Macalester vs UMN-TC

<p>Well, it's crunch time, and through a whole boatload of typical college decision stuff, I am left with these two.</p>

<p>The future for me would look as such:
UMN-I go in as an undecided College of Science & engineering major for undergrad, with room to breathe because of their combination of both the science and engineering programs into the same college. I really like the fact that there is so much to join/do/participate in, but I'm not so sure how depersonalized the lecture classes, etc would be. It seems like almost a quarter of my graduating class will be here, and I'm not really sure if I like that or not. </p>

<p>Macalester- I would most likely shoot for a physics or chemistry degree, and then plan for graduate school for the same, or for an engineering major. The campus seems so small, and that there's a lot of room for clubs that are dedicated to a serious cause, but not as much for the more off-the-wall non-serious activities. I like the prospect of having a campus like high school, where names are known, and things like that. But i feel like there's a huge loss in missing this opportunity to be at Mac, in that there's a reason it's ranked so highly on things.</p>

<p>Any insight to my opinion/ignorance of either is definitely appreciated.</p>

<p>You might have to base your decision on where you think you’ll get the best education for what you decide is your major because UM TC and Mac are so totally different.
Have you visited, spent time on the campuses?
I live 30 min from the two schools.
My daughter knew, early in in her junior year, after spending two hours on the campus of the U, she never wanted to go to school there and after two hours at Mac, it was her top choice. She’ll be a freshman in the fall.
Over 300 hundred kids from her senior class of nearly 900 applied to the U (a lot of her friends included) probably close to 90 will chose the U because of it reputation.</p>

<p>Yes, I’ve been in and around both campuses, and I love them equally for different reasons.</p>

<p>I live 10 minutes from both campuses, and even though you already seem to know this, but Mac’s campus is verryyyyy small. If you want a college atmosphere with lots of diversity, spirit (football games, etc), a big variety of people, and different types of groups to join and explore, I would go to U of M TC.</p>

<p>Macalaster does not have engineering programs. You would have to transfer to either the U or WUSTL after three years in order to get an engineering degree.</p>

<p>There are many great reasons to choose Macalaster. But “there’s a reason it’s ranked so highly on things” is not one of them, especially if you are studying STEM fields where the U has a bigger rep anyway.</p>

<p>If you want a small, insular, nurturing community, you will only find that at Mac. If you want a large university with limitless options, you will only find that at UM-TC.</p>

<p>If engineering is a serious possibility for you, I would strongly recommend the U. Otherwise, both are great and you should choose based on which environment you’d prefer.</p>

<p>Is there a cost difference?</p>

<p>The difference monetarily is on the scale of a few thousand annually, so I feel like the one-on-one interaction with professors - and all the other benefits that come with a liberal arts college are a great value.</p>

<p>I guess the greater question is - how much will a physics degree at macalester be of benefit to me, as opposed to starting off in the College of Science & Engineering at the UofM, if my ultimate goal is to graduate with a master’s in an undecided (so far) science or engineering major? Is there much sense in shooting for the 3-2 program between the two schools?</p>

<p>Regarding the 3-2 program, I always recommend this thread so you know what you’re potentially getting into: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/859076-engineering.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/859076-engineering.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>For what it’s worth, I think the program at Mac is probably better than most because you could continue your studies in the Twin Cities area, so moving to a new place and meeting entirely new people is not as much of a concern.</p>

<p>For science graduate programs - which are largely research driven - either of these schools would be more than sufficient. You have to do the rest yourself. BTW, in most pure sciences the MS is usually recommended only as a precursor to a PhD, not as a final degree.</p>

<p>It is certainly possible to get a graduate degree in engineering with a bachelors in physics. However, I would be somewhat concerned about your inability to take important engineering courses. Here’s some good background info: [Post</a> A](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/11844534-post35.html]Post”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/11844534-post35.html) and [Post</a> B](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12117785-post3.html]Post”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12117785-post3.html)</p>

<p>If you are interested in studying physics but don’t want to completely shut the door on engineering and have a strong interest in the small atmosphere at Mac, I think it’s a fine choice. But if you are genuinely interested in and are seriously considering an engineering degree, I think you would benefit more by attending UMN and would only go to Mac if you are absolutely committed to that environment.</p>