Macalester College Top Questions

Because everyone's reason for coming to Macalester is very different, the multifaceted student body runs the gamut in every imaginable sense. People are very focused and committed to their academics, but is equally supportive of everyone else. There are times when the campus gets a bit small, but being the twin cities, you can get lost outside of campus and get refreshed and eager to come back to campus.

Macalester is, sometimes, too small; if you have a problem with someone, it can be hard (but not impossible) to keep a distance. At the same time, though, the vast majority of people at Macalester are awesome, so it's rare that you would have a problem with anyone in the first place. Also, Macalester is about halfway between the river and downtown St. Paul, so it's really easy to get off-campus if the size is driving you crazy.

The best thing about Macalester is how accepting everyone intends to be. The only problem with that is that we tend to be more accepting toward folks within the "counterculture" or those who are in some way marginalized, and not so accepting toward folks who are more conservative or on a business school track. We tend to think we accept all kinds because we absolutely don't discriminate against the GLBT community, for example. Then, when it comes to kinds of folks not usually found on campus, but absolutely found out in the "real world," like conservatives or those unwittingly perpetuating the capitalist system and other institutions, Mac students suddenly become much less tolerant. If there was one thing I would change about Mac that would be it. Somehow we get to think that we're the most open-minded people on the planet because we interact with all types of people, but within our Macalester bubble we really only get to interact with a certain set of people that is not a true reflection of the nation. Our school is a bit too small. There are great things about such a small school - all my professors know my name, it's easy to get around campus, a BIG class is still just 60 people, I was able to participate in the soccer program in a way I never would have been able to at larger schools. But even though it's small the school seems to have a good amount of bureaucracy and since there's no more than two degrees of separation among the entire campus community, people can talk. It's not that we're necessarily gossipy types, it's just that when you actually know the "characters" in any story, the story becomes more interesting. Many people have never heard of Macalester. When I tell people from outside of Minnesota that I go to Mac, and they have heard of it, they are usually impressed. When I tell people from within Minnesota I go to Macalester, I think there is more of a radically liberal, crunchy stigma attached to the school. I spend most of my time on campus at class, in the library, or at coffeeshops nearby. Saint Paul is not exactly a college town, but there are tons of colleges here nonetheless. The music and cultural scene here is fantastic for the size of the Twin Cities. The Mac administration is way more conservative than the student body. The biggest recent controversy on campus had to do with a themed party thrown by a student group. The theme was "Impolitically Correct" or something like that. Basically everyone dressed up in the most un-PC outfits they could come up with. I was actually studying abroad that semester so I'm a little unclear of all the details. I will say that people are excessively PC on this campus, and need to lighten up a bit. The PCness becomes pretentious and snobby. There is a lot of school pride, in the sense of collective identity, but we don't really wear our school pride outwardly. We don't have cheerleaders or anything like that. At Macalester, you can take free bagpipe lessons because of our school's Scottish heritage. Speaking as a female on this campus, one of the most frequent complaints is the lack of hetero-males! We have an almost 60-40 female-male ratio, which didn't sound so striking when I applied, but let me tell you it matters. Plus, if you trust a recent conversation I just had with some friends, where we decided at least a quarter of that male population is GLBT, whereas a smaller percentage of the women identify as lesbian, the numbers are very much out of my favor in terms of finding a single male looking for a relationship!

I love it here. I think the campus is a great size. Some of the dorms really need updating but I have seen much worse elsewhere. The Mac Bubble is pretty pervasive and it takes a lot of effort to escape that and go explore the cities. The biggest recent controversy was over a "politically incorrect" party that took place over winter break (january 2007).

Best thing: lots of opportunities to do lots of different thing One thing i would change: the social life, no one hooks up, and it's always the same people at the parties Size: just right but on the small side: if you want to avoid someone you will somehow see them everywhere Reactions: "wow you must be smart" in the midwest, on the east coast "is that in canada?" time spent: my room, the campus center, or athletic facilities College town: cute block or two of stores right around campus. able to get into the cities although the bus service is kind of infrequent on weekends administration: i have no idea, i don't really encounter any administrative things regularly biggest recent controversy: the campus email service has not been functioning since we had a power outage over a week ago school pride: yes, but in small ways unusual things: everything and nothing at the same time experience: training trips for sports frequent complaints: the email service sucks, a lot of work, work study in cafe mac is awful

The best thing about Macalester is the students. There is a thirst for learning/knowledge at this institution that I think is incomparable to most other colleges. This collective and unanimous effort to grow intellectually makes Macalester the best environment for learning I could ever imagine. I would change the fact that there is a relatively small amount of domestic diversity. We have so many international students from all over the world but the majority of American kids here a middle-upper class white. Our school is small, but to me it fit just right. I would never say, between two great cities, that Macalester is too small. When I tell people that I go to Macalester, they either congratulate me for being admitted and lasting here, or they smile politely (a telltale sign that they've never heard of it! - this happens a fair amount, but I would say that Macalester as a name is becoming more and more well-known) Not a college town - but a cool town! Great administration, they are here for the advancement of their students, they make things better for the students first and I think this is fantastic. The biggest recent controversy was about a Professor who had a class about racism who declined many kids access to the class because they were white (he wanted to create an environment where racism could be "openly" discussed by non-white students) There is an average amount of school pride, I am sure there is more pride at bigger schools (we are proud to be part of a very progressive and intelligent community) Everyone here is pretty crazy, in one way or another. The kids here themselves are outstandingly unusual - that's the way we like it. One experience I will always remember is when I got an A on the hardest test I have ever taken (Organic Chemistry!)

Don't come here if you care. No one does if you don't fit in like you ought to elsewhere. The campus location is nothing special. You might as well go to a rural college if you don't have a car because the bus system can never get you anywhere directly. The students rarely actually take care of the dorms and are prone to ripping things up to "shove it to the man" like the rich kids they are. There's an air of rebellion against nothing here, and it irritates me, because the "rebellious" kids usually have no sense of what they're rebelling against. Even though the school is supposedly "gay friendly", there have been multiple spurts of homophobia and other hate crimes. You might as well go to any other school if you're worried about your identity. They might even give you less lip service, which would be nice.

I love Mac. Everyone is interesting. There is no "normal," and at first I was worried about that, that because I'm used to being "the weird one" I suddenly would be normal, but I'm not. Everyone's really an individual, and everyone's really accepting of everyone else's individuality. There is no push to fit in. I mean, my friends and I sit in the lounge and play "Magic: the Gathering" for hours when we don't have too much homework (and even if we do) and we're far from the only ones. We're just a big, nerdy, silly family and it's great. There is sometimes an overly p.c. atmosphere and a feeling of needing to say the right thing or have the right ideas about a certain topic.

I think there is school pride but people don't like to admit it, because thats what those pricks did in high school that you never ever want to be like. I think we spend a little too much time trying a little too hard to be "different" sometimes. I think there is a big chunk of wealthy kids who go here, because they think they are rebelling against their parents are they have jumped on the bandwagon of anti-bush and spend obscene amounts of money on clothing that looks like its from a dumpster. They would never admit they are rich because here its kind of looked down upon. But there are a lot of kids who are really genuine in what they believe and why they are here and i think they overshadow the others. I also feel like there is a pessimism about campus. like the world is a horrible place and minnesota is so cold and why did i come here and Mac wasn't my first choice so I'm going to sit here and cry about it. Mac was my first choice and I am happy to be here and yeah there are a lot of problems but just do what you can to make them better. People can be very whiny, and I know that right now I'm whining about them, but you get the idea.