When I was searching for colleges in high school, a term that I was told to look for was a “closed campus.” I wanted a school that was close to a town or even a small city, but was an enclosed, walkable campus, in which all of the students worked, lived and socialized all together.
And with Carleton, for the most part, I got just that. I wake up in a house that I share with other students, walk by other student housing to get to my classes, eat in a student dining hall and work at a campus job, planning events for students with other students as my co-workers. While some factors, like my partial meal plan and off-campus volunteer responsibilities pull me outside of Carleton boundaries, a student could very easily make it weeks, or even a whole term, without ever leaving our Carleton bubble.
But is that bubble a good thing? Part of the college experience is having a scaffolded introduction to the “real world;” we are placed in an environment where we have to find ways to sustain ourselves, but at Carleton especially, we have significant safety nets. When I sprained my ankle in a geology lab my freshman year, I didn’t have to worry about transport to an urgent care or medical bills; I was able to visit the Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) building (formerly in Davis) a few minute’s walk away. If I were to run out of grocery money or not be able to make it to the store, I could use my dining dollars in a cafe that I can see from my religion class. While going to college anywhere means taking care of one’s health, schedule, academics and general wellbeing independently, the Carleton Bubble makes it so a helping hand is not far away.
Carleton students have also been able to develop a close-knit community because we’re close together. I live and eat and work and socialize with people who all live within, at most, a 15 minute walk of each other. And with the ever-increasing usage of location sharing between friends, Carls can pop in on each other with a moment’s notice. My friends from back home who go to state schools where they have to take buses to get to their classes, which are spread out between three different campuses, could never dream of this convenience.
Resources and proximity make the Carleton Bubble an easier place to live. And while we as students deserve an easier time while we juggle classes, a frightening job market (sorry seniors) and a country that’s falling rapidly into dystopia, if we stay within the bubble for too long, we forget the good that lies beyond it. There is a charming downtown, a major city and a vibrant state out there. As things outside Carleton worsen, we may be tempted to think Carleton is good and safe while the outside world is not. And while the world outside our bubble is not always kind, students can find the same love and kindness and support from our surrounding community.
This summer, a large part of my job was to cook community meals for food insecure students living on campus. My job was essentially to be a patch in the bubble that gets damaged over the summer because the college does not run at full capacity. And while I was a student helping students stay fed and healthy on campus, I would not have been able to do it without venturing out of my bubble. I reached out to a local congregation, and before I knew it I was befriending local Northfielders, and making up for my lack of student interactions during the summer months over chopping onions and simmering chili. While my adventures outside the scope of campus continue to be a little daunting, they are worth it when I am able to build a connection I couldn’t find on campus.
Carleton absolutely places its students in a bubble, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The world is scary, and for students to learn and work comfortably, they need to feel safe and supported. But that bubble can be isolating, and it can cut students off from a community they might actually enjoy. Luckily, it is possible to get the best of both worlds. Go to SHAC for a counseling group, but also ask a local faith leader if they have any advice for the struggles of college. Have breakfast in the dining hall, but also head out to a coffee shop for an afternoon snack. Visit the bookstore for textbooks, but also go to the Northfield library (and get a library card!) to check out a new release. Use Carleton’s bubble for any pressing needs, and venture outside to find something or someone new. Everything is worth “the old college try,” even if it’s off a college campus.
