Macalester College Top Questions

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Most attended spectator sport is soccer. Other than that, few sports get much attention. Personally, I'm involved in club ultimate frisbee and there are many other school/club teams to get involved in I rarely locked my dorm, although there is an occasional theft, not from students though, mostly people who wander onto campus. As far as dating, there are a number of couples on campus, but not quit like the nearly catholic schools where many are a "ring by spring"

Frisbee, Soccer, Football, your average liberal arts college activities. No one activity dominates the extra-curricular scene, whatever your interested in you can find!

There is plenty to do on campus, and all of the social clubs are very active. The stats on the lack of spirituality are unfounded as many people here have a very spiritual side. The Jewish population is very large here, and MJO is very active. There are plenty of theatre, dance, opera, and symphony opportunities off campus. Sports are not very big on campus, because they are not very good, but people do participate in varsity, club, and intramural sports. We have a huge rivalry with Carleton College in Northfield, MN socially, academically, and athletically, and those games are the most popular. There is plenty of things other than drinking to do due to the proximity of the campus to Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Grand Ave runs directly through the campus and there are nice restaurants and shops that students frequently visit.

No frats or sororities, but have many close off campus houses where parties occur. There isn't really any exclusion at these parties, which is pretty cool. There also are international houses (Spanish House, German House, etc.) and themed houses (EcoHouse, Veggie Coop) to choose from. Pretty easy to find illegal substances

There are many things to get involved in, whether on campus or in the Twin Cities. There are no fraternities or sororities. If you are awake late on Tuesday, you are definitely studying or writing a paper.

Social life is average with a few parties on the weekends and life in the dorms is fairly tamed. Traditions are not a big part of school life and there is no greek system. Like many places your friends tend to be those people you lived near in the dorms your freshmen year.

Lots of clubs on campus. Life is pretty much between staying on campus or venturing out via bus or car. No other way out.. The Twin Cities are cool, but the college is on the borderline between Minneapolis and St Paul and is basically located in an affluent white neighborhood

The international student org, the asian student alliance, and the south asian student organization are some of the largest on campus. Debate and Model UN are popular, along with faith-based groups. Theater is popular - you probably know someone in the play, so you'll go. Depending on the department that brings them, guest speakers tend to be pretty important too, especially during our international roundtable weekend, put on by the international studies department. Dating here is hard. We're small, so gossip spreads fast; if you break up, you probably have the same friends and things can be awkward. I'll say again - very small. Personally I have a significant other from one of the associated colleges - it makes life a lot easier, even if everyone does still know your business. There are no frats, and most of us don't want them here anyway. Depending on who you are and what your major is, you could party every night of the week and get away with it - but you're more likely to wait till Friday and Saturday. The party scene gets stale after a while, which is why I wish younger students had more access to other students and campuses elsewhere - you can't expect too much from a small school, but what's there is fun because it's familiar. If you're sober, you can walk down Grand and catch a movie at the Grandview Theatre, go out into the cities for a movie, play, show, whatever you want (the music scene is phenomenal) - you can do anything, really. You're not in the middle of nowhere, so you've got lots of options, if you care to look for them.

There are parties, but not very big or good ones. School orgs put on dances at least once a month, but they don't get too crowded even though they can be fun if you just go with your own friends. Mostly freshmen go to these, I think What gets super crowded are the shows that MAc puts on, like music and dancing. They are a lot of fun.

Big drug scene. A lot of alcohol flows on the weekend. Mostly house parties that get too crowded, or lame dances that get too sleazy. A lot of partying and social opportunities in the city. On weekdays, a lot of random hanging out. Especially when the days are warmer, it is common to see students chilling on the grass until early hours of the morn, shisha-ing, smoking, drinking, playing the guitar, or just talking. Fraternities and sororities nonexistent, thank heavens.

Not too many big parties, but people throw small parties with their friends all the time. There is usually tons of stuff going on around campus, but the activities are sometimes boring. People are usually working very hard during the week. On weeknights, the library is always packed, but on normal weekends, it is less busy at night, when people tend to party.

