I plan on applying to both Grinnell and Macalester and am wondering which one is considered better. I know prestige isn’t everything and rankings should be considered lightly, but US News has Grinnell at #13 and Macalester at #27. Niche on the other hand has Macalester at #21 and Grinnell at #23. Which would look better to grad schools/employers. I plan to major in computer science or pre-architecture or economics. Thanks!
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By credible information, Macalester may represent the stronger choice for the study of economics: https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html.
IRL, they are functionally the same from a grad school or early employment perspective. The rest of the world- that is people not applying to college, the colleges themselves and a lot of people who hang out on CC- see colleges in tiers, starting with the top tier being ‘super famous for being prestigious’ and the bottom tier being ‘never heard of it’. In between are person or specialty-specific tiers (eg, Big 10 schools, performing arts schools such as Julliard, where my relative/friend went, the colleges that were big in my HS, etc).
Grad schools will know both and see them as the same tier.
Employers may or may not know either- it will depend a lot on where you apply for jobs and the background of any given person considering hiring you. Those who know both will see them as being in the same tier.
Once you aren’t applying to colleges (or hanging out on CC) you will discover that most people see colleges in very broad tiers. When looking
What will make a much, much bigger difference is what you do while you are in college, esp your grades & your internships/activities. There will be more opportunities at either than you will be able to take advantage of, so the key question imo is: is either environment likely to suit you better? Grinnell is great- but I have known students who found it…small…by the end (the ones who do a study away term or year say that makes a big difference). Macalaster is also great- but I have known students who say that it’s a ‘fit’ school- it really suits you, or…it doesn’t. Do more homework into figuring out which is likely to suit you better- that will make the biggest difference to your life- both for the 4 years of college and beyond.
I think Grinnell is slightly more prestigious. However, Macalester has a better location for internships and cultural activities. That said, you’ll have about a month less of winter in Iowa. The Twin Cities in January through early March is no joke.
Both are excellent schools and neither, based on its name alone, will have the edge over the other. As others noted above, what matters for your grad school and employment prospects is what you do with the opportunities you have as a college student.
The biggest differences will be environment – residential neighborhood (I’m told, never been) in St Paul for Mac vs. small town in Iowa (visited 4-5 times, love it). Both schools are known for being inclusive, collaborative communities. Grinnell has a more open, flexible curriculum so you don’t “have” to take anything other than the 1st year tutorial. Mac has more “traditional” gen eds requirements.
Since architecture is of interest to you, it’s worth noting that Macalester offers cross-registration with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
FWIW: Both schools have a high percentage of international students.
Grinnell is somewhat more prestigious and more selective with higher test scores. But go where YOU will thrive. They are both great schools, very welcoming, filled with interesting and kind and brilliant students, chosen for the right reasons by those who attend, some of whom specifically gravitate away from prestige seeking. Their settings and strengths and requirements differ. The workload at Grinnell is very intense; not sure about Macalester’s.