<p>I have narrowed my colleges down to two wonderful options of schools to choose between. But I only have 3 days to decide and I still have no idea of what to do!
I am a current Senior at Garfield High School, a large intercity public high school in Seattle, WA
Both are within a few hundred dollars of eachother financially each year, so that does not really sway anything.
Both are small liberal arts schools (Whitman is a bit smaller than Mac)
Both seem to have fabulous people though I know more people at Whitman and they are really happy
Academically they both have great professors, small classes and everything that a good liberal arts college has.
Mac is more "globally" focused- not quite sure how this translates at the school
Technically Mac is ranked higher, lower acceptance rate than Whitman- but this is not that different a margin and is not that important to me
Whitman would be a safer bet as I am almost positive I would be really happy there (again- I have a few friends who go there from highschool and love it) but I think Mac would be more of mysterious option that could be a hit or a miss</p>
<p>Can current students please illuminate on the school vibe/culture at each school? In terms of stats and academics they seem pretty equal. But it is hard to get an idea of the type of students/level of happiness at each. Thanks I really appreciate the help!</p>
<p>Hi Wannaknow6, my son was also accepted to Whitman and Macalester, so had to make the same choice. He did overnight visits to both schools and decided on Whitman, but that probably has more to do with who he is than whether one school is superior to the other. </p>
<p>While I really liked the urban feel of the Macalester campus and could think of all the fun things to do in the surrounding area, he wanted more access to outdoor activities, and he’s taken full advantage of those offerings at Whitman. He also thought the student body at Macalester was too “nerdy”, personally I liked the sound of that, but he was looking for fellow students who liked club and IM sports, so “too nerdy” I think translated into not very into playing sports. I also liked Macalester’s campus which is attractive and compact, my son was looking for the quintessential quad where everyone hangs out on sunny days, Ankeny Field at Whitman filled that order. He was looking for a good environmental studies program, and in that regard felt Whitman to be better, although in the end he decided on a different major.</p>
<p>He joined a fraternity and held several leadership positions, which has given him some invaluable organization skills. I was not thrilled about him joining a fraternity, it was not a cool thing to do in my college days, but for him it’s been a great experience. I think Whitman Greek life is more inclusive than at most schools, he has as many friends who are independents as he does in the fraternity. He is about to graduate and has really enjoyed his 4 years there. The impression I’ve gotten of the student body is that they are smart, active, know how to study but still enjoy themselves quite a bit. Because it’s a small school in a small city, the students at Whitman form a very close knit community. </p>
<p>So there are questions that only you can answer about what you’re looking for at a college. Does the urban environment excite you? Do you want to experience a entirely new geographical and cultural experience. Do you have any idea what you are interested in majoring in? </p>
<p>You’ve been accepted to two great colleges, best of luck!</p>