Is mac your top choice?

<p>So who is applying to Mac ED, I am applying to carleton ED, and if I don't get in then Mac EDII</p>

<p>Mac is my third choice. My top two are Carnegie Mellon and NYU.</p>

<p>wow someone actually posted here lol, anyway, Mac is my second choice as you can see in my above post</p>

<p>I really like Mac. It’s not my first choice, but I really hope I get in because I would love to visit and see what it is really like. (I can’t visit unless I get in :/)</p>

<p>Why can’t you visit?</p>

<p>It’s too far. My dad doesn’t want to spend money on plane tickets until I actually have an acceptance letter in hand. :P</p>

<p>i’m applying to carleton ED, too!
mac isn’t my next choice, though.</p>

<p>what are your stats? maybe we have similar ones!</p>

<p>If this is to me I can PM you them, and yeah its pretty close between Mac and carleton for ED, but Carleton edged oout because I did CLAE there.</p>

<p>I toured Carleton as well, but I just didn’t feel it. It seems so different from Macalester.</p>

<p>I was sick that day too…so that may have impacted my mood haha.</p>

<p>MAC is definitely my top choice! I love it. I participated in their extended fall sampler program for a weekend and was just overwhelmed by the close similarity the school and community had to my personality and my most favorable aspects of a college. I love the size and the professors, the students are really passionate about such a diverse amount of things and just plain unique. I heard from tons of different people about the gem of school Macalester is right in the heart of that urban atmosphere of the twin cities. My admissions counselor for st. Louis is sweet personable charismatic young women who reminded myself of me in so many ways. Mac also has a great school spirit, especially in sports which really excites me as I’m a total sports fanatic. Another influential factor was their vast accessibility to theater on campus and just throughout the twin cities. Random fact, 2nd to New York for most theater seats per capita! Ha. Again, I know the phrase is banal but I just love it. Before I visited I was nervous as to what to look for, even thought a senior touring colleges and stuff is still a new experience and I wasn’t exactly sure of what to look for because I still didn’t know what I wanted but only half a day on the campus and I KNEW. Yes, I experienced like many others that trite experience when I walked on campus and KNEW that MAC was it, my top, my fav’, my dream school :]</p>

<p>Well needless to say, rice is my first choice, but macalester is probably my second.</p>

<p>I am a sophomore who has just started seriously looking into colleges, and Mac has gotten on my list of possibles, along with lots of other small, distinguished, liberal arts schools. Why should I choose Mac over colleges such as Hampshire, Haverford, or Bennington. I have noticed a significant price difference in favor of Mac, but does that mean it is cheaper, as well as less expensive? What kind of people does Macalester like, and what kind of people like MAcalester?</p>

<p>Cameron: Macalester has the strongest urban appeal of those schools that you listed. Minneapolis/St. Paul is a hip location, and it offers a huge range of opportunities. At the same time, it’s not so large that you will feel overwhelmed or worried. It’s a great balance. As for the price, Macalester offers fantastic financial aid. I don’t know what your financial situation is, but I am sure that Macalester will accomodate to what you can afford. Overall, Macalester is full of quirky, liberal people. Macalester likes people who differ from the mainstream, are open to change, and want to make a global impact. The people who like Macalester are normally the same way, with a strong commitment towards the future and a genuine love for education.</p>

<p>A word about financial aid. My daughter was accepted to Mac EDII, it was her top choice.
She applied to 4 other schools, one EA, one rolling and 2 RD.
The EA and rolling admissions schools accepted her and offered her hefty merit based financial aid.
Mac offered her nothing because of our FAFSA score. She did not qualify as need based. I don’t know if things would have been different if she would have applied RD.</p>

<p>Is Mac always the 2nd or 3rd choice and not the 1st? Why?</p>

<p>CC posters seem to be 50/50 on financial aid comments about Mac.<br>
Does she or doesn’t she?</p>

<p>Any tips for an autumn visit – what are the must-see’s for a 24 hour visit?</p>

<p>I’m a parent of a daughter at Mac and a son at Oberlin. My daughter chose Mac over Oberlin (a very difficult decision). She is so happy she chose Mac even though she loves Oberlin, too. Her classes are challenging, her profs are accessible, there’s lots to do on campus, people are friendly, and she’s been out and about in the Twin Cities as often as she can. She does report that she has lots of work, but she expected that and is able to keep up with her assignments. Her interest in international relations led her to Mac, and she has not been disappointed.</p>

<p>Thatsall:</p>

<p>The fancy college counselor we hired for my son recommended Mac, but isn’t it very expensive? Do you know anything about their financial aid?</p>

<p>Mac, like other small liberal arts colleges is expensive. It does promise to meet the financial need demonstrated by students. That means you have to complete the FAFSA, the College Board financial information, and send in your income tax statements. Then the financial aid people crunch the numbers and come up with a figure they say you can afford to contribute to the education of your child. They come up with a package of aid to make up the difference. Some colleges may be more generous, but I don’t think Mac is stingy. However, every college allocates money differently. I get the feeling that Mac gives aid for financial need, not for academic or athletic ability. I could be wrong about that. The college is able to attract gifted students already, so that doesn’t seem to be an issue.</p>

<p>Financial aid estimators are up on college websites now and are worth doing to get some idea of what the college will cost your family. We’ve eliminated some colleges based on this. I’ve tried Mac’s calculator and the financial aid is solid, although not as generous as some other schools. Davidson, for example, does not include student loans in the package. Mac is my son’s top choice if he gets in and the financials are reasonable.</p>