<p>I have been accepted to both Smith and Macalester, and cannot decide as I really like them both. I know that since I am posting on the Smith page there will be a bias, but I was wondering what you think are the benefits to one or the other? Any information would be very helpful!</p>
<p>That’s kind of a broad question, as they’re both well-regarded LACs, and a lot of the reasons for going to one rather than the other would come down to personal preference. Here are a couple comments.</p>
<p>Smith is on the larger end of LACs, so it has a broader range of majors. For example, you can major in engineering or architecture without having to switch colleges for your final years, and you can major in biochemistry instead of concentrating in it as a biology or chemistry major. Depending on what you’re interested in studying, that may or may not matter to you.</p>
<p>But even so, Smith has around 40 residential houses and 15 dining halls, so your living and dining will be in a smaller and more intimate setting.</p>
<p>Through the 5 college consortium, you also have access to classes at several other LACs as well as a flagship research university. </p>
<p>Smith has a best-of-both-worlds campus location. It’s a gorgeous campus with a pond and river, hiking trails through the woods, and small mountains nearby for more serious hiking, but is literally a 5 minute walk from a vibrant small-city downtown with an amazing selection of restaurants (Tibetan, Moroccan, Argentinian, etc.), one of the best ice cream shops in the country, and eclectic shopping.</p>
<p>I visited Macalester and applied to Smith ED without visiting (just because my family lives in Minnesota), and I think I would have chosen Smith out of the two. Macalester is very international, Smith obviously has a different feel with all women, and I felt that Macalester was just too small. I was able to very easily walk the entire campus. Also, I didn’t like the way the admissions office was rude to me and unfortunately that plays too munch into my opinion of a school. However, Macalester is in a very cute and nice part of St. Paul, and you’ve got a ton of stuff right around you.</p>
<p>There will be particular differences that might make a difference. My daughter is interested in dance, and thought that Macalester was ridiculous for saying (in one of their admission meetings) that they offer dance in the context of social justice, or some such thing. Smith has a real dance/ballet department. Whether the rest of it is enough to convince her to attend is another question for the next five weeks.</p>