Founded in 1866, Carleton College is an independent and highly selective liberal arts college with a diverse and exceptionally able student body, a talented faculty whose first priority is teaching, and a continued commitment to the liberal arts. Carleton is a national college enrolling approximately 2,000 students drawn from all 50 states and 27 different countries.
Carleton College is committed to providing a true liberal arts education, a curriculum that challenges our students to learn broadly and think deeply. Instead of training for one narrow career path, Carleton students develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in any walk of life.
Carleton is renowned for its rigorous liberal arts curriculum and excellence in undergraduate teaching.
The Office of Residential Life strives to provide a safe and supportive residential environment which complements and extends the educational experience of students. Student-centered programs and services are developed and implemented with an emphasis on holistic individual and community development, student leadership, individual responsibility, advocacy of academic inquiry, and freedom of thought, opinion and expression in the spirit of mutual respect. These are the hallmarks of the Carleton residential experience and provide the essential foundation for a quality liberal arts education within a diverse and dynamic community.
Academics are at the core of the Carleton experience. During your four years here, you will gain a new breadth of knowledge through a liberal arts curriculum that exposes you to a wide variety of disciplines and you will acquire a depth of understanding in your chosen major field. Along the way, you will no doubt uncover previously hidden talents and more fully explore your special strengths. Everyone's intellectual journey is unique. Carleton professors understand this. They are serious scholars who are highly respected in their field, but they are teachers first. Carleton faculty offers more than knowledge. They challenge you. They guide you to new insights about the world and about yourself and they share their passion for the learning adventure that will stay with students for a lifetime.
The mission of the Career Center is to teach students how to plan, prepare for and pursue their life, career, and educational goals. Making good decisions that fit for you to further your education, seek a particular type of work, or pursue an interest through travel or service, comes from understanding yourself and discovering options. Over four years, allow yourself time at Carleton to research, reflect on, and experiment with your choices. Through these activities (Self-Assessment, Exploration, Evaluation and Decision Making, and Implementation), you will build your knowledge base and your confidence so that you are ready to implement some of your decisions.
Even if you're not into intercollegiate competition, there are a wide variety of intramural sports to get involved in. Not just the traditional ones like basketball or softball either. There is rugby and Aikido and badminton and, of course, Carleton is a nationally recognized Ultimate Frisbee powerhouse.
Your calendar will fill up quickly with the special events that you won't want to miss. Special lecture series include prominent writers, scientists, artists, philosophers, and politicians. And then there are the Carleton theater and musical productions, exhibits, and weekly convocation every Friday.
Carleton College defines itself as an institution that values diversity. This is reflected in the importance and pride the College places in a student body that includes a balanced number of men and women, and includes people from a variety of racial, ethnic, socio-economic, religious, sexual, and national identities. The College recognizes the traditional liberal arts goal of expanding student’s intellectual horizons by exposing all students both to a diversity of cultures and to an analysis of the experience of being different.
To truly get to know Carleton, a visit to campus is essential. Sitting in on a class, you can experience firsthand the excitement generated by a challenging and lively discussion among a professor and students. Even the most beautiful pictures don't do justice to the look and feel of the campus or the joy in a quiet walk through the Arboretum (Arb). Talk to the students. Share a pizza with your residence hall hosts. Why did they choose Carleton? What do they love about it? What would they change? A visit to campus offers the real life Carleton experience.
