I’ve always felt that balance is crucial to all facets of life, but life at Carleton has convinced me of that even more. It’s important to have balance and diversity everywhere – in the classes you take, what you spend your time doing, and even little things like the meals you eat and the people you hang out with. Through this blog, I want to share a few of the ways I’ve structured my first year at Carleton with balance in mind. Classes This is probably the most obvious instance of balance in college life, but I think it’s one people still disregard. I loved all sorts of subjects in high schoo ..read more

One thing about me is there are very few times in my life that I enjoyed math. In most cases I have come to dread taking a math course or any course that makes you do calculations above algebra. In high school I refused to take physics because in my mind the only thing worse than regular math was applied math, and I was going to be a political science major so it didn’t matter to me anyway. Well guess what people, I came to Carleton and I decided to be a geology major which ended up changing everything. Major requirements The geology major requires you to take two math courses as well as ..read more

Have you ever thought, “Huh I wonder what Carleton student’s do with their time?”. Well me too. Anyway, here’s a day (Thursday) in the life of me, a typical Carleton student. 7:30 am – Wake up Now I know what you may be thinking: “Omg! Why so early? That’s terrible!” Well I also have that thought. Luckily this only happens to me once a week. On Thursdays I have 8 am lab for one of my classes, hydrogeology, and I suffer through the early wake up because I am a geology major and I like the course. The cafe I go to before class in Anderson 8 am to 12 pm – Lab Once I stumble over to Anderson Hall ..read more

Since I am a Carl in the spring term of my sophomore year, I must constantly talk about my major plans. It’s obligatory. I feel compelled to share with you a few pointers that will make your search for a major just a little bit easier. In doing so, I will also share some experiences that I’ve had in my major search, as they relate to classes and activities at Carleton. Focus on what you love, then try something else. This is my number one tip. Originally, I wanted to say “Move outside your comfort zone,” but that’s a useless cliche that you’ll hear everywhere. In my case, taking classes outsid ..read more

Over two years ago, during my first term at Carleton, I enthusiastically wrote about the prospect of taking my first Academic Civic Engagement class. ACE courses are designed with an approach to community-based learning and are sponsored by the Center for Civic and Community Engagement. They come in two formats: theoretical and applied, and since writing that original blog I have taken several courses in both varieties. Here’s a review of some of them. Academic Civic Engagement: Applied The vast majority of ACE courses offered each year are applied, which generally means that the civic engagem ..read more

There once was a highly motivated individual at Carleton College. She loved Carleton so very much, and she was extremely eager to write about it. She wanted to be sure that the essays and projects she created reflected how much she had learned, so she spent more and more time “perfecting” the work she created. This desire extended to her Admissions Blogs, too. On this day, she sat on 1st Libe, frantically typing words onto a Google Doc. She wrote a few sentences, then deleted them, wrote a few words, then deleted them. Click, clack! went her keyboard. Before she knew it, it was midnight, and s ..read more

I may not have done a *ton* of research before applying to college, but in the summer before coming to campus I made up for it by reading as much about Carleton as I could get my hands on. I pride myself on how many student handbooks, FAQ pages, and Admissions Blogs (yes, this very Admissions Blog) I went through. I thought I knew everything there was to know… boy was I wrong! Ever since I first came to Northfield, every day has presented me with yet another fact I didn’t know about, another club I had never heard of, another funding opportunity I wasn’t aware of. So, in the hopes that you wil ..read more

Here at Carleton, there’s always a lot of work to get done. As a result, we spend a good amount of time studying and for me, where I’m studying matters quite a bit! I make sure to keep my living space separate from my working space so I tend not to work in my dorm. Also, I like to often change up where I work, so I’ve been all over campus! In this blog, I’ll highlight five of my favorite spots from classrooms to hidden musical gems. Fourth Libe My most common study spot is the fourth floor of the Gould Library, aka the Libe. This is the perfect place for when I want to find some friends and wo ..read more

I have been keeping a big secret from you all. Since May 2023, I have been involved with a research opportunity called REEES Think Tank. I am finally going to share with y’all the nitty gritty details of this amazing extracurricular activity. What is the REEES Think Tank? The REEES Think Tank is the brainchild of 4 professors who wanted to build a program they wished they had as undergraduates. Their goal is to increase diversity in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies and provide students with research skills to “make it” in academia. A big part of what they do is help us form conn ..read more

This term, in addition to the customary three six-credit courses that make up most Carleton trimesters, I have the pleasure of auditing English 222 – The Art of Jane Austen. Taught by marvelous Professor Susan Jaret McKinstry, it has quickly become one of my favorite classes I have ever [not] taken at Carleton, and the auditing experience has only increased my enjoyment of it. Auditing, however, is not a common or well-known practice at Carleton. I have gotten a lot of questions about it, so I thought it would be a good idea to answer them here! What is Auditing? Auditing a class means that, e ..read more