Macalester College Top Questions

Macalester is hard academically, and most of the students are very liberal, but there are definitely different opinions too. The majority of students don't smoke. We are pretty dorky though - we enjoy learning and having academic discussions.

Yes, but only for certain students. There's a wide variety of people at Mac, and they each have their interests. Nevertheless, the "let's save the world" type of students are quite admirable for their passion and engagement.

most of them- I'd say students are not socially awkward but rather there are many eccentric and unique personalities here that make for a lot of fun interactions.

It is generally seems to be the case for american students, where as international students are totally different crowd. They are liberal, I'll give you that, but no hippie crowd either.

These people do exist at Macalester. In fact, there are many of them. But the majority of students are not like them.

Dead on. All the American kids are rich, but they try to act like they're poor, only giving up some cash to find their next dime bag. They are soooo liberal it's impossible to have a conversation with them before they get too mad to speak to you. The international students form one giant clique and leave everyone else out. It's pretty frustrating.

More or less. I mean, all stereotypes are an exaggeration, but most Mac students tend to be liberal, involved in the community, into social justice work, or international relations or some other "i'm gonna change the world" area of interest. However, we aren't godless. There are a lot of different religious and spiritual traditions represented by the student body. And we are smart. :)

Here and there, yes. But of all of them, I would say the one about Mac students being "socially awkward" is the most prevalent. In all honesty, though, Macalester is a slice of the American 18-22 year old demographic (with a lot of international students to add to that). It's exceptional only in that it's a group of seriously capable, seriously intelligent people with serious ambitions in the world. A lot of awkward social situations do occur and there are a lot of people who you might say exist outside certain social norms. But people who emphasize these things and think that people are awkward because they go to Macalester or that the college attracts these people are overemphasizing their own, personal experience with some very specific people. Moreover, they don't have a whole lot of comparitive basis. Who gets to decide what "normal" is, anyway? If such a thing does exist, if there is a "normal" set of behaviors, set of thought processes and attitudes and values, then you are as likely to find people who waver from it at Macalester as you are anywhere else, and that shouldn't be a turn off. Macalester, like any college in America, is a society of individuals. We have some things in common (most are pretty liberal, yes), and some things we don't. That's just how it is.

For the most part these generalizations are accurate. My classmates are intellectual, both inside and outside the classroom, with political reform and social change dominating many discussions. Macalester's reputation for being tremendously liberal is certainly true. And while making the campus politically active, this diehard liberalism can also be a burden; it is difficult to exist on campus without holding liberal principles. People do drugs, but it certainly does not dominate the social scene. Marijuana is not hard to find, and neither is alcohol, but there are plenty of people who avoid these drugs. Macalester is definitely commited to the international community, constantly stressing the importance of being a "global citizen."

Sometimes.