Why I Chose Carleton
Erin talks about how she deiced to become a Carl.
Erin talks about how she deiced to become a Carl.
Almost a year ago today, I was accepted to Carleton’s class of 2024! I couldn’t believe it—college decisions are an extremely stressful time, and it was such a relief to finally get my decisions.
I interviewed with a Carleton Alum back in January of 2020, and got a really good feeling for the college afterwards. However, since I applied to 16 schools because I’m a QuestBridge Scholar, I hadn’t done much in-depth research on Carleton yet.
What’s funny to me, is that the previous summer, when I attended a QuestBridge event at Vanderbilt, the only college that really stuck out to me (and to my mom) was Carleton; for some reason, we both remembered the names of the people we met there, but no-one else. It’s funny how life works.
By the end of March, I was weighing three colleges. Carleton was by far the least logical choice: my other choices had offered me full ride scholarships to attend, and Carleton was the only campus I hadn’t visited! But something about Carleton drew me in and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. This really freaked me out! I was so scared to commit to a school in Minnesota—a place I only knew as very cold and very far away.
But the more I looked into Carleton, the more I loved it. I loved the arb and the Rec Center; the Weitz Center for Creativity sounded like a dream come true!
Most of all, though, Carleton just felt right. I know that’s very vague, but this is my honest advice for you in your college search: trust yourself!
Trust that you’ll make the right decision, and know that even if you don’t, it isn’t an end-all-be-all. College is your choice! Ultimately, I chose Carleton because of it’s excellent academic reputation, it’s beautiful campus, and because it just felt right. I really hope that it feels right for you, too.
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!