<p>Hello, I'm planning on attempting to transfer from my current college to either of these two schools. In the fortunate event that I would be accepted at both, I wouldn't really know which one I would prefer.</p>
<p>My current major is physics, and I would most likely not be changing it before I graduate. Although I'm not sure of what I want to do post-college by any means, my desires are pointing themselves toward grad school in astronomy or atmospheric/environmental science, and if I do decide to pursue this, I'd like to be as competitive of an applicant as I possibly could. Carleton, from what I've observed, seems more geared towards science than Macalester, whereas Macalester's strengths are more pronounced in social science. I'm only basing this off of my own vague impressions of the schools, however. What I definitively do know is that Carleton produces twice the number of science doctorates as Macalester (525 vs. 268 respectively, from 1997-2006)* and also has an observatory, but I've heard somewhere that students at Mac are able to access research opportunities, classes on specific topics and such at the U of M, which is a pretty significant advantage as well.</p>
<p>Academics are probably the most important factor in my decision, but if it turns out that the difference is ultimately negligible, the social environment of the schools would come next. I think that I would prefer Macalester, personally, as someone who is excited by the Twin Cities and an "edgier" student body. However, I know that interesting people and access to the Cities are available at Carleton as well, which complicates this decision.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p>
<p>(By the way, I'm also well aware of how ridiculously competitive transfer admission is to these schools -- no need to bring it up here.)</p>
<p>-- I posted this message a while back on the Search and Selection forum. I was curious if anyone from Macalester could comment on the science and research opportunities at Macalester and how they would compare to Carleton's. Thank you!</p>
<p>The difference is not negligible but personal fit, personal growth and <em>your</em> academic success are paramount. Exhaustively read the reviews, get alumni comments, go spend a day in classes, overnight, maybe the weekend, at each school, and you should easily know your answer. (NB: mine chose C then Physics)</p>
<p>I go to Macalester, so I can't say much about Carleton. But we definitely have a strong Physics department. Though the sciences may not be as popular as they are at Carleton (though I'm not sure I'd really believe that because we've got plenty of people who seem to live in the science building), I don't think they're any weaker. I'm a Chemistry major so I don't know much of the specifics about the Physics department, but I have a Physics major friend who is in Cosmology this semester and is taking Astrophysics next semester and loves it. I'm pretty sure we've got an observatory, though I've never used it and you'd probably want to double-check that.</p>
<p>Although you’ve probably made your decision by now, I’ll post this here for other people who have the same question in the future.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that both schools will provide a fantastic physics education. I attend Macalester as a Physics major with an emphasis in Astronomy. I’m not sure about Carleton, but Macalester has an observatory with the largest telescope in the state (16-inch reflector). The fact that Macalester produces fewer science doctorates is actually probably a plus, since it means that science classes (especially physics) are small, which in my opinion provides an even stronger learning experience. In the end though, consider what school feels like more right for you, since again, Macalester and, to my understanding, Carleton both have great physics departments.</p>