STEM at Carleton: A Freshman’s Perspective
Ben describes his experiences with intro-level STEM courses and science-related student organizations.
Ben describes his experiences with intro-level STEM courses and science-related student organizations.
Although Carleton is foremost a liberal arts college, this doesn’t mean that the sciences at Carleton aren’t emphasized—actually quite the opposite! So far I’ve found it easy to take STEM classes that I’m excited about. It’s also been fun to explore science-oriented clubs and connect with other science-minded students.
My Academic Experience
In the fall term, I took Biology 125 which is one of the introductory Biology courses required to take upper-level Bio classes, along with Biology 126. Although I took AP Biology in high school, this was my first experience with a college-level science class. I found that I loved the depth in which we covered each subject.
Many science classes also have a lab component which is a separate section taught by a different professor. For Biology 125 the lab was usually 2-4 hours long and on Zoom which was difficult, but we also had the opportunity to go out into the Arb and collect an invertebrate for classification!
This term I’m taking Principles of Psychology and Introduction to Statistics, which overlap nicely with each other. Both are online, but there is still a lot of group work using break-out rooms and the platform Gather.
Clubs and Student Organizations
There are plenty of STEM-related clubs at Carleton such as Biomimicry Club, Data Science Club, and Pre-Health Association to name a few.
I’m in a newer club called Futures in Science and Research which has been a great resource for connecting with others interested in graduate school and learning about research opportunities and internships!
The sciences at Carleton are known to be difficult but rewarding.
There are ample opportunities to take interesting classes while being supported by professors and peers. However, I also think it’s relatively easy to find a balance between humanities and STEM courses if that’s your goal. I’m excited to keep exploring other Biology and Psychology classes at Carleton!
Ben is a Michigander and freshman at Carleton who is curious about everything but particularly interested in Psychology and Neuroscience. He also plans to study Norwegian at St. Olaf. Outside of classes, he enjoys playing Appalachian music on the mandolin, reading, cycling, and spending as much time in nature as possible. Meet the other bloggers!