<p>When I log in to the Macalester Admissions application status page, the status of my application is addressed. But, at the top of the page, where it states under what admission plan I applied, it says this:</p>
<p>Decision Period: REG: Mail Early</p>
<p>What do they mean by "Mail Early?" Does Macalester send out early acceptances for the Regular admission applicants, or is this an indication of a likely letter, or just something else?</p>
<p>I just checked, and mine said that as well. I hope it means I'll get an earlier decision...I did, however, send in my application way, way early. I wonder if that has something to do with it.</p>
<p>Sorry guys, I just visited Mac and asked the coach who is recruiting me. Everyone's status says that due to some unknown system glitch. It is not indication of a likely letter. He said the only way you will find out early is if all admission decisions are completed early as they send them out in bulk. I assume he knows what he is talking about but you never know, could be wrong.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, son's RD acceptance was postmarked March 15 last year. However, there were problems with the scoring of the SAT so not sure if this was a typical timeframe. Good luck!!</p>
<p>ahh you guys have me worried.. i never received a username and password to check on the status of my application.. however i did get one of those generic letters informing me that they had received my application...</p>
<p>nevermind.. i found it.. its been one of those days...</p>
<p>I just logged onto my D's account & it doesn't say mail early. So the plot thickens ... </p>
<p>BTW, her interest waned after applying, so she never visited. There is a good chance she won't be accepted (even though she has the stats ... but so do tons of applicants!). Maybe it's really a good omen for those of you who really do want to go to Mac. Hope so!</p>
<p>Kelsmom, just curious, why did her interest wane? I am so completely undecided on where I want to attend it is not even funny. Maybe I will just stay at home and go to the local CC. I even thought about getting a job at McDonalds, I figured with my smarts and Spanish skills I could be a manager in no time!</p>
<p>I checked my daughter's Mac e-mail account and there was no "mail early" to be seen. Hmmmm?</p>
<p>daviban, while I am sure you'd be a great asset to McDonald's, I am sure you'll be able to decide on a school ... eventually! </p>
<p>My D really liked what she read about Mac, and she applied. In the meantime, though, a couple of things have dropped it down on her list. The first thing is a reality she didn't take seriously until recently ... WINTER! We live in the midwest, so she is familiar with winter ... but she seemed to have forgotten how cold COLD really is. The southern schools are looking better all the time! The truth is, Minneapolis/St. Paul is very cold and very snowy. It's a legitimate consideration. She has been thinking about how depressing it would be to just want to stay inside for several months.</p>
<p>Another consideration has been kind of at the back of her mind. The more info she reads, the less she thinks it's a good fit for her. Nothing real significant stands out ... it's just a feeling that has grown. She was going to visit during Feb. break to find out for herself how it "feels" --- but the weather thing put her over the edge. She's got some excellent choices in warmer climates, and she's going to concentrate on those, instead. Nothing "against" Mac --- she'd just be okay if she's not accepted. Well, as "okay" as any over-achiever is when turned down --- it wouldn't devastate her, but she'd be the littlest bit bummed out. :)</p>
<p>Thanks kelsmom, I was just curious. I am concerned about Mac as well although I am running out of choices. I am fairly conservative and have heard Mac is liberal. Everyone who has tried to recruit me has told me that the student body is nowhere near as liberal as the reputation it seems to have acquired in the sixties. We will see...</p>
<p>daviban, what do you mean, running out of options? Have you been rejected or waitlisted at other schools? If Mac really ends up being one of your best options, even if you have some misgivings, I think you could probably make it work! No school is perfect, and if it is a pretty good fit (as opposed to a bad fit!), that's okay. A positive attitude goes a long way toward a good experience. After all, Mac is an excellent school ...</p>
<p>daviban - our son is conservative and we (his parents) were worried because of Mac's liberal reputation. He was not worried because we live in a very liberal town and he is used to being 'the only one'. Anyway, it has been a non-issue at Mac. He feels comfortable expressing his views both inside and outside of the classroom. Don't get me wrong, there is alot of liberal activism on campus but it sounds like the level you would find at any LAC.</p>
<p>That's good to know since I got my acceptance to Mac today. I guess mail early means mail early :)</p>
