My Ideal Carleton Day

If I had a magic wand…

…I’d probably wish for world peace and end world hunger first, but after that, I might construct a day at Carleton that looks a little something like this.

My hypothetical perfect day falls during Spring Term, which is my favorite term by far, not only for the gorgeous weather but for the energy that’s palpable around campus. Everyone’s so excited to enjoy the warm weather that there are always people outside soaking up the sun, and it’s always fun to run into a few friends on your way to class.

I am not a morning person, believe it or not, so my perfect day starts with me sleeping in until about 10! My perfect Carleton day would definitely be set at Farm, which is my favorite place I’ve lived on campus. After taking a quick shower and getting ready, I would then take a lovely walk downtown to grab a matcha from Little Joy. This was a favorite routine of mine because the walk from Farm to downtown is long enough to get the blood pumping and listen to some great music, and the matcha is excellent.

My Perfect Classes

A perfect Carleton day means I get to build my perfect class schedule, lucky me! I’ve had the privilege of taking many fantastic Carleton classes, so it’s a bit of a struggle to pick my favorites. The first one that leaps to mind is an American Studies class I completed last spring, AIDS in America with Professor Chris Elias. This was our junior research seminar course, so in addition to the course content we also spent the term writing a comprehensive research paper on the topic of our choosing. I loved this class because although the content was often intensely emotional, we spoke openly about the intersections of sexuality, activism, legislation, art, and more. My fellow American Studies majors are an incredible group, brilliant, funny, and kind, and our professor Chris is much beloved by the Carleton community.

The next class I’d like to return to would be Beginning Acting with Andrew Carlson. I’ve blogged before about my experience with the Carleton Theater department, and I’m hoping to go back to it my senior year. Beginning Acting remains one of my favorite classes at Carleton because it works a different part of your brain; while we did some reading and writing, the majority of the class focused on engaging our minds and bodies in a whole new sphere. I also loved that the class brought together a range of people from across all disciplines, so I made some new friends that I might not have met otherwise.

For my last class of the day, I would head to 2nd Laird to take my favorite English class, Playwrights of Color with Nancy Cho. We read some incredible plays that I would’ve never found on my own, and we got to take a field trip into the cities to watch a play at the Penumbra Theater!

After my classes, I’d do a little bit of schoolwork in the Libe (ideally in a Second Libe study room) before making my way home for dinner.

The Ideal Evening

Farm dinner is on a strict schedule, so I’d meander my way home around 6 to finish up some reading in the backyard before a delicious vegetarian dinner at 6:30. After dinner I’m sure I would try to get more reading done but I would inevitably get caught up in the glory of the backyard. Some of my favorite memories from this last term were from throwing a frisbee around, swinging on the tire swing, and generally just playing like a little kid! While the demands of Carleton academics and extracurriculars can get overwhelming, we know how to have fun.

Last but certainly not least, I would finish up my day with late-night radio. I’ve had a radio slot from 10-11:30 pm the last few terms, which is ideal for my night-owl tendencies! I usually spend the first half-hour or so playing chill homework-friendly music so I can do a little bit of KRLX business while in the studio, and then spend the rest of my show playing whatever I want to hear or share with my friends. The studio truly is my happy place, and if I had it my way I’d spend every night on the radio.

Thanks for joining me on my imaginary perfect day — I hope it gives you a better idea of what your life at Carleton could look like!

Quinn (she/her/hers) is an American Studies Major and Chinese Minor. Quinn has deep love of the Carleton community; she says she is so lucky to be surrounded by such brilliant and kind people. Quinn is an active member of student-run radio station KRLX, the orchestra, equestrian club, and the music department! Following her love of music and radio, her favorite place on campus is the record library. And finally, a fun fact about Quinn is that her family helped to found the Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Parade!