<p>I've gotten into Bowdoin, Bates, Macalester, and Whitman. I plan to do a double major in either government and economics or government and history. Any suggestions? Which school do you think has the strongest programs in these areas?</p>
<p>Great options - three of them are in remote, rural locations. For a Gov't major, might it be an asset to be located in a state capital / major metropolitan area? Mac is a liberal arts rarity in that regard, and it could open the door to internships. It's also considered a pretty internationally-savvy LAC (Kofi Annan, Class of '61).</p>
<p>I would reccomend mac, but all 3 are terriffic choices. I agree if you're looking for internships/job oppurtunities, Mac is a unique choice in terms of location. Whitman is a hidden jewel, but along with bates and bowdoin (how do you pronounce this anyways?) it doesn't offer as many career enhancing oppurtunities</p>
<p>bowdoin=bo-din</p>
<p>Don't underestimate Whitman's potential in terms of connectedness. They have a very active and effective alumni network that is famous (at least in the Northwest) for linking students to interesting internships and jobs. They had a Rhodes Scholar this year. And their senior project and annual undergraduate conference seems to give students an excellent lead into excellent graduate school settings. My son looked at both Mac and Whitman and vastly preferred Whitman for the quality of the community and the teaching. It's true that Walla Walla sounds nominally sillier (or maybe just less familiar) than Minneapolis. I actually am beginning to suspect a benign conspiracy to keep secret what a great place both the college and town are. In any case, you have all good choices so good luck....</p>
<p>I would probably be considering whit if they had a more diverse population, but alas they do not. What are your future career goals?</p>
<p>Wow . . .that's half my list of favorite LACs and they are excellent schools for your interests. You've got a great four years ahead of you. </p>
<p>I was very impressed with Bates on a visit there last year. I was underwhelmed with Bowdoin, but that was a very personal reaction. . . the school has an impeccable reputation and is the highest ranked of the group. Either school would be an excellent choice if you anticipate a corporate or government career in the Northeast. </p>
<p>Outside the Pacific Northwest Whitman is not very well-known, but acquaintances of mine that teach and work at LACs have very good things to say about the school and really like the campus. I went to Macalester many, many years ago, and would give it the edge if an international perspective or an urban location mean anything to you. Historically there is a wider range of career interests among Macalester students than you will find at most LACs, and a lot of interest in social and political activism. </p>
<p>I'll comment further if you have any specific answers to Celebrian's question.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for all your help so far. After finishing my undergraduate work, I'll probably either get a P.HD or go to law school. As far as career goes, I'm thinking either I'll teach somewhere or go into public service (I'm not really sure in what capacity). I really like Whitman, and I think I'll get a really good education there, but do you guys think that the fact that it's somewhat less well known will affect my future options? Reidm-what made you give Bates the edge over Bowdoin? If I do go to one of the rural schools, and don't get many internship opportunities, how big an impact is that going to have? Thanks again!!</p>
<p>Rural won't necesssarily restrict internship opportunities (unless maybe you want to do traffic control or urban planning during the school year)--and even the rural LACs often participate in the Urban Field Studies program based in Chicago.</p>
<p>If you look at Whitman's internship site <a href="http://www.whitman.edu/career_center/internships.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.whitman.edu/career_center/internships.html</a> </p>
<p>you'll get a sense of what is possible. I imagine the other schools have something similar. There is a feature on faculty/student summer research abroad in a recent Whitman Magazine (also accessible on line) that might give you some other sense of what is possible even in the wilds of Washington. There is probably a way to search the Whitman website for alums, etc. in your areas of interest. A Whittie was recently appointed ambassador to India I think--that could be an interesting network link....</p>
<p>r_z</p>
<p>You will get a really good education at any one of these schools. </p>
<p>As for a Bowdoin/Bates comparison, it seemed that the Bates students and prospective students were a little more engaged and excited about the school. Course offerings, especially in the May term, seemed a bit more distinctive and interesting. </p>
<p>If you have visited these schools I would go for the one where you felt most comfortable socially and academically, giving some thought to where you might end up living and working.</p>