Off Campus Studies as a Senior

Over the course of my time at Carleton I have had the opportunity to study abroad for a second time! The first time was during my sophomore year when I went on Carleton’s off-campus studies program called Living London–an English and theatre based study abroad. This past winter term as a senior, I went to New Zealand with Carleton’s Geology department, and it was one of the best experiences of my life!

Choosing the program

I really enjoyed my abroad experience as a sophomore, and I knew I wanted to go abroad again. There are so many interesting and exciting programs both through Carleton and through other non-Carleton programs. I spent my first abroad in a large city with 8.9 million people (very different from the small town Minnesota life I grew up in), so I decided that for my next abroad, I wanted to experience something different.

In this case, I got to travel and see mountains, oceans, volcanoes, and more (also quite different from my small town Minnesota life). As a geology major the New Zealand program through Carleton is pretty awesome because we get to work with local New Zealand experts, spending 5 weeks on the North Island and five weeks on the South Island. The program is made for geology students and counts as a field camp credit for grad school applications.

Going abroad as a senior

I was hesitant to go abroad during my senior year because I was worried about missing out on things during my last year on campus, but I am so glad that I did! Because I went abroad during winter term I had to adjust some things in my schedule. My senior comprehensive exercise–known at Carleton as my “comps”–had to be done in the fall rather than during the typical winter schedule (geology comps explained here).

I also had to be willing to miss out on awesome classes like paleoclimate and I had to be willing to finish some graduation requirements during my senior spring–which is how I ended up being super busy and taking two labs during my last term at Carleton (but that’s a story for another time). Despite missing out on some things and adjusting to fit in others (hello Intro to Chemistry 123 that I am taking right now so I can graduate), going abroad was totally worth it.

The last thing I had to consider was missing ultimate frisbee while my team was in season, which was a little tough. I play for Syzygy, a team that plays in the women’s D1 division, and one of Carleton’s six ultimate teams. While I was sad to miss the regular season during my senior year, I still have the spring to compete in the series (sectionals, regionals, and hopefully nationals).

What class looks like

New Zealand was quite different from life at Carleton because we spent almost the entire day focused on one topic rather than the typical three-class trimester. A typical day often looked like waking up at around 7 am, heading out into the field until late afternoon. Then we would head back to where we were staying, where we would cook group dinner and spend time working on assignments–whether it was stratigraphic columns or making structural maps.

This abroad might have been my favorite “classroom experience” because the great outdoors became my classroom. We took notes while sitting on rocks and while hiking around volcanoes. The field drawing portion of the program had us drawing a variety of subjects, from ammonites to people. It’s hard to beat the hands-on experience of studying things that you can see and touch right in front of you.

Highlights/My favorite parts!

The best part of the program (besides seeing the most beautiful nature ever, probably) was the people! One of my favorite parts about the geology department at Carleton is the community of students and staff. We had two awesome professors–Clint Cowan and Sarah Titus–leading the trip, and three really cool TAs who are Carleton Alumni.

I got to know a lot of the people within my major too, and made lasting friendships (including someone who will be one of my housemates). We bonded over cooking group dinners, playing soccer on the beach, hiking for miles, puzzling through the formation of rock units, learning how to knit, swimming with dolphins, and more.

Extra photos because it was the most beautiful place I’ve probably ever seen…

Hannah is a senior majoring in Geology and minoring in Classics. As a Minnesotan she considers herself somewhat of an expert on MN winters. At Carleton, she fills her schedule with writing for the Admissions blog, doing geology research, and TAing classes. When Hannah isn’t in on the academic grind, she can be found tossing a frisbee with Syzygy, playing club soccer, crocheting, exploring the Arb, thrifting, and hanging out with her besties.