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Spring Side Quests

Jess '27 talks about the adventures he has gone on this spring.

Jess '27 talks about the adventures he has gone on this spring.

Admissions Blog Spring Side Quests

One method to make time for fun at Carleton is to join a bunch of extracurricular activities and clubs. I prefer to keep myself busy by filling my calendar with a healthy amount of random side quests that vary from term to term. Here is a photo blog of some of my recent spring endeavors from least to most silly.

empty bowls

Empty Bowls is one of Carleton’s most underrated traditions! Students in ceramics classes make hundreds of beautiful bowls throughout the term, and at the end of Week 7, the Carleton community shows up to take their pick and fill them up with soup and bread! This was a beautiful break before my Jane Austen class.

Goodbye Blue Monday back entrance

Goodbye Blue Monday is my favorite Northfield coffee shop! I have been going here a lot this term to do homework and catch up with friends. I am counting this particular jaunt in this photograph as a side quest: I had to do some extra navigating to find the back entrance and avoid some construction near the front door. I am a dedicated coffee connoisseur.

Farmstock
Farmstock is the annual student music festival! The four hours of fun, music, and food I experienced made the sunburn worth it.
Students at farmstock
Kate, Claire and I enjoying Farmstock.
Waterfall at Big Woods State Park
I recently went on an overnight camping field trip to a local state park for my Outdoor Skills Adventure P.E. class! We camped, built a bonfire, and took a hike out to this waterfall (the hike was so long that it was dark when we got there).
Students at synchrony

This was my second term doing Synchrony: Carleton’s group dance tradition. My friend Sam was a choreographer for a Kesha-themed dance. We met every week to perfect our moves. This weekend, the show went on! I think it’s safe to say the audience will never hear “Praying” the same way again.

Spellling Bee Carleton musical student on stage

The Carleton Theater Department put on a musical this term called Spelling Bee! Kate may have been the star, but I had my own break-out role as “Audience Participant Speller,” where I got to spell-out a whole word (incorrectly).

 

Mount Rushmore

Over midterm break, a few friends and I took a quick 9-hour road trip to Mount Rushmore and The Badlands! This was definitely the most ambitious side quest I have taken in my time at Carleton, and I would highly recommend—if not South Dakota for midterm break, definitely a trip outside of Carleton and into nature!

looking over maps
For an extra challenge, you can use paper maps the whole way.
painting on picnic blanket
We took a lot of good photos, and my friend Sam painted!

Jess (he/him/his) is a junior English major/Creative Writing minor from Milwaukee, WI. He works for Admissions and Off-Campus Studies, blogging up a storm. On campus, he can be found on the Bald Spot with a book, next to the CD player in the Record Libe, or along the trails of the Arb on a late night run. He is a big fan of spring term and dining hall vegetarian sausage. As far as Northfield coffee shops go, he remains loyal to Goodbye Blue Monday.

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