(Background: son had no preconceived notions about any of the schools we are visiting on this trip, so he was almost a blank canvas. I say “almost” because lately he’s been maintaining that he’d like to stay in California, all other things being equal. More on that in a separate channel, maybe. We also had our 18 y.o. German exchange student in tow. He has no plans to attend college in the US but is gregarious and confident, so an excellent support for my deeply shy son. Back to the topic at hand…)
St. Olaf:
Friday night drop-in pizza at the student center; Saturday tour. It was cold and windy and we were tired. Admissions presentation was impressive. Our reception felt personalized – two prospective kids per tour guide, and they’d matched us up ahead of time. The campus is up on a hill overlooking town, across a busy highway from the the commercial district and Carleton. I asked about walking to town and our student tour guide didn’t seem to think anyone would do that. There are nice woods next to campus and kids can walk/bike/ski there.
The buildings were well-designed, fairly uniform architecturally, and light-filled. The cavernous dining hall seemed convivial; the chapel was gorgeous. Students were visually more diverse than I’d expected.
Per the admissions presentation 18% identify as Lutheran and 45% identify as religious “nones”. It didn’t feel like a super religious campus, in case folks are worrying about that. There are religious course requirements and lots of creative options to fulfill them (e.g. Christian symbolism in Tolkien.)
Our tour guide was incredibly awkward and didn’t seem super curious about things outside of his spectrum of engagement so that felt like a missed opportunity – but it didn’t seem to faze the kids.
We loved the library, the athletic facilities, the student center, and the interconnectedness of campus. Dorm rooms all come with a microwave and fridge and are nice but standard.
For me, the STEM building seemed a little deserted (granted, it was a Saturday), especially compared to the other two schools we visited. I didn’t get as strong a sense that research was happening on campus.
What the kids liked: campus look-and-feel/vibe, study abroad options, access to nature. What they didn’t like as much: one said it was a little “meh”; the other noted that the science building seemed kind of dead. For me, this would be a fine choice and I think without being there on a weekday and/or going to a class, it’s hard to really gauge what the academic experience would be like. The boys liked this one best of the three.
Carleton: that same afternoon we got a somewhat specialized tour of Carleton from the guy who runs the physics labs. We weren’t able to do an official admissions tour and barely interacted with students. That said, impressions: the science building seemed more student-centric somehow – there were white boards where students were working on problems, for example. Students were hanging out in the maker space. The architecture was more diverse and the college is more integrated with the town. It also has a large network of trails around campus. The student center was less large/impressive than the one we saw at St. Olaf but it was hopping. If I had a kid who was passionate about STEM and kind of outdoorsy, this would be a great place to send them. The boys were less excited. I think the physics-specific tour was kind of intimidating to my son, who thinks he’s good at physics but hasn’t really encountered much yet. There’s a pervasive smell from the local cereal factory that at first seems pleasant and then kind of grates. It was too much for our exchange student. (this would definitely fall into the category of most random reason to reject a school!) Neither of them was feeling Carleton by the end of the day, although admittedly we saw a narrow sliver of the school. Also? it’s one of the most rejective schools on our list and so I’m not going to push it super hard.
Sunday was an urban hike from the neighborhood near Macalester up to the University of Minnesota, across the iconic ped/bike bridge to the warehouse district in Minneapolis. We made a brief detour through the U: large buildings, very few students in evidence, kind of physically overwhelming to both boys. We didn’t do an official tour and they didn’t seem super curious about it. Onward!
Monday (today) was Macalester. Y’all, I had pinned so much hope on this being the magical, Goldilocks school for my son and he kind of dashed my hopes. Kind of…
I’ll get the obvious thing out of the way: the campus is underwhelming. It’s small. Most of the buildings aren’t particularly architecturally striking (although they’re functional). You cross a busy street to get between the student life office/dorms and the academic and athletic portions of campus. And despite telling me that he wasn’t shallow enough to care about architecture, my son and his German host brother both admitted that they greatly preferred St. Olaf on this front. Bah. That said, the location is in many ways ideal. This is not a school where you need a car – the whole area has made a big investment in bike lanes and trails and the students all get free bus passes. The immediate surrounding neighborhood is lovely–an old, charming, walkable neighborhood of historic homes (many of them duplexes and small-scale apartment buildings that upperclassmen rent). There are good restaurants and drug stores within a block or two of campus. And the airport is maybe 10-15 minutes away.
If I had to use one word to describe the students we encountered, I’d say “engaged.” They seem busy not just with academics but with the world around them. There’s definitely a stronger/more noticeable activist culture there than at either of the Northfield schools. But I also got a sense of academic engagement. The students we met were all majoring in one thing, minoring in another, and concentrating in some third cross-disciplinary field. We went into the science building and most of the faculty seemed to be in their offices, doors open. Students were studying and working together in every nook and cranny around campus. Finally, the location opens up a ton of potential for co-op-type experiences. They boasted scores of local internships that offer academic credit.
The boys went to different sample classes and both came away impressed. They enjoyed lunch with a student. They liked what they saw of the city. So why wasn’t Mac their favorite? Neither could really put their finger on it. The German said “vibes.” (we did keep running into the same German student at St. Olaf and maybe that was enough to give him a good feeling?). The American (the one we’re going to have to send to college) said campus. And maybe also vibes. Who knows.
I almost had a meltdown when I asked: if you were to apply to a bunch of places and only get into one of these three, would you be okay with that? and son said “no. I feel like there are better places for me out there.” But then he walked it back and said he’d probably apply to at least some of them. I’m now deeply curious about how he’ll respond to the Ohio schools.
My final impressions: St. Olaf was peaceful and seems well-run. Macalester was vibrant and scrappy. Carleton was intriguing but also (for us) inaccessible. Onward!