<p>I need some help deciding between Macalester and Colby. Does anybody know something about these schools that is not common knowledge(from visits or siblings maybe?). I'm interested in International studies and a politically and socially active student body...Thanx so much!</p>
<p>For international studies, I would chose Macalester, which is exactly what i'm doing. Not only is the program strong, but the abundance of international students turns somewhat passive learning into a more active process. Apparently the students are very politically active as well.</p>
<p>Hola moocow, thanx for replying. I forgot to mention in my original post that I am an international student- so I am doing it now..! I'm from India..if there is any info at all about this colleges that you feel an international student might not know, please fill me in..! I'm freaking out already cuz I havent made this decision...anyways, hope to see you at Mac if the aid pulls thru...thanx again!</p>
<p>Hi there :) I thought maybe I could be of some help here, as I'm a first-year student here at Macalester, and an International Studies major. I absolutely love it here at Mac, and I wouldn't choose anywhere else if I had to go back and do the college application process over again. I think one of the most unique things about Mac is their commitment to internationalism...we have a huge percentage of international students as part of the student body, and people are very active both politically, and where community service is concerned. I'm not an international student, but some of my best friends are...and the sophomore resident assistant on our hall (who happens to be the coolest person ever!) is actually from India too. I'm not really sure what type of information you'd like to know about the college from an international student's perspective, but if you have questions, you can definitely e-mail me at <a href="mailto:jhawkinson@macalester.edu">jhawkinson@macalester.edu</a>. I'll do the best I can to answer questions you have, and I can probably put you in touch with one of my international friends too if you're interested. Congratulations on being admitted, and good luck with your decision! ~Jessica</p>
<p>memyselfandi,
i am interested in mac for its international diversity and climate of political awareness. those are the factors that made me consider mac. if these are the things you care about, i would definitely recommend mac over colby. i have never been to colby, and don't know too much about it, but my best friend who is prob going to bowdoin recently visited colby (among other schools) and thought it was too homogeneous. i have also heard other places that colby is really lacking diversity. i think you would definitely feel at home at mac over colby because there is such an international emphasis mac.</p>
<p>Both schools are megachill... and when I say chill I dont just mean cool. Average temperatures in Minnesota during the winter are below negative 30... so beware. But then again, they have crazy long vacations while Colby's winter break is minimal due to its 4-1-4. I say Colby, but then again, I am partial.</p>
<p>id choose colby... a fd of mine visited mac and got the impression of overrated diversity, that the so-called 'diversity' mainly comes from the abundance of intls (which means the US students mac admits are quite monotonous) but the intls seem to stick together all the time. but colby is slightly more diverse not just in the sense that it has a lota intls too but also different kinds of US students as well... im goin to neither of the schools so i guess i'm not partial.</p>
<p>I could think of a reason or two to favor Colby over Macalester, but not because it is "slightly more diverse." In addition to having quite a few more international students, Macalester has 20% more US minority students.</p>
<p>I have heard a variety of complaints about Macalester, but Macalester's having "monotonous" students has never been one of those complaints. </p>
<p>I know current students and recent graduates and they have come from very diverse backgrounds. All of them are engaged in their studies, the school and the world.</p>
<p>my biggest differentiation is that macalester is MUCH less preppy than colby, and not always in a good way. there is a pervasive attitude against even upper middle class students that I feel hurts the macalester community a lot, whereas colby is almost the opposite.</p>
<p>obviously someone's never been to Minnesota</p>
<p>-30 degrees, come on!
maybe once a year, with windchill</p>
<p>Colby and Macalester, can both give you a great education...for international studies, I'd say Colby has a small edge with one of the top 5 study abroad programs in the country and the personal guidance each student gets in that department. However, I'll tell you that you'll have a much better college experience at Macalester. </p>
<p>Campus life actually exists at Macalaster along with diversity and more layed back atmosphere. You'll be challenged academically without feeling overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Colby is doing exstensive work to diversify the student body, but the college still remains homogenous. Almost all upper class caucasians from the Northeast. When you put that on top of it's location in the desolite town of Waterville, life at Colby can seem very pale.</p>
<p>Colby will give you a solid education, perhaps better than Macalester in some ways, but outside of the classroom Colby College is not so wonderful.</p>