me be reunited with my things. Like any place there are some small mishaps when it comes to security (ie. petty theft, unnecessary fire drills), but I would say that Carleton's campus is above average in terms of safety. Just make sure not to walk around carrying alcohol, that's one thing Security's not too excited about.
Oct 12, 2011
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Something for Everyone
Carleton has been upgrading its facilities a lot in the past few years. There is a brand new theater/dance/cinema building with new computer labs, lounges and classrooms as well. There are three different recreation centers on campus, two pools and many playing fields (perfect for lots of frisbee games). Sayles, our campus center, is pretty comfy and serves food until the late hours of the night. The library is top notch, and very cozy in the winter. Almost all of the academic buildings have some sort of lounge and/or computer lab for students to use, so there are lots of places to study. Last but not least, we also have an observatory, the oldest college-run pub in the country and a nice concert hall.
Oct 12, 2011
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Student-Run Orgs for Student Fun
Carleton students are really good at balancing their academic lives with their non-academic ones. School can be intense, especially with the trimester system, but there are a lot of fun and sort of off-kilter ways to blow off steam. For example, about 1/3 of the school participates in Ebony II, a student-choreographed dance performance that happens every term. Most Carls are also heavily involved in extra-curriculars, most notably our national champion women's and men's frisbee teams, one of our seven a cappella groups, or one of our many theater organizations. We have also in recent years developed a really good stand-up group that performs twice a term. Probably my favorite thing about Carleton activities is that there is a lot of room for student directed activities. If you want to start something, you can do it, and most activities are entirely student-run.
Oct 12, 2011
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Computers Are Great, Just Know Where to Print
Carleton has a lot of computer labs and the computers themselves are fast and up to date with the latest software, etc. Wireless access has improved a lot in the three years I've been here, but you still need an ethernet cable to get internet in many of the dorm rooms. Printing is FREE, which is awesome, but that means that printers are often out of paper, so sometimes you have to go to more than one place to print something. Luckily there are lots of small computer labs all over campus, so those can act as a secret weapon. Most people I know have their own computers, but I think it would be possible to go without one. The library tends to get pretty crowded towards the end of the term, but there are plenty of other places to work.
Oct 12, 2011
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Psyschology Is Big, but the Professors Are Great
I'm a psychology major, which is the biggest major in my graduating class. I've loved being a psych major, though it was sometimes hard to get into classes due to the size or my major class. Luckily the college has finally noticed how big we've gotten and we've recently hired two new professors. The whole department is very supportive of its majors, especially in helping us evaluate our options for after graduation. Since there are no graduate students, there is also a greater chance of getting to do undergraduate research, which looks really good to future employers. My eventual goal is go to graduate school to get my Ph.D in language psychology, and hopefully one day become a professor. I think the job outlook for this field is the same everywhere, but I think that Carleton has given me a good foundation that will help me to get to my dream job.
Oct 12, 2011
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