Hello, everyone. So I was lucky enough to get accepted by these very nice LACs. However, as an international applicant (South Korean), it’s impossible for me to actually visit these schools and feel the “vibe” . If you have your children going to any of these schools, or if you are a student at these schools, please do share your experience and suggest which school I might fit in the best.
My intended major: Economics (Development, Environmental Economics) / East Asian Studies- I want to work for World Bank in the future.
What do I look for in a college?:
- nice, accepting, non-pretentious, non-preppy, culturally flexible, socially conscious people. I do realize that every school has a variety so I know it’s a hard statement to make. I guess I’m talking about the general vibe.
- Diversity- As an international student, the last thing I want is to be stuck with a bunch of wealthy, stuck-up, preppy white (sorry, I don’t mean to be racist but you get what I mean) students… Even if the school population is dominated by one ethnicity, it is fine as long as these people are accepting towards international students.
- strong in economics/ east asian studies
- Lots of internship, extra-curricular opportunities.
- nice dorms!
- SAFETY (as a little asian girl, i really really want a safe campus/city)
What am I worried about?
So at the moment, I’m more towards Macalester because it’s very strong in social science subjects. However, I am extremely concerned about its freeeeeeeeezing cold weather- as somebody who is used to New Zealand’s soothing weather, I am almost frightened by all the posts about Minnesota’s weather. However, I’m not sure if this should be an important enough factor for me to give up a university.
It would be GREAT if you could share your experience/ talk about each of the above factors/ suggest which school I should go to.
Thank you so much for your help! 
I can tell you about URichmond.
First, B-school is ranked among the top 20 in the country, so you’ll get an excellent education.
- Everyone at UR is very accepting and socially conscious. Its one of the most friendly campuses I’ve been on. It feels like a community and professors and students really care about the success of one another.
- UR is incredibly international-friendly. I have several friends that are international students. Approximately 10% of each incoming class is international students and the rest of the class is very accepting of them.
3)see above. Our economics program is incredibly high-ranked and excellent. Asian studies is a concentration within international studies, which is one of URs top programs.
- Internships are readily available to UR students, with an entire center devoted to helping students find jobs and internships. We also have tons of extracurriculars and clubs, with students being very active in them.
- The dorms are really nice. The rooms are fairly large. If you are placed in Lora Robins (which more than half of freshman girls are), youre right next to the dining hall.
- campus is incredibly safe. Most people think that UR is a city campus, but it is not. We are not within the city limits and campus is self contained and fairly isolated (it does neighbor some residential areas, but you can tell you’re leaving campus. You won’t accidentally wander off campus). Because of where we are located, we fall under the jurisdiction of three different police departments (UR police, county police, and richmond city police). You can also call for a student escort at night if you are not comfortable.
The type of college you describe in your first point is Macalester. Based on what you are looking for it is by far the best fit.
The school that best meets most of your criteria is Macalester. Wonderful school, socially conscious student body, very very nice faculty and students, approximately 12-14% international student body. If you are interested in business per se, then Colgate is probably the best of the three schools as a Wall Street feeder, followed by Richmond and then Macalester, but if you are interested in economics and working for the World Bank, I believe that Macalester, with its strong international and global focus, will get you the opportunities you need.
In terms of the weather, I can’t help you. Yes, it’s cold and snowy in St. Paul, but most students adapt to the weather. You might want to contact Aaron Colhapp, who is the director of International Student Programs, to see if he can put you in touch with a student from either New Zealand or a country with similar weather to see whether it’s been a problem.
And one final thought. Returning to New Zealand ifor vacations etc. is going to be most difficult from Colgate (not near a major airport) and probably easiest from Macalester - about 20 hours - whereas it will be a much longer flight from Richmond.
Colgate is within an hour of Syracuse airport and there are several flights to SYR daily from Chicago, Newark, JFK and other major airports serving west coast US gateways such as LAX.
Best of luck with your college search!
Go 'gate!