Mac is a small, academic community. People sometime lament the party seen, saying it is too tame. There are always dorm parties on weekends, however, and often bigger ones off campus. The government throws frequent dances or other social/cultural activities on Friday and Saturday night, and attendance is big. Students are friendly and leave dorm room doors open. Dating is hit or miss - there are some couples who got together their first week of school and are still together now. Some people date and date and never make anything stick. Others engage in lots of random hook-ups, with no commitment. You certainly don't have to drink and party heavily to have fun, though there is a lot of drinking on campus.

Soccer games are probably the most popular events at Macalester. They take the place of football games at most other American schools. However, there are several other events that have a high turn-out, including the African Music Ensemble concerts, and occasionally dances. Most of the closest friends I have were from my residential first-year course. I lived with them and related with them through the class and other experiences. However, I gained many friends from other areas, as well. Most of them are from classes or extracurriculars. The dating scene at Macalester is incredibly flawed. For some reasons, students are afraid to approach each other and attempt to start a relationship. A majority of relationships seem to begin under the influence of alcohol. Something is holding Mac students back, and no one knows what it is. There is no greek life at Mac, at there is little to no desire for it. Parties, dances, and social events seem to come in pulses. There are some weekends where nothing is going on, and others where so much is going on, one doesn't know where to start.

There is a lot going on.

Sports, while definitely not Macalester's strongest area, are fun campus activities. Actually, it is probably because Macalester is not generally excellent at sports that the games are enjoyable, because they are not high-stress situations. Football is laughable, but soccer and track are decent, along with club sports like ultimate frisbee and hockey. The African Music Ensemble always performs to a packed auditorium, as do the acapella groups on campus. Every weekend there is usually some sort of event - music, theater, art, or a more academic lecture. Cultural organizations often host dances and socials, most students stop by for a few sweaty minutes of dancing, and then go off to do something with friends. The dorms are very social places, especially certain strategically located floors, and most people are content to party in the dorms, and then move off campus to other parties. People tend to be night owls here, whether they're studying, or just enjoy staying up. Macalester operates on a spectrum - with kids who drink 4 or 5 nights a week on one end, and kids who never drink on the other. Most people lie somewhere in the middle, but PLENTY OF PEOPLE DON'T. I have yet to hear of anyone complaining about not being able to find like-minded people with respect to alcohol or drug use, in fact I think this helps people meet new people and find friends. Since classes run monday through friday, most people only party hard on friday and saturday nights, but it all depends on the individuals and who they spend time with. Drugs and alcohol are easy to come by, but also easy to say no to. The nice thing about the twin cities is that most artisits who tour nationally stop here, and the shows are fairly cheap and usually don't sell out as fast as other cities with bigger metropolitan areas. Transportation into Minneapolis (where most shows are) is cheap and pretty easy to do by bus or light rail.

The most popular groups are probably environmental groups such as MAC Cares as we love hugging trees and follow Al Gore. I am a leading member of the Muslim Student Association. During Ramadan, we pray together and that's about it. If I am awake at 2 am on a tuesday, that means I have issues with my wednesday classes. If it's a saturday and you don't want to drink, then you might as well sit with Iowan kids, talk about Huckabee glory and christology. It will be the worst night at campus but they hey, you asked for it. Off campus, I try to find food to eat as I get very hungry every late night.

Some popular activities on campus include macalester democrates, Macalester international organization (MIO) and other international organizations. Parties happen almost every weekend but they are lowkey and usually in houses surrounding campus. If you want to drink you can but you won't be pressured to if you don't want to. Games and pizza are popular pasttimes for those who want to be sober as are the technodances, the annual International Show, and mattress stealing (don't know how they get them but it is pretty funny)

The coolest part about Macalester is that, unlike many other liberal arts schools, students can go off campus into an urban atmosphere. While it is sometimes hard to find time to go into St. Paul or Minneapolis, it is nice that the option exists.

Its a 60-40 rate of people who live on and off campus. There is an event on campus every weekend and always something to do in the cities. We are wedged right in between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Soccer games are a popular night out starter. As a player the fans are great. The signature cheer is "drink blood, smoke crack, worship satan, go mac!" Pretty good huh? The social life at Mac is very eclectic. You can almost undoubtedly find your own niche.