Although Karsten received his education in Güstrow, certainly at first at the Fürstliche cathedral school, it was a schooling which aimed to teach languages and very little attention was given to mathematics or natural science.
Kahit Karsten natanggap ang kanyang edukasyon sa Güstrow, sala sa unang at ang Fürstliche katedral paaralan, ito ay isang-aaral na naglalayong magturo sa mga wika at napaka-kaunti ng pansin ay ibinigay sa matematika o likas na agham.