Macalester College Top Questions

Before they visit a single college, parents and students should put together their perfect college, taking into account facilities, academics, social scene, surrounding area, and more, down to the last possible detail. I would tell parents and students to attend classes and stay overnight on campus. This allows a person to understand both the academic and social life on campus. I would also advise students and parents to try the food at the cafeteria, look at the surrounding area of the college, and talk with professors as much as possible. Students should go on a guided tour, but shouldn't be afraid to explore the campus beyond that. Find out what the dorms are like and then ask questions, do you see yourself living there? What are the off-campus housing options? If sports are important to a student either as a player, a spectator, or recreational, they should find out what facilities would be available to them. The same goes for musicians and artists. The most important thing to discover is how students balance their social and academic lives. Is this the balance you were looking for in your perfect university or college?

To determine what the right school is for you, it is vital to make a list of things that are most important to you. Parents can make a list of what they expect from a school for their student, and students can make a similar list. Things such as proximity to home or a city, size of the school desired, cost of tuition, importance of night life, culture, religion, academia, etc should be included in these lists. After determining what is most important, research the schools you are interested in. Make a list of the top 5 schools, and see how they compare with your list of things that are important. If one school doesn't seem to match up at all, throw it out-you won't be happy there. Any remaining schools should be contacted for more information and visited. It is important to visit the school for at least one class day and one weekend day to learn how things work on the campus. Staying overnight with an already matriculated student can help you answer any questions and get the true feel of the school. Be patient and Good Luck!

Pick schools that fit your interests, but keep in mind that a lot of the learning that you do will be on a personal level - academics is important, but it is also important to figure out who you want to be and how you would like to be preceived by other people. Studying is just as important as having fun, and challenging yourself to think outside of what you have already learned makes your college life exponentially more interesting. Make as many friends as you can, work hard, and be satisfied with yourself (because that is the only person that should really matter in the end).

I would definitely stress the importance of the size of the institution. While there are a whole host of areas to consider when looking at schools, the size makes a huge difference in the experience. From classes sizes to the social scene, the number of students dictates how these areas are handled. Smaller institutions offer smaller classes that can benefit certain learning types while some students are more comfortable and sucessfull in larger classes. Aside from that I would also recommend taking a very good look at the surrounding community. The institution is important but its also critical to remember that the student will be living there for at least a year and that their physical environment can play a large role in quality of life. College is the center of life but its important to travel away from it at times and an engaging local community/scene canbe just what a stressed-out student needs.

The best advice I received when looking at colleges was to pay attention to the students' shoes. At Macalester, for example, you will see everything from bare feet and birkenstocks to designer heels, and this very accurately reflects the diversity of the student body. Although the materials provided by the institution are the closest you can get to a detailed representation of the college experience at that school, this information must also be taken with a grain of salt. Schools are trying to attract students of a particular type, and if you fit that type the school will sound perfect to you. However, even the most diverse student body divides itself into factions and cliques, so although the statistics may tell one story, the actual experience of each student will differ. I have no expierience with any other institutions, but at Macalester it is clear that the admissions material does not represent all sides of the story. Having said that, I would also like to mention that almost everyone here loves it. Once you pick a school you start to notice its flaws, but making the most of it is all about enjoying the experience; good things and bad.

Do not overlook or overrule some of the first colleges you look at and apply to a lots of schools to keep your options open. It is also helpful to talk to the students at the school to get a better idea of the programs.

it doesn't matter what college you go to

Students: Don't isolate yourself. Get out into the campus life, go to lectures, club meetings, and parties. You won't remember the nights you stayed in surfing the internet, you will remember the night you went dumpster diving and made abstract art on a whim while out with friends. No one knows when memories will be made, so you have to be there when it goes down.

I'm pretty sure that It doesn't matter exaclty what school you go to, as long as you go to one that shares your values, and you feel you could be happy at. Honestly, it's the people that you surround yourself with and the choices you make DURING your college career that will ultimately determine how fulfilling your experience is!

It's important to think about how urban or rural an environment you want. When I was applying to colleges, I focused on everything but the location, and I ended up applying to schools in the middle of nowhere, where I know now I would have felt bored and trapped. It all worked out, because the school I ended up at (not my top choice) is in a neighborhood-y part of a city, which is perfect for me. Now that I'm here, I think the most important thing is to study what you're actually interested in, not what you think sounds impressive or what you expected to want to study. It's important, too, to learn about whatever you're interested in outside the classroom as well as in it, by reading on your own or volunteering or whatever you do. That way you always feel on top of your field, and passionate about your subject, or else you're figuring out what you like better.