Macalester College Top Questions

Academic life is hard. Outside of the basic intro classes, it's tons of reading, tons of writing, and usually tons of class dicussion. But the classes are small, never bigger than 50 students and usually hovering between 15 and 25, so profs know your name after a few weeks. We're always studying, either in the library, Coffee News, the campus center, or the link that's open 24 hours just for that purpose, but we're not a super-competitive campus. Only the econ majors seem to discuss GPA with any frequency, but everyone tries to out-smart one another in super-intellectual conversations outside of class. My favorite class thus far was Latin American Politics, with my adviser Paul Dosh. His MO is very empowering for students, we lead a lot of class discussions and do a whole lot of simulations, so instead of just reading about the current crisis between Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, we hold a mock meeting with students pretending to be Uribe, Chavez, and Correa, along with representatives of the FARC, France, and the United States. It's a very exciting way to learn (plus, we go out for Mexican food and salsa dancing at least once a semester). A Macalester education provides you with such a vast array of itellectual resources, but the profs are also pretty well-connected and can help you get that job or internship you really want, so it's the best of both worlds.

Classes at Macalester are hard - you have a lot of reading to do and papers to write. There are a lot of classes to choose from though, and you can easily find classes that are extremely interesting and rewarding. There's a good variety of classes - there are many classes on random topics. I took a wonderful class on the Post-Soviet Sphere and spent a semester writing papers about Uzbekistan. Professors are usually very nice and informal with their students. Most professors tell you to call them by their first name. Many of them invite you to their houses for dinner or tea at the end of the semester.

Academics at Macalester are great. Classes are challenging, and you end up studying a lot. Nevertheless, most people tend to find a balance between studying and other activities, and once you find your own method of studying, harder classes become even easier. So far, all professors have known my name. They go to great lengths to do this. Professors with which I've taken one class a year ago, still remember my name, and always say hi at corridors. Class participation is quite common, and is expected from you, although the extent of it depends on the department you're in (Social sciences tend to participate more than Math, which is quite understandable). My department, the Econ department is probably one of the most competitive ones because your grade is based on how well the other people have done. Nevertheless, this attitude doesn't stick to the students as they all help each other, study together, and encourage one another. Other departments I feel are less competitive, and getting help from fellow students is quite normal. Most departments I would say, are mostly geared towards academia, although the Econ department I feel does also a good job at directing its students towards jobs. That's why there was an Econ Departamental T-shirt that read "Econ students: we get jobs". Its true, both the T-shirt and the "we get jobs" part.

I'd say the classes here are mostly discussion based (with the exception of science intro classes). But profs will know your name and a fair amount about you. I call most of my teachers by first name but that is unique to my depts (psych/ music).

Don't believe in the whole crap they give you about, it's okay if you don't know your major when you come. If you don't better find out what you want in the first semester. from experience of many of my friends the most successfull students are those who knew what they wanted when they got here, or latest by the end of their freshmen year, so that the following three years they used all the resources available to get to their goal, whatever it may be. Don't be scared to take 2-3 majors, it's not as difficult as it sounds, but make sure what you want and figure out what you want QUICKLY! spend the summer before college figuring this out by working, interning whatever! find it out before you come, or at latest before your sophomore year. Otherwise, professors here are all great, wonderfull, highly qualified in their fields.

Some of my professors have known my name, only to forget it later. Class participation is relatively low; I expected more students to be engaged and open. Students are not very competitive, I'd actually say there is just the right amount of competition on campus. I do not spend much time with professors out of class; the professors I'm most familiar with are not very social. I think Macalester enforces a good set of academic requirements, and if anything, they could be tougher. I know that many intelligent students struggle with math and science, but many here don't even make an effort.

Not so bad; you can get at least a 3.5 if you put just a little effort in.

Academics at Macalester are definitely challenging and of high quality. The professors are generally very knowledgable, interesting, approachable, and really take time to get to know the students. Most of my classes are small and heavy on the discussion, which I really enjoy. I'm a double major in Religious Studies and Hispanic Studies, and while both departments are really different, they are both really great, and by my junior year i feel like they are both "home" to me. I feel like you really have to be motivated to enjoy and do well in classes at Macalester. Usually the work load is very heavy. In my classes I have a LOT of reading to do and write quite a few papers as well. But i do think it's worth it to do the work because generally you really get a lot out of the classes due to the quality of the professors and the level of interest and intelligence among the students. Some of my favorite classes have been Sociology of Sexuality in the Sociology Department, Japanese Religions in the Religious Studies Department, and Dictators, Revolutions and Insurrections in the Hispanic Studies Department.

The largest class I ever had was 40 something people, the smallest was six people. Every professor I've ever had knew my name then and still does. I often drop by in my professors offices and I see my advisor at least twice a week. He knows my future plans, my hopes, my dreams, my interests - everything except my social life outside of class. And all that allows him to really narrow in on the advice he gives me. It doesn't hurt, either, that I've had two classes with him. Departments are all different from one another with regard to their ethos and social strata. I'm in Sociology, which is a tight knit group of professors and students, and other departments are like that as well, while some have larger classes, more students and a different ethos all together. There's a lot of varriety in that way, and a lack of gen ed classes means you can experience a lot of it.

I have not had a class where the professor does not know my name, which is unexpected in the larger classes. My largest class had about fifty classes in it and my smallest class at Macalester had only eight students. Participation is generally good, especially in the social sciences where discussions dominate over lectures. Intellectual conversations are certainly not limited to inside the classroom. It is not weird to hear arguments over politics and liberalism during dinner, nor is it rare to hear people speaking their foreign language outside of the classroom. And while the courses are academically challenging, the professors are fantastic and are truly committed to the students.