Why should I choose Macalester? Share your stories.

<p>I am applying to Macalester. I'm not sure if I'll get in, but if I do, I'd like to know some more about the typical experience. I'm not sure if I visited on an off-day, but the campus was very desolate and the people I did see seemed somewhat unfriendly.. It was on a Friday Morning/afternoon.. Any comments would be great. Thanks! x)</p>

<p>My daughter originally considered Macalester her top choice. But after visiting and doing an overnight in October, not so much. In her case, the girl she stayed with seemed negative and complaining, and they basically spent the whole time in her room. Not that Rachel wanted to go partying, but getting to experience a bit of campus life outside a dorm room would have been nice, especially since she'd traveled more than 1,000 miles to see the campus. Macalester remains on her list of college choices, but is no longer at the top. (They really need to screen their "hosts" better. An overnight host should be a wonderful ambassador for the school.)</p>

<p>I'm sorry to hear that both of your visits didn't go well. I don't think the admissions office screens hosts at all: students can just sign up. It's a tough balance, because an admissions department's 'screening' is what drives a lot of people crazy when looking at a college. But it sounds like Mac has gone too far in the other direction. Sometimes the campus can feel dead in the winter because everyone is inside and you don't know where people gather (of course, if you visited in December everyone was studying for finals, and if you visited this month then there weren't any classes going on, so no one was on campus).
In terms of typical experience, there really isn't any. What subjects and activities are you interested in?
In general, you'll live in a massive dorm with lots of freshman your first year, and then most likely get far nicer housing. You'll have a love-hate relationship with Cafe Mac because you'll get sick of the food but know that it's far better than anything you could cook. You'll most likely study abroad for a semester your junior year (just when you need a break from college) and then live off campus senior year in a beautiful yet cheap apartment or house with a close group of friends.
You'll be surrounded by a variety of passionate and liberal people. You'll probably spend many hours up late discussing stories in The New York Times or hearing about other people's experiences, which will be really different than your own. Sometime during your sophomore year you'll choose to major in one or two departments and those offices could begin to feel weirdly like second homes. You will quickly figure out where to get free food at any hour of the day.
I'm guessing during your four years you'll also do the following at least once: go dumpster diving, streak, have drinks with a professor, and get very lost in Minneapolis.</p>

<p>Macstudent--You sound like a wonderful ambassador for your school! I will pass your comments on to my daughter. When she visited last fall, she actually liked much about Mac; she toured, sat in on a class, and interviewed. It was a good experience until she met up with her rather sullen "host," who made unflattering remarks about the school throughout the evening. Of course, this is absolutely the last thing a host should be doing. So, even though the overall visit went well, that one girl made a lasting negative impression on Rachel. It could have been so different. Alas.</p>

<p>what kinds of negative impression?</p>

<p>i'm sick of every school telling me its best side.</p>

<p>That's ridiculous. Of course a school should emphasize what's best about it! (Surely, Betterday55, you're sharp enough to see past a college's blatant promotional hype.) Any visiting student with a triple-digit IQ will perceive the plusses and minuses for his/herself, without a spate of negative commentary from the host. If the campus is ugly or in a dangerous area, if the food is awful, if the dorms are tiny and depressing, etc.--I think a bright kid will be able to figure that out.</p>

<p>to be honest, the only complaints I have about mac are a few dud professors in CS/math, and low name-recognition in the corporate world...</p>

<p>Any other issues are issues that you will experience in any college, regardless of where you go</p>

<p>Hindoo's daughter's experience underscores the challenge getting kids to truly assess a school on the basis of a single visit. So much rests with the tour guide, the dorm host, etc. Hopefully, she'll be able to go back to visit again when she's making her final decision. I know it's costly, but considering the investment you're about to make, it seems worthwhile.</p>

<p>Now about Macalester: Both of my kids visited and were incredibly impressed with the school. The sense of community is really strong, the kids are very socially and politically aware and extremely engaged in learning, and the classes are filled with kids who are totally into what they're learning. It's not a place where you'll find big, rowdy frat parties, but there seems to be plenty of ways for kids to have lots of fun. I don't get the sense that it's an all-work-no-play kind of place at all. Oh, and the food in the dining hall apparently exceptionally good for campus food. </p>

<p>My older child chose to go to another midwestern LAC but has lots of friends at Mac who love the place. He thinks he'd be just as happy there as he is at his current school. (And he's really happy.) Macalester is at the top of my daughter's list because she really wants to be in a more urban environment. We're keeping our fingers crossed until April.</p>

<p>Mac is high on my son's list. We visited but did not do overnight (he was a junior). My niece went there and LOVED it. Met her wonderful French husband during semester abroad and they got married in the Mac chapel. The International feeling of the campus is what my son really liked.</p>

<p>Hindoo</p>

<p>Check out Princeton Review's 361 Best Colleges (just google it online). Mac gets very high ratings from students in lots of areas.</p>

<p>Bethievt--Your son and my daughter seem to be looking at several of the same schools. Vassar and Macalester, for sure. My daughter seems most interested, at this point, in Carleton, but V and M are right up there.</p>

<p>Love the letter they sent out to juniors after PSAT. It sure got my son's attention, and he's now taking a second look.</p>

<p>I was invited to their multicultural fall sampler in October, and I also had a somewhat sullen host. She was a very nice person, but she just didn't seem very enthusiastic about the school. It was pretty depressing, since Macalester was my top choice, and the visit changed my view so much I didn't even apply. It's such a beautiful campus and the teachers I met were awesome, but the student body is an important facet for me. I'm hoping I just visited at the wrong time! Oh well, good luck with your college endeavors anyway!</p>

<p>Our son is a freshman at Mac this year and absolutely loves it. He visited once in Sept of his senior year (info session and tour) and again for an overnight during the 'admitted student' event. He was hosted by some students from his prospective sports team and it sold him on Mac so sorry to those who did not have a great overnight and/or visit experience. What a shame!</p>

<p>Boulderhikermom, that's encouraging, I am totally undecided but am going back for an overnight with the prospective sports team I would be playing on. I hope I fall in love with the place as my indecision about college is killing me. My mom is an alum of Macalester so I have heard about it since birth! All this, of course, hinges on the fact that I actually get accepted.</p>

<p>Please give Mac a second chance with your team visit! Son was completely torn and we revisited 4 schools (team overnights, etc). You spend alot of time with your team so if you like them, iife is good. He has had a fantastic sports experience at Mac in 2 sports despite the fact that Mac may not be known particularly for its sports :-) Also, he registered for a residential first year course which gave him a great - and different - circle of friends. If you'd like more info. please send me a message and I can get the two of you in communication about the Mac experience.</p>

<p>Thanks, I know Mac is not known for its' sports. The team I would play on, however, had the distinction of having the highest GPA in that sport in all of Division III!</p>

<p>swimming by chance?</p>

<p>Softball actually.</p>