Macalester College Top Questions

People are liberal. And accepting. Sometimes they try a little too hard to be PC but its always well intentioned. The large international portion of the student body tends to stick together. I primarily believe this is due to the extra week of orientation before the domestics get to campus. It kind of backfires, instead of gradually introducing them to life in the US, they form tight bonds with each other and have already formed little cliques by the time the rest of the students arrive. I've seen this trend continue throughout my entire time at Mac. But hey, theres lotsa love. And everybody gets along really well. You're almost guaranteed to find someone (or five) who shares your weird eccentric passion, be it rock climbing or brains!

There is a wide range of students at Macalester. Most are leftist in their views and like to think of themselves as more radical than they might actually be. People are generally open to those who go against the grain, as long as they do it with pride and can speak for themselves.

There is no such thing as a "typical" Macalester student- students come from all over the world, different racial and economic backgrounds, with many interests and passions. Most are liberal (which can be a disadvantage because there is a lack of friction to create depth in conversation) and share many beliefs about social justice. However, when it all comes down to it, cliques are still sadly separated along international/domestic, racial, and economic lines.

One of the reasons I came to Mac was because it felt more diverse than other schools its size. There is a significant international population so I always feel like I amlearning about other ways of life. Many say that the internationals are segregated but if you have one friend in that group you can easily become really close. So I would say there is definitely mixing of domestic and international students. Within the U.S. there is a wide variety of students from all over, not just from Minnesota or the Midwest. I also feel like financial backgrounds are varied, considering Mac is very expensive. All of my friends come from upper middle class backgrounds but there are definitely people from other backgrounds that I know, upper and lower class.

Macalester has a great reputation for being an open place to express one's racial, religious, sexual-orientation, or any other identity attribute. I know kids whose parents are so rich they'll pay every cent of that $180,000 or however much the cost will be after 4 years. I also know kids who come from backgrounds where their parents weren't able to pay any of the cost, and the school gives them aid. I know republicans, democrats, anarchists, communists, moderates, socialists, I know Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Athesits, Agnostics, and none of them chastise each other for their views.

There really are all different kinds of people on campus and I love it because it's not like that where I come from. I come from the infamously "most anti-liberal state" in the country, so... I honestly feel like there is a general acceptance of almost everybody on campus and its neat to see the variety of people. Obviously, most people on campus are liberal, but not everyone here is super interested in politics. I was worried about that at first because politics has always bored me, but it's been fine. I have actually become more politically aware just since being here, so it's nice to be educated in that respect, even on a surface-level

There are all types of students here, I don't think anybody would really feel out of place. However, at least in the first two years when we live on campus, I think everyone becomes a little bit more similar--which may be where the Macalester stereotypes come from. We begin to wear pajamas or clothes that resemble pajamas to class, because we live right there. And we begin to nitpick about problems in our small world, and become really concerned about waste within the dorms and dining halls, justice, how everything at Mac is run. I think this is actually healthy. It gives you a whole different approach to the "outside world." There are more upper class students than make me comfortable, being from a working class family myself. However, getting past politics and stereotypes, I have found friendships with a lot of people who initially turned me off. Not good to limit yourself like you did in high school based on preconceptions.

Campus diveristy is amazing. Mac students need to have open minds, because they are exposed to people from all over the world, with incredibly different stories. Generally, students come from a wealthier background (it's an expensive school!), but they are not economically oriented (much unlike UST, just down the road). Students pursue what they love--they generally want to help others, more than they want financial success for themselves. As smart as they are, Mac students still drink, and they still use illegal substances. It's not hard to find other students who don't drink or use drugs, but, on weekends, there are always parties and other substance-related activities happening. It's always difficult to meet people on weekends, because you never know if they're drunk or high, or what not.

Macalester is ranked by the Princeton Review as the Number 1 most gay friendly campus. Additionally, the student body is extremely diverse, representing 75 countries. We also have a lot of socio-economic diversity. As indicated above, all students are passionate, for a sport, political view, or academics, and it shows in campus events, publications, etc. The student body primarily represents varying degrees of left from political moderates to anarchists, but all groups respect each other. The student body is pretty well represented in the "Big Picture" section.

Macalester students are very active in everything they do. Protests, dance parties, and conversations about pressing issues are commonplace. People at Mac come from everywhere. It isn't uncommon that you will have a group of friends all from different states or countries. Mac students are very aware, mostly liberal, and most of all they are accepting and outgoing. Lots of students volunteer, or are active in campus activities.