Carleton vs. Macalester vs. UChicago

<p>I was accepted at all three. Received very generous and competitive financial aid from all three. Any advice or insider info on which would be best?
I am looking into majoring in Int Relations/Studies or Poli Sci with a minor in Math. After college I want to get into the non-profit sector...social activism in the lines of Amnesty International.
I realize Mac has the clear edge on the international feel...but UChicago and Carleton have higher clout and could open just as many, if not more, doors. And worse yet, I love each school enough that I could see myself at any of three. So...any thoughts?</p>

<p>MacMacMacMacMacMac…plenty of clout, who doesn’t love the Twin Cities, best activist campus, most liberal, and very up and coming.</p>

<p>Carleton and UChicago out-clout Macalester by a significant margin IMO.</p>

<p>Same. IMO you should be asking yourself Carleton or UChicago.</p>

<p>Which is not that clear of a choice, really depends what type of institution you like. They’re almost polar opposites too.</p>

<p>Are you able to do the accepted students weekends at each place? I know there are various reasons why you couldn’t…but they might really help!</p>

<p>Although I have to say IMO I’ll agree that Carleton and Chicago do seem to out-clout Mac…Mac is in a very beautiful location.</p>

<p>eyevand, could you please elaborate on why Carleton and UChicago are polar opposites? I’ve been accepted to both of these as well and I love them both. I actually see a lot of similarities – academic year is split into 3 parts rather than 2, known for being very nerdy, etc. The biggest differences, in my mind, are small town vs. big city and LAC vs. university. However, UChicago is known for being better to its undergrads (w/ regard to professor accessibility and class sizes) than many other comparable unis.</p>

<p>Probably wasn’t the most well-supported statement I’ve made ever… haha but I have a friend who was accepted by UChicago and is deciding between that and Swarthmore.</p>

<p>What I was thinking was well… I realize that both Carleton and UChicago have a core curriculum. But what I was thinking was in terms of the personality of the school. To me, it just feels like UChicago is very-very academic oriented whereas Carleton possibly places less emphasis on academic and balances it with ECs…</p>

<p>UChicago is in a huge city whereas Carleton’s almost in the middle of nowhere. University vs LAC. And another thing I keep thinking about is their motto which they are proud of “Where fun goes to die…” sort of alarming!</p>

<p>That’s not their motto. That’s just what the Northwestern kids say about it.
Look at their admissions blog. Lots of fun IMO. Just matters what kind of fun you like.</p>

<p>OP: Choose the school where you would do the best. The difference in “clout” is not enough to sway such a decision if you would really thrive at Mac.</p>

<p>All three schools have strong political science and math programs and lots of connections to alumni working for international or social justice orgs. Since you have great academics and aid packages at all three, your decision should probably come down to location/setting preferences and student life considerations.</p>

<p>Agree pretty strongly with Eliana, mythmom and dietcokewithlime.
As Eliana said, there’s a significant overlap in kids interested in Chicago and Carleton. </p>

<p>Depending on your personal inclinations, Chicago wins out in offering immersion in an inner city environment, a very substantial and well conceived core curriculum, and more dominant “serious” intellectual culture on campus. </p>

<p>Carleton wins out if you’re interested in a more campus-centered environment, more personal freedom in designing a four year course of study, and an deeply academic but light-hearted/fun, less take-yourself-too-seriously, student body. </p>

<p>I also would not dismiss Mac. It may prove to be a somewhat less intellectual place, but is probably the most politically engaged of the three, definitely most left leaning. Any objections I’d raise are purely superficial. Of the three campus locations/environments, it has always felt very small to me and is the one I least bond to personally. Its location is in some ways a compromise between Chicago’s urban “grit” and Carleton’s “cows and contentment” with the good and the bad that goes hand-in-hand with any compromise.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>There is an old thread here that sums up the UChicago/Carleton debate pretty well:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carleton-college/431305-who-would-choose-carleton-over-uchicago-why.html?highlight=kind+stuff[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carleton-college/431305-who-would-choose-carleton-over-uchicago-why.html?highlight=kind+stuff&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I visited Carleton, and did not like the location (small town). The students are really pretentious and are very socially awkward. So I didn’t apply.</p>

<p>I applied and was accepted to UChicago and Macalester. They had great campuses (in the city), but Mac had decidedly better food, the professors are top-notch and they teach ALL of the courses, and the social atmosphere really exuded a large level of acceptance, whereas at Chicago, I sat in on a class that was taught by a grad student, the students really signed themselves up to just do work, and I felt like there was a bubble that alienated UChicago from the rest of the South Side and the rest of the city in general (and it certainly felt that way after talking to some students). So I decided to enroll at Mac, and I could not be happier.</p>

<p>The work is very challenging and demanding, as it is at most top tier colleges, but the majority of the students find comfort in the supportive (instead of competitive) community at Mac. The professors are ALWAYS there. They invite you for coffee, talk to you outside their office hours, and even check up on you through e-mail if you’re having a bad day. Students here have nothing to prove; they know they’re all intelligent, and there’s no more need for competition.</p>

<p>And as for admissions, you can talk to a lot of counselors and they’ll tell you that Mac is hard to peg. My best friend’s boyfriend, for example, got accepted to Princeton, but rejected at Mac. My other friend got rejected from the U of MN, but got accepted to Mac. </p>

<p>As a first step, I would recommend going to each school’s Facebook fan page, engage in your class’s Facebook group for that college, and use that as a gauge for how the school fits with your taste. Then I would recommend visiting all three if you could and see first-hand the atmosphere of the school. </p>

<p>That’s my two cents. I know that this is a really hard decision for you, but as cheesy as this might sound, college is like falling in love: there’s only a certain type of person (college) that you would enjoy; sometimes your friends or family won’t agree with you; but in the end if it “feels right” you’ll end just fine. Best wishes on your college decision!</p>

<p>^Yikes. I did not get a pretentious vibe from Carleton at all - socially awkward, well maybe, but certainly not pretentious.</p>

<p>Yeah, I visited Carleton and no one there was pretentious at all.</p>

<p>I like Carleton a lot, but I didn’t get the same energy and social activist vibe…more quietly studious than pretentious.</p>

<p>Thank you for the description of Macalester, collegesavvy. There’s not enough discussion of Macalester on CC as there should be.</p>

<p>Anarchovg, I think you’ve got excellent choices; I hope you’ll be able to visit and see which one fits you best.</p>

<p>I ended up choosing Mac. It’s been my number one since I visited last summer. After visiting again in April, I was reassured that it was the best fit. But, UChicago and Carleton are both amazing schools in their own right.
Thank you all for your advice! :)</p>

<p>I’m glad you chose the school that felt right for you! Good luck next year!</p>

<p>Hah! I knew it. I love Mac, and it sounded like it fit your interests well. I wish you all the best, and I thank you for posting back!</p>

<p>Congratulations on making a choice!</p>

<p>All the best at Mac :)</p>