Thank you for the review! Macalester looks like an often-overlooked gem. My takeaways from your and other descriptions are that (1) the campus itself is very small and compact, and (2) that it’s located a pleasant part of St. Paul with interesting shops/restaurants but, on the other hand, isn’t too urban (e.g., skyscrapers, urban blight, etc.).
Carleton sounds great too. Unfortunately, I think it’s just out of our reach financially without the prospect of any merit aid.