Macalester vs Middlebury - Crunch time decisions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Macalester College
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<p>So I've gotta make my decision very soon. I've also been accepted to Grinnell and UCSD on top of those, but I pretty much almost ruled them out for reasons below (unless you can convince me otherwise), so I'm mainly deciding between Mac and Midd. I think I have a very good understanding of the schools but I'm still totally at a loss! :(</p>

<p>Background: molecular/micro bio major, likely will apply to med school or grad school (perhaps MD-PhD)
Here are my thoughts on each:
[ul]
[li]Middlebury - Rural, a double edged sword. I love the location and isolation and the beautiful campus, but since I'm shooting for med school, I'm not sure that'd be the best. Internship/service/etc opportunities seem lacking. I know I have the J term and summer to do that elsewhere, but what about something ongoing during school (Porter is limited)? Despite this it's a top "feeder" school. I also know research is very easy and science dept is amazing, but how does it compare to the others? Midd also has the most prestige and lowest acceptance; I know you're rolling your eyes but that's important to me to open doors ...[/li][li]UCSD - It seems overwhelming. The massive campus, large classes, etc. I don't think I could get meaningful recs from my profs or stand out for med school. Reasons I'd attend are studious atmosphere and tons of opportunities. It also has a big name, maybe opening more doors here in the west than the others.[/li][li]Macalester - Seems to have the best of both Midd and UCSD. Small, but the twin cities provide opportunities for community service, internships, etc. but not as high ranked as Midd. How does the science compare? Also a top feeder.[/li][li]Grinnell - I like the more open curriculum, less restricting, and more relaxed atmosphere. And honestly I'm not sure how the sciences here compare to Midd or Mac but I know they're at the top of the LACs. But the location doesn't compare to the others, and the ultra left atmosphere, while appealing at first, kinda turns me off now.[/li][/ul]
Some days I feel Mac would be better, but other days Midd. Today I feel like Mac, yesterday I felt like Midd...
Financially, all are ~the same. If anyone could give their $0.02 I'd really appreciate it! Have this gold star as repayment ->★</p>

<p>Very stressful, but deciding between top colleges is quite a lucky situation to be in I suppose! I'm pretty excited. Thank you!</p>

<p>xpost</a> /Middlebury/ <-points are worth checking out.</p>

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<p>The only real opportunities I see right now at Midd would be volunteering at Porter hospital and EMT. Beyond that Mac also seems heavier focused on sciences which might be better.</p>

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<p>As someone headed to Mac next year, I’m more than a little biased - Macalester is a great school, and though it is best renown for its programs in the social sciences, it also has a relatively strong reputation in the hard sciences as well. Also, Macalester really does a good job of using the Twin Cities to its students’ advantage. When we visited, profs from all departments talked about field trips, field studies, and internships their students were completing. Macalester not only puts you in a bigger city but also helps you make good use of that location. That being said, something you might want to consider that you mentioned about Grinnell but not about Mac is that it also has a very liberal student population. I visited twice and didn’t see anything alarmingly left, but it is something Mac gets a bit of flack for. </p>

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<p>I recently visited both Mac and Grinnell. So I can only speak about those two schools. I visited Middleburry last year, loved the school, beautiful town but on a sunday afternoon NOTHING was open. Kind of scary to me… </p>

<p>Now between Mac and Grinnell: both campus are gorgeous, and both are quite prestigeous schools. I know that Grinnell is ranked higher, but the location can’t be compared, which is one of the many reasons why I chose Mac.</p>

<p>We drove to Grinnell, all the way from Saint Paul, so that might have affected my decision, but miles and miles of nothing before getting there, really freaked me out. When we finally got to Grinnell, the campus was indeed gorgeous, and I know the academics are outstanding, so it seemed as an oasis in the middle of the dessert. The students seemed happy, normal college students… however, the surroundings had several things that caught my attention:</p>

<p>First: The people we saw around town, did not seem to be particularly educated. It trully was a shock, because when I visited Mac, the people in the surrounding areas seemed educated, polite, and extremelly nice (not in the school, but in the stores, cafes & supermarkets, which I also like to visit to get a sense of the surrounding community). While visiting Grinnell, I got a completely different feeling. It seemed that Grinnell and the town were two completely different entities, and there was an abysm between both. I just coulnd’t see myself finding any reason to visit the town, so it felt to me, that I would have to basicaly live within the campus, and found that to be to restricting for my taste.</p>

<p>Second: I know this might be irrelevant to many, but within less than 10 minutes from the Grinnell campus there is a Monsanto plant, which is something I did not like at all. I am completely against GMOs, and the proximity to campus was something that I found really upseting. I did some research, and it seems that in the Grinnell plant, Monsanto is producing seeds, not fertilizers. However, I have been learning about Monsanto for the past years, and once I realized that Monsanto and Walmart are the major employers in Grinnell, I found it very upseting to think that any internship opportunities might be linked to those options, due to lack of others.</p>

<p>Third: Even if the Monsanto plant does not supposedly produce fertilizers, I still can’t ignore the fact that there are soooo many corn fields surrounding the campus, and it is inevitable that the air must be frequently sprayed with Monsanto fertilizers quite frequently. When we got out of the car, there was a funny smell in the air, and all I could think about, was that with so many farms surrounding Grinnell, students have to be breathing fertilizers more often than they realize. It is just not something that I feel safe about. I know a lady that now lives in Colorado, who developed lung cancer while living in a rural area of Iowa, and was told it was most likely due to the prolongued exposure to fertilizers.</p>

<p>Fourth: It might be a superficial observation, but while visiting Mac and other campuses I always notice lots of bikes, that seem to be the most comon method of transportation for students. While visiting Grinnell however, I saw rows of cars parked in front of the dorms. To me, that translates to the fact that if you don’t have a car, you are basically traped in campus, and if so many students have cars it means that they see the need for it. Personally, I don’t plan on having a car the first years at least, so I would rather live in a place where I don’t need one.</p>

<p>Financially, both schools offered me the same amount of aid. Mac offered me a generous package right from the start, and Grinnell sent me an inicial offer that was not as generous as Mac, but then got increased, so now it is slightly more affordable than Mac, however I did not like how I felt about living four years there. </p>

<p>I had never visitied the twin cities but fell in love with the area. It seemed like a safe, exciting, interesting and cultural place to live in. I really value the possibility of internships and having compared what’s available (of not) at rural areas, I think it just weights too much to ignore. Mac’s campus is gorgeous, and I do believe I will receive the quality of education I am looking for. </p>

<p>Well, that’s my two cents.
Hope it helps!</p>

<p>P.S. I forgot to mention: Since I read your thread in the Middleburry thread, I don’t know if you are aware that several science majors in Mac have internship opportunities at the Mayo Clinic… that is something you might want to take into account! </p>