The Carls App

I learned about the Carls App my second day at Carleton while desperately lost (and running late to a meeting), drenched by rain, unable to see because of said rain (plus glasses-fog caused by my mask), and, obviously, near tears. Another freshman who was also lost and about to cry couldn’t tell me where I was supposed to go, but said to try installing Carls because it might help. I don’t know where that girl is now, but I hope she’s living her best life (and knows she saved mine)!

Ok, so that was a dramatic introduction. Now what the heck is Carls??

In short, it’s the best app ever and an absolute must have for all Carleton students.

It’s student designed and run (so not technically affiliated with the College) but has all the info you need, including menus for the dining halls and cafés, a map of campus (which indeed helped me find my meeting that second day), and a campus directory.

Here’s my home screen. I most frequently use the Menu resource: it lists the menus for the LDC, Burton, Sayles Hill, and Weitz (unfortunately it doesn’t list Schulze as Anderson is a relatively new building). You can also check what St. Olaf has to eat, too! Here’s an example of what the LDC has for lunch today:

Carls also lists building hours, what’s going on with KRLX (Carleton’s student run radio station), upcoming convocations, Moodle (where you can access your classes), and shorthand/slang Carleton students use wayyyy too much.

One of the most important features of Carls is that it gives you direct access to the Hub, where all your crucial Carleton information will be!

I really recommend every incoming student get this before arriving at Carleton.

Especially because most of you haven’t been able to visit, Carls will be a good way to get acquainted with Carleton life. It’s a great place to explore and find out all the weird, niche, and super important things that go on at Carleton.

Erin grew up catching salamanders, recklessly climbing trees, and running around barefoot in the Appalachian Mountains in a small town in North Carolina. This is her first year at Carleton, and she’s looking forward to meeting new people, exploring campus (especially the arb!), and experiencing her first Minnesota winter. She is currently interested in studying psychology and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies. Meet the other bloggers!