The Flexibility of the Carleton Trimester

Is it okay if I don’t know what I want to major in yet? Is it okay if I change my mind halfway through my major? Can I get a double major? I’m happy to let you know that the answer to all of these questions is YES! Allow me to explain how the Carleton trimester system works. 

We have three trimesters in a year, with three classes per trimester. Each class is six credits, totaling about 18 credits per trimester. So how does this all add up? You need a total of at least 210 credits to graduate, and each major will need 66 to 78 credits to complete. 78 is a lot less than 210! Also, you don’t declare your major at Carleton until the beginning of your sophomore spring term. This means that not only does the Carleton trimester allow for exploration in what you want to study, it ENCOURAGES it. 

Let’s look at my freshman year schedule. I came into my fall term telling everyone that I was going to be a linguistics major. Spoiler alert: I’m not a linguistics major. The only thing that stayed true from my original plans was that I became a Spanish minor. Here was my fall lineup: 

RELG 100: Christianity and Colonialism 

ARTS 142: The Book as Art Object 

ENGL 211: Haunting the Margins of American Literature 

First of all, no linguistics. Second of all, I’m taking classes in three different departments. Third of all, none of these departments ended up as my major – though English came close. Now for my winter classes: 

AMST 142: U.S. Latinx Identity and Representation

SPAN 102: Elementary Spanish

LING 110: Introduction to Linguistics 

Three new departments! And still, none of these ended up being my major. After taking that linguistics class, I realized that while I liked the content, I couldn’t see myself majoring in it. I felt a little lost on what I should do next, but I wasn’t feeling behind, either (because I wasn’t!). I decided to be a little more random my spring term: 

ENGL 160: Creative Writing

STAT 120: Introduction to Statistics

SPAN 103: Intermediate Spanish

I was back to an English class, and I LOVED it. But after all the reading and writing, I was hesitant – was this the right major for me? Would fitting my love for these tasks within grades and deadlines take away from my enjoyment of it? I began considering a creative writing minor instead. I also decided to take a random introduction to statistics class to use a different part of my brain, after two heavy-reading classes in the winter. This schedule concluded my freshman year – I didn’t take a single class in my major, but I was starting to get a better idea of what I wanted to do. 

I’ll also note that you’re not limited to 18 credits per term. Here’s an example from my sophomore winter term where I was signed up for 21 credits: 

RELG 162: Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings (6 credits)

POSC 122: Politics in America: Liberty and Equality (6 credits)

PSYC 252: Personality (6 credits) 

PSYC 253: Research Methods in Personality (2 credits) 

MUSE 185: Carleton Choir (1 credit) 

Some extracurriculars that you register for can count as credits, too, like music groups and music lessons that will count towards your “arts practice” credits as well as some dance classes that can count towards both arts practice and PE credits (read about Carleton graduation requirements here). Additionally, labs at Carleton will be an extra two credits.

It wasn’t until this winter term that I decided on my major – psychology! I took my first psychology class at Carleton my sophomore fall and felt pretty sure that I wanted to major in it, and then finally started calling myself a psychology major my winter term. I’m loving it so far, and I’m so glad I had the flexibility to explore my options so I could feel confident with the one I chose – nothing I took before felt like a waste. Now as I take more religion and creative writing classes, I face the increasingly-difficult decision: to double minor or not to double minor?

Ellie (she/her) is a rising junior psychology major and Spanish minor from Apple Valley, Minnesota. Outside of classes, she spends a majority of her time singing in choir and a cappella, running in circles around the track, and hanging out in the chapel. She loves Carleton for the close community and pretty campus (especially in the fall!). When she’s not running or singing, you can find her at a bench around campus soaking in the sunshine.