<p>I'm an international student, and having hard time while deciding which one I should choose. I'm not living in US, so the only thing I can do is reading their websites... These three schools are quite similar (in my opinion)... so it's hard to choose.
I want to study computer science and math and don't mind about location/climate.
Thank you for any suggestion...</p>
<p>In terms of Grinnell - I think more of humanities when I think of the kind of student from here who attends Grinnell. I’n sure they have a fine math department but they are known for other things such as English and writing. Tiny town.</p>
<p>Carleton - very strong in math. Small town. Easy walk to the grocery store, banks, coffee houses, and restaurants. </p>
<p>Macalester - good math and science. My impression is that it is easier to get some internships because of its connections in the cities. That may or may not be important to you. I don’t know the ins and out of internationals and the OPT issues. Nice part of a diverse metropolitan area. Will be easier to find ethnic groceries if you have a craving for your country’s food.</p>
<p>If it were me I would say Carleton or Macalester with the decision being based on whether or not I wanted to be in a city or a town. All three colleges will be equally cold.</p>
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Some disagreement here re: math/CS internships. For internships, the advantages Mac has over Carleton are 1) that it’s theoretically possible to have a part-time internship during the school year without an awful commute (and I really doubt that this is something that many math/CS people actually do, as the Twin Cities aren’t exactly a computer industry or technical research hotbed) and 2) that Mac’s spring semester ends before Carleton’s spring term does, so the timing for summer internships is better. Connections-wise, especially as relates to math/CS gigs, I don’t think Mac offers a real advantage over Carleton.</p>
<p>I’ll add yet a different view to the voices above. All three schools have solid math offerings. Carleton and Grinnell clearly send a much larger percentage of grads on to PhD’s in math/com sci compared to Mac (weighted rank among all colleges nationally: #16, #17, and #73 respectively for C, G, M).</p>
<p>These numbers are similar in PhD productivity across all fields and especially in the sciences where Carleton and Grinnell are both top 10 (C a bit higher than G). Mac is significantly lower. </p>
<p>Place these numbers in context. They may say more about the ambitions/goals of the student body than about departmental quality.</p>
<p>Overall, Carleton generally presents the strongest academic reputation of the group, but these schools are all recognized for high quality academics.</p>
<p>Big difference in location obviously, with Mac a small campus in a more urban locale, Grinnell most rural, and Carleton somewhere in between.</p>
<p>You’ll get a great education at any of the three.</p>
<p>Science/ Maths must be great at Carleton, Grinnell and Mac. But contrary to what was posted earlier, I think Grinnell’s maths/ science is a bit more impressive than Carleton’s and Mac’s in terms of resources, research opportunity and alumni; you should check more about, Robert Noyce Science Center. Robert Noyce, is a Grinnell alumni, he was co-inventor of micro-processor and co-founder of Intel! Grinnell can also boast a Nobel prize winner in chemistry of 1989, Thomas Cech. I think this is quite impressive for a small LAC like Grinnell. So, I think both Carleton and Mac should have hard time standing against Science/ Maths of Grinnell.</p>
<p>Science and math are great at Carleton although it certainly doesn’t have the financial resources that Grinnell does. The college seems to do a phenomenal job with the resources it has…</p>
<p>“Carleton ranks first overall among four-year liberal arts colleges in the number of students who go on to earn the Ph.D. in the natural sciences and mathematics (first in the earth sciences, first in chemistry, first in physics/astronomy, first in the biological sciences; and fifth in mathematics) and Carleton is the only college ranked in the top 10 in all fields of the natural sciences and mathematics”</p>
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Does it really? See this, [REED</a> COLLEGE PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]REED”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College). I don’s see Carleton better than Harvey Mudd College in any Science and Maths column there. Harvey Mudd College is a four year LAC and I think no other LAC in US can stand against Mudd in Maths/Science/Engineering, period.</p>
<p>Yeah, every school selects the study that shows them in the best light:) The OP was asking about Carleton, Grinnell and Mac and among those Carleton usually fares the best in rankings of math and science. On the basis of the Reed tables, Carleton ranks a bit higher than Grinnell in chemistry, physical sciences, science and engineering and physics. Grinnell ranks higher in biological sciences and definitely in endowment (which may be very important to the OP). Mac doesn’t show up on any of the tables. Another thread on cc shows Carleton at 6, Grinnell at 44 and Mac at 74 for top producers of phds in physical sciences, computer science and math (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/559039-top-producers-phds-physical-sciences-comp-sci-math.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/559039-top-producers-phds-physical-sciences-comp-sci-math.html</a>)</p>
<p>Basically, all three are fabulous schools and the drive to go on for a phd is more about the student than the school.</p>
<p>did you actually get into all three or just thinking about applying?</p>
<p>“Does it really? See this, REED COLLEGE PHD PRODUCTIVITY. I don’s see Carleton better than Harvey Mudd College in any Science and Maths column there.”</p>
<p>How to reconcile? Carleton has a higher total number, Reed or others have a higher per capita percentage. E.g., Carleton is about 1/3 larger than Reed. In this stratospheric measure, the difference is insignificant.</p>
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<p>The case is simple. Pecentage is the best indicator of Phd productivity. Other wise, I would take 10 APs score 3s in all <a href=“in%20a%205th%20grader’s%20sense,%20total%20score=%20103%20=%2030,%20percent%20=%2030/50100%20=%2060%”>u</a> . and that make me better than some one who takes 5 APs and scores 5s in all <a href=“total%20score=%2025,%20but%20percentage%20=%20100%!”>u</a> . </p>
<p>So, what do you think?</p>
<p>I am also deciding between Grinnell and Macalester and thinking about studying biological sciences. Are one of the colleges better than the other in terms of pre-medicine or neurosciences?</p>
<p>The impressions I got from vising the campuses was that Macalester had a better social scene because of its metropolitan area but that Grinnell had a better administration because everything was organized and well run. Are there other distinct differences between the two?</p>
<p>Bebop: I know this is supposed to be a Carleton forum but, if it helps, my unbiased 2 cents would favor you choosing between the two on the basis of the type of location and campus experience you’re looking for. Mac occupies a very pleasant, tidy piece of real estate in a nice residential area with easy access to all of MSP. A lot of your free time can be (and will likely be) spent in the city. Grinnell is all about campus life. Few city escapes are possible, but that means there’s the potential for greater student connectedness/bonding. Yes, a trade-off. These differences in location and campus culture dwarf the minor quality differences in academic strengths in the sciences, especially if pre-med. I’d focus on which of these two experiences fits your bill better.</p>