<p>advantages and disadvantages of each not just academically but the overall experience</p>
<p>Have you been accepted, or are you still making your list for applying?</p>
<p>If you have been accepted, did apply for financial aid? In other words, which place is more affordable for you?</p>
<p>Both of these are very fine institutions, and you can get a good education at either place. It is safe to choose the one that will cost you less money.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with Macalester, and can only say that as it is further North, the winter will be a bit longer, darker, colder, and snowier than at U of I. U of I is in a charming smaller city. It has the good and bad of any public university. The libraries are excellent, and the medical facilities are among the best in the midwest.</p>