<p>kelsmom, believe me, I know Macalester is a good school, I have been hearing about it since birth. I really did not want to attend Mac solely because my mother went there, I am also not in love with the campus. I screwed myself in this whole process. My reach was Georgetown, I got deferred. I had a safety school, which I fell in love with in 8th grade, that I was sure I could be happy at - until I spent the night. I could not imagine spending 4 years there, I then scrambled to apply elsewhere which is how I arrived at Macalester. I was accepted everywhere I applied (total of 5 schools) except Georgetown, unfortunately I am not thrilled with any of my options at this point. I am seriously thinking about a gap year in Spain. We will see, maybe after I spend the night at Mac my opinions will change.</p>
<p>I also got an acceptance letter today, but I havn't been checking the online status stuff anywhere, too many passwords to keep track of. However, after being accepted at my big guns (GU, UniChi, and UW-Madison) it's definatly not as exciting as it would otherwise.</p>
<p>Also, for those who havn't visited, the visit is when I began to second-guess Mac, I just couldn't see myself living there for four years at all. The class I sat in was nice, and the food was exemplary, but the campus and the campus attitude were rather drab.</p>
<p>My visit was during November, so early Winter, like it would be most of the year, and the campus is rather spread out for a small place like it is, and much of the architecture is grey. When I asked my tour guide about school spirit, she said there really isn't any... which I think is something that shows that a school is proud of itself, which is an important thing to consider. </p>
<p>All in all, while Macalester is a nice-enough school I would never spend 40K a year to go there, probably not 20K either, nor do I think that I could spend four years in what was a very drab, unexciting atmosphere.</p>
<p>(Just my two cents, take as you will)</p>
<p>Wow Dublin, that is an unfair take on Macalester. I am not 100% pro Macalester but I would never describe the campus as drab or spread out. It is one of the most compact campuses, since it is essentially trapped in the city, of any of the schools I visited. As far as school spirit I think your guide was mistaken. There may not be much emphasis on sports but the majority of Mac students are very proud of their school. Alumni giving is a good measure of pride and that has been steadily rising for years. You will certainly get school spirit at UW-Madison as it is ranked the #1 party school in the nation.</p>
<p>Like I said, just my opinion, and I don't think it's unfair. </p>
<p>I agree that spread out prolly wasn't the right term to use, but while touring and visiting the layout of the campus seemed very unorganized, there was something I didn't like about it that is hard to describe. And the school spirit was just for sports, while she was one person, she did say that there wasn't much school spirit overall, she even told me that a lot of people go home every weekend, I am not looking for a party school, but I do want one with a social scene. </p>
<p>I guess the bit about there being something I didn't like about sums it up, after visiting Macalester just didn't hold the place it previously did. It didn't seem to have the things I desired in my college choice. </p>
<p>In my opinion, when looking for a school and home for four or more years, its important to hear both negatives and positives, and people deserve to hear negative comments, especially with the plethora of propaganda that schools send out.</p>
<p>I had the same feelings on one of my visits to a different LAC, however, I think your guide was slightly off the mark. The campus layout is different because it is landlocked by the city. I do not believe a lot of people go home every weekend, look at the geographic distribution of the students. It would be a long and expensive trip for most students. There are definitely some negatives to Macalester, as there are with all schools, but I honestly believe your guide was not representative of the school as a whole.</p>
<p>I'm obviously biased on this discussion, but I just want to clear up a couple of things from my experience. First off, very few people go home on the weekends. Only 20% of the student body is from Minnesota, so most people don't even have that option. I've only known two or three people who regularly spend weekends at home.
Also, I think you're right to wonder what the definition of school spirit is. Certainly sports aren't a big deal with most people at Mac (maybe that'll change with the new gym, who knows). However, I've noticed that everyone at Mac can spend hours sitting around discussing the various aspects of the school. Even people who don't like something about Macalester (the administration's decision to not ban coke on campus for example) are passionate about not liking it: I think we all care very deeply about the college and sort of feel like we own it. I've noticed when talking to my friends at other schools, particularly from universities, that such sentiment from the student body is unusual. So, it's a different type of school spirit, but it's very much there.</p>