<hool seniors receive their acceptance letters from a plethora of different colleges, how do they decide which one to pick? Carleton offers an easy solution: Accepted Student Days. Last Thursday through Saturday, admitted students came to the campus to experience Carleton’s culture and explore the academics to see if the college is a good fit for them.
Approximately 144 students visited from over 36 states. Of this group, 29 students have been admitted under an Early Decision agreement.
Each student was given a small backpack with a “Knight Life” weekend event guide, a program guide for info sessions, and a map of campus, plus additional flyers for Northfield attractions. Prospies took campus tours, walked through the Arb, and learned about Carleton’s extracurricular offerings, from off-campus study programs to IM sports. “There’s so much for us to do!” said Emily Massell, a senior from Burlington High School in Vermont. “All of the scheduled activities have been really fun.”
Carleton designs Accepted Student Days to give students a taste of both the academic and social aspects of the college. Prospectives had the opportunity to choose two classes to sit in on, where they participated in discussions alongside Carleton students.
The high quality of academics is one of the main draws for prospies. When asked why she chose Carleton, Sarah Olson, an Early Decision senior from Lourdes High School in Rochester Minnesota, explained, “[Carleton] is the preeminent small liberal arts college, academically.” Added Jonathon Liou, another Early Decision student from Wayzita High School in Osseo Minnesota, “I hear a lot of good things about the professors.”
However, academics aren’t the only reason that students are seriously considering Carleton. “Carleton is very fun and quirky,” said Liou. “It has very interesting traditions, like the Rottblatt and the Schiller.” Thursday and Friday night were loaded with various student-run activities targeted at the admitted students, to show them Carleton’s student culture in addition to the academic. Lenny Dee held a show on Thursday night, followed by a Cujokra show Friday night. In addition, the GSC hosted a Drag Show in Sayles on Friday, where prospies flocked to witness the glamour, costumes, and lip-synching. Many got a front row experience, watching the show right next to the stage with big smiles plastered across their faces. Some prospectives even got the Dacie Moses experience when they stopped by the house to snag some cookies right out of the oven. According to Kiera Wilhelm from Barrington High School in Rhode Island, “The cookie house is one of the main reasons I’m considering Carleton over other schools.”
The overall consensus was that the weekend gave a positive preview of college life. Said Olson, “It has been a great experience; its great that we got to spend so much time here.” But despite enthusiastic reviews of the Accepted Student Days by prospies, it is yet to be seen how many will officially choose Carleton.