Macalester College Top Questions

My favorite class-Religion and Revolution My professors are wonderful. Class participation is not as important as I thought it would be but the professors certainly take notice of it. In other words, it only helps to participate. Education at macalester is geared towards making us quazi-prophets. I.E after graduating, we will bring peace in the world by inducing Hezbollah folks and the Jews in Jerusalem to make out.

Here most of the professors know your name. The biggest class I've had this year was a 40 person class for a general science lecture course. Even at that size it was very personal and easy to ask questions. Students definitely participate in class and discussion is encouraged. Mac's academic requirements are somewhat of a pain but are do able. The International Studies major (what macalester is famous for) is somewhat different than one might expect. If you want to learn about political science in IS (without doing a political science minor or major) don't go to Mac. Most of the IS classes are about conflict or Human rights not political science or history.

Overall, my academic experience at Macalester has been incredible. I've taken classes, such as US Environmental History, that have opened my eyes to new issues that I never cared much about previously, and placed me in situations that have allowed me to form and state my own opinions to my peers. I feel that my writing has improved immensely, and I have learned to think analytically. While some of my professors have been less than satisfactory, I have been extremely impressed with most of my professors' level of expertise and past experiences. For example, my bio professor has worked with several people who won the nobel prize and my human geography professor played a role in many urban planning projects around the world.

The academics at Macalester have a good reputation. This is what drew me to the school in the first place. The average class is small enough where the professors are accessible, but not too small where if you decide to skip one day to go play frisbee you will be noticeable.

Small class sizes make for lovely prof-student and student-student interactions. The Music and theater depts are strong, though small. English is very good, as well. History and Hispanic studies is hit or miss.

Macalester's academic level depends highly on the individual student, as well as the major the student chooses. The college is generally academically rigorous to an extent, but it is definitely possible to slide by with a minimum of work and still retain decent grades. Generally, the difference between a B and an A is the difference between maintaining a minimum of work and being fully engaged in a class. However, this also varies by professor and department. In general, Chemistry and Economics are the hardest departments at Mac, although the workloads for both are still definitely manageable. Also, the sciences tend to have larger loads as far as classroom hours, because labs do not count for extra credits - a science major can spend nine hours a week more in class than a humanities major, but both will be taking the same amount of credit hours. This is somewhat made up for with time required for readings, but it is still not an even split. Regardless of major, however, it's possible to spend huge amounts of time either partying or volunteering off campus and still keep good grades, but it's also possible and rewarding to be engaged fully in classes.

All professors I have had know my name, and most of the class I take (humanities) are 20 people or less. Students' study time and GPA depends completley on their major. As an English major, if I go to class, pay attention, particpate in discussion, put forth effort on my essays, it is most likely that I will receive at the very least a B. In science classes, according to friends who are bio or chem majors, it's a very different story. I had heard a lot about the competitiveness of Mac students before I came here, but I have honestly seen none of it in my two years there. I love the English department, and my advisor. Every professor has their own focus and interest, and I feel like even the more general, "survey" type classes I have taken, have always been geared toward a specific topic or theme, which I think is very helpful. I think that an education from Mac is certainly learning for its own sake, but also many of my professors and my advisor have given me very good, extensive advice on post-graduate programs, careers, etc.

Macalester's academic environment is challenging yet compassionate and not particularly competitive. Students are motivated, work hard, and genuinely express interest in their classes. Debates rage inside the classroom and continue long after: in the dorms, at Cafe Mac, and even on facebook! It is truly a place of learning and intellectual debate and discussion. The main advantage of being a small liberal arts college is that the focus is entirely on the undergrad, and individuals matter to professors and administrators. Professors care about their students- they know more than just names! It is not unusual for small classes to meet for coffee or lunch, or to have dinners at their professor's house. This creates a real learning community, where the professors are accessible and ideas are constantly being discussed.

Since Macalester is a smaller college, all your professors know you by name! The school environment really allows for students and teachers to interact and work together. I'm a bit bias being a Psychology major so of course, Psychology courses are my favorite. The class sizes are very small and allows for many opportunities to ask questions and get answers from classmates and professors. There are always many intellectual conversations outside of the classroom. The campus is always bustling with activities planned by different student organizations that allow for many conversations. Macalester's educatio is geared towards getting a job AND learning for its own sake. We're always aware of the issues and the environment around us as we continue and further our education.

The intellectual conversations do continue outside of the classroom and that's a really nice aspect of Macalester. I was often annoyed that people studied too much because I was never one to study a lot. Students aren't very competitive, at least not in the subject areas I took classes in--humanities, arts, languages etc. I took a Hip Hop Performance class where we had local hip hop artists of all sorts come and perform and speak and hold workshops, we also learned the history of hip hop and I think that was probably the best class just because I was so interested in the topic. Macalester was also nice for me because I took classes in all different subject areas. I appreciated being able to take a lot of studio art classes even though I wasn't a major. Education is definitely just learning for its own sake--unless you're an Econ major.