<p>To all current Macalester students (or students that have visited there):</p>
<p>What do you think of Mac? I haven't visited but have been accepted, so I would like your help in deciding if I should go there or not.</p>
<p>Please say what you like about it and also what you dont like.</p>
<p>Anything you can tell me about Macalester will be very helpful.</p>
<p>Please, and thanks.</p>
<p>anyone???
plz???</p>
<p>Hi FcNannyUnited!</p>
<p>Sorry for the slow reply....but I'm a current sophomore at Macalester, so hopefully I can answer some of your questions. I personally love Macalester...the campus is beautiful, even when there's tons of snow on the ground, and the close proximity to St. Paul/Minneapolis is also a one-of-a-kind resource. It's always really helpful to visit so that you get an idea of how the campus fits with your personality, but I've been very happy here so far. I'm not really sure what specific questions you have about life on campus or classes, etc, but you're welcome to e-mail me at <a href="mailto:jhawkinson@macalester.edu">jhawkinson@macalester.edu</a> with any questions you have! </p>
<p>All the best,</p>
<p>Jessica</p>
<p>I also love it here. Basically because...
1) The school has a really good balance of being in an urban environment but having a strong campus community. We never have to leave campus because there are always things going on, but if we want we can take advantage of great restaurants, coffee shops, internships, musical performances and community service opportunities really close to campus.
2) The internationalism is great. There are tons of international students from all over, and a lot of departments have emphases on internationalism.
3) I love the laid back Midwestern vibe. People here are really friendly and easy going. We work hard, but we're not competing with each other, and no one cares what you wear or look like.
4) The intellectual environment. People here know what's going on in the world and like to talk about it. Community service is also really popular. We're not living in a bubble.<br>
5) I like having a lot of students from the West Coast, East Coast, and middle of the country all together. Schools on one side of the country tend to have mostly people from that geographic area, but there's a big mix here.
I hope that helps. Also, if I can ask you a question, where are you from?</p>
<p>hey,
thanks for the reply</p>
<p>im an international student from pakistan</p>
<p>thats why i haven't been able to visit</p>
<p>if you talk to the international center, they should be able to give you contact information for a few current students from Pakistan who I'm sure would be happy to share their experiences (or send me a PM, i'd be happy to talk more)</p>
<p>im a US and UK citizen, never lived in US, no chance to visit macalester but have been admitted. trying to decide between it, reed, haverford and wesleyan univ. im just wondering what econmajor (and perhaps his/her friends) thought was the definigh thing that caused them to chooses macalester. and whats it like in terms of coldness???</p>
<p>My deciding factors were class size, professors' commmitment to their students, liberal atmosphere, and the ties with the Twin cities. In my first year, I had no class larger than 28 students, with one economics course with only 6 students (constitutional economics, to date one of my favorite classes I've taken). Also, when I took a tour, I was told that professors often had you over for dinner or took you out to coffee, or brought their children in to class, and checked emails at 3am. Within my first semester, all four had happened. This semester, I realized that I needed recommendations for my study abroad program, and that the deadline was much earlier than I'd previously anticipated. I was able to get two (amazing) recommendations within 48 hours, something I'm not sure would have happened anywhere else. The liberal atmosphere is also nice, I like being able to discuss issues like hegemony, whiteness, free/fair trade, and reproductive rights with people who share my values, and the proximity of the cities is key both in terms of internships and just going out to have fun.</p>
<p>In terms of coldness, you learn to bundle up. I can only think of two days in the last two years that the cold weather has been prohibitive. Our largest student population is Jamaican, so if they can deal, so can you! In all seriousness, its just not that big of an issue....and then when it gets warm, every mac student is out on the lawn, studying or playing frisbee or sleeping or singing along to guitars, or smoking hookah.</p>
<p>any other questions?</p>