I’m an international applicant. I want to major in CS, but I’m not sure if Macalester is the right choice. I’m applying to bigger universities of course, but I also wanted to apply to an LAC.
If someone here is acquainted with Macelester and its CS department, I would really appreciate it if you could give me some insights.
Tell me anything/everything. How is the quality of teaching? How rigorous is the program? Extracurriculars (like Computer Science club)? What about internships, co-op and job prospects? Do graduates land white collar jobs at big companies? (I guess Macalester’s excellent location should help with that.)
Thank you for reaching out. I am happy that you are considering Macalester. Here are my thoughts.
Macalester has a combined Mathematics, Statistics, and CS department.
Teaching is excellent. The faculty is outstanding. The students are motivated, smart, and fun to be around. In addition, the demand for CS classes has grown exponentially in recent years. To meet the demand, Macalester is hiring more professors to meet the growing demand.
Macalester is known for its rigorous academics so the CS classes are rigorous as well. That said, majoring in CS is a lot of fun and flexible.
There is a CS club.
Macalester CS students do find internships and co-ops.
Graduates do land "white-collared jobs at big companies".
I recommend checking out the department website and looking at the list of courses it offers. If you have more questions, send me a pm.