<p>DS has heard that he is in at Macalester, and he's thrilled! He is also waiting to hear about several other colleges, including Wesleyan. Any advice in case it comes down to these two? How do you think they compare in terms of types of students, social life, academic programs, off-campus opportunities, alumni network, and general college "character"? He has not visited either one yet, and of course this comparison may be moot if he doesn't get in to Wesleyan, but it would be good to get some thoughts anyway. He plans to visit Mac for the April 7-8 admitted students program. His primary interests at this point are creative writing and technological innovation (but he's not interested in becoming an engineer -- not big on math). Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son for having such a choice to make.</p>
<p>I’ll share some of my opinions. First, my background. I live in the Twin Cities not far from the Mac campus, have done a formal tour and info session there, am quite familiar with the campus and neighborhood, and have known some students and recent graduates. During my S’s college search we visited and toured Wes and I have done a little research into it because of that one-time interest.</p>
<p>The most obvious differences between the schools are size and location. Wes is located on the edge of a small East Coast city, Middletown, which is too large to feel small-town confining but not large enough to offer a variety of higher-level cultural and entertainment experiences. Mac, on the other hand, is located in the heart of a mature residential section of a large metro area which has professional sports, theater, music, museums, and restaurants. But it is easy to overvalue these assets as the average Mac student probably has neither the time nor money to use them. Former Mac students have told me most of student life usually stays on campus and the immediate neighborhood with only occasional opportunities to venture further out.</p>
<p>Wes is 50% larger, 3000 students, to Mac’s 2000 students, but does not lose its intimate LAC character for that. Still the size difference is noticeable and might feel a little less confining (or less intimate) during four years of attendance.</p>
<p>There isn’t a significant difference in climate. Mac will be somewhat colder and snowier but students at both places experience a real winter.</p>
<p>Wes’s campus is full of mostly older and some new buildings of mixed architecture spread through a fair amount of green space but no traditional quadrangle. The grounds are rather plain but not unmaintained. To me it felt undefined. Mac’s campus, confined to a few city blocks and surrounded by houses or small businesses, is more compact and unified with a somewhat more traditional feel, although the buildings are generally less “venerable” than Wes’s. The boundaries of campus have two busy local streets but the campus still has a relaxed ambiance. And the busy streets do provide a variety of ethnic restaurants within easy walking distance.</p>
<p>Students at both campuses skew politically left, but Wes students tend to do so out of an individualistic, non-conformist, somewhat counter-cultural impulse while Mac students seem more motivated out of idealism and social justice. At the risk of misleading generalization it can probably also be said that Wes is more East Coast hip and Mac more Midwestern friendly and unassuming.</p>
<p>Both schools are very respected by graduate programs across the country, Wes perhaps a little more so. But Wes is particularly well-known for its Creative Writing program and its network of alumni writers. It also offers a program called Science in Society which studies the impact of science and technology on our culture. Since both of these appear to align with your son’s interests, I estimate Wes’s academics are a little better fit. But please investigate this further at both schools. And, of course, remember that not only do interests change over four years but that Mac is probably likely to support any interest your son brings with him even if it doesn’t have a pre-defined program for that interest.</p>
<p>Descartesz, that is a superb analysis. Really interesting and insightful!</p>
<p>Did your kid end up going to one of these schools?</p>
<p>No. But he is on the east coast.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your insights, Descartesz – you provided a very thoughtful analysis. In the end, I’m sure that, whatever options my son has to choose from, a visit will be the determining factor. Meantime, since we live in California and don’t have any personal sense of the character of the schools he’s applied to, I’m just trying to get other people’s impressions, and your post is very helpful. Thanks again for your input!</p>
<p>Good luck to him, and let us know how it turns out.</p>