Hey everyone
Just want some insight from “the internet” on my college options. I’m confident I can thrive at any three of them; financially, they are basically all the same, with Macalester being the cheapest. I’m from Minnesota, and I want to study economics, with the ultimate goal to work in public service. Things really important to me are top tier academics, amazing faculty, and an a passionate cohort of students. I’m also eying grad school, so doing research would also be nice. I’ve already visited Macalester, but I’m visiting Haverford and Carleton very soon.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
Congratulations on your acceptances and welcome to College Confidential.
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I think after you visit all three, you’ll know where you want to be.
Carleton is on quarters - and is the most isolated.
Haverford and Mac are on semesters and both more in society - with Haverford having ties to Bryn Mawr and then Swat and Penn as well.
It’s really a preference thing.
Walk and talk on campus, get a feel, see where you are most comfortable.
Best of luck.
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For an academically oriented perspective on your choices, this analysis considered liberal arts colleges by faculty publishing in economics:
Correction to @tsbna44’s post: Carleton is on trimesters, not quarters. Here’s a good description from the college’s website: https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/blog/whats-the-trimester-system-like/
I’m a Haverford grad and active admissions volunteer. I’m glad you’re visiting. After spending time on campus, I think you’ll have a better sense of whether the Ford is for you.
Haverford has the closest ties to Bryn Mawr. The community is referred to as “The BiCo” for bi-college community. The schools are less than 2 miles apart and a free shuttle runs regularly between the campuses until the wee hours. Here’s a fun article about the beloved Blue Bus shuttle: The Magic Blue Bus: A Bi-Co Sanctuary – The Clerk
The schools have seamless cross-registration and complementary course times. Students can major and dine on either campus. The colleges do have their own graduation requirements as well. Many extracurricular activities are bi-co, but both schools field their own varsity teams.
The Tri-Co community includes Swarthmore. There is a separate free shuttle among the schools, but it runs less frequently since Swarthmore is farther away (about 20 minutes IIRC). Haverford students can take most classes at Swat, but it’s a little more challenging due to logistics. There are some TriCo events during the year and an interesting TriCo Philly program available to students https://www.haverford.edu/tri-co-philly-program
You might enjoy Haverford’s mild climate after living in Minnesota. The campus is beautiful in the fall and spring since it’s an arboretum. It’s also about a 20-minute train ride to Philadelphia–the train station is an easy walk from campus. It’s convenient to the Philadelphia airport as well.
Congratulations on such excellent results. I’m less familiar with Macalester, but as far as academics go, Carleton and Haverford are certainly peer institutions. As I’m sure you know, you can’t make a wrong decision.
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I don’t think you can go wrong here, but would going to Macalester in the heart of the Twin Cities help you network for possible public service positions in the future? Just a thought.
Otherwise, I do think of Carleton and Haverford as being maybe just a notch more academicky than Macalester. Like they tend to do extraordinarily well in per capita PhD feeder studies. Not that you have to see such a thing as determinative, but since you mentioned a bunch of related stuff, I think that also might be worth considering.
But again, that doesn’t mean Macalester would be a bad choice either. These are all very good for what you are describing.
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Perhaps relevant to your public service interests would be a school’s track record for sending students into the Peace Corps. This link shows top feeders by school size.
For grad school matriculation rate, College Transitions has a table for Econ PhD production adjusted by school size that may be of use.
These are all wonderful schools, so congratulations on your fantastic results!
I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t point out that only one announced a campus-inspired fragrance line today:
"Nostalgia, bottled. We’re launching a new collection of Carleton-inspired fragrances to capture the vibe of a stroll across campus so you can relive your favorite memories. Just like the unexpected connections made here at Carleton, these scents are crafted to surprise and delight. Read more about each of the fragrances below, and let us know which one you would pick in the comments! Students, faculty, and staff on campus will have the chance to try the fragrances and vote for their favorite. The winning fragrance will go on sale Wednesday, May 7.
It Smells Like Cereal Today: Take in the sweet smell of caramelized sugar with notes of a delectable crunch. This nostalgic scent is a welcome comfort on any cross-campus stroll.
Broomball on the Bald Spot: Inhale the crisp fragrance of cold, night air without having to bundle up. This light aroma cleanses your spirit and energizes you for all your goals ahead.
Turkey Farm Breeze: Embrace the natural aroma of a farmyard in full, productive swing. Unveil the subtle fragrance of freshly turned soil, just as Mother Nature intended."
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Ahh, memories of slipping and falling on my face during a broomball game on a lake in northern Wisconsin decades ago. The impact opened a 1-cm cut on my chin which, to this day, is “bald”. hehe
OP, these are all great choices. Visits to H and C will greatly help you decide.
The Carleton sense of humor gets me every time.
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I appreciate the link. I don’t see even Haverford on the list. Does this imply they are “bad” at research?
Doubt it. All these schools are loaded with high level PhDs. Even less ranked.
Look at faculty CVs and the department page. Set up a meeting with the dept head or another prof to discuss.
For an undergrad, you are likely too much into the weeds. This, in my opinion, should be an environmental choice.
Thanks everyone for replying. I appreciate the links to all the helpful (and funny) resources.
I kind of want to touch on something said by @NiceUnparticularMan. Macalester is right in St. Paul and when I visited, students were talking about all the internship opportunities they had and stuff. One econ student was telling me about an opportunity he interning with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. I’m sure Haverford has similar opportunities.
I’m curious does anyone know if Carleton has the same level of connections and internships? If you’re doing an internship as a Carl, are you doing it in the summer or over winter break? Or are Carls doing internship during the school year? I know students at Mac can do internships during the school year. If anyone has any thoughts, please share.
Also, I’m sorry for spelling “Haverford” wrong when titling this thread. I’m not sure how to fix it.
A Carleton trimester is 10 weeks, the same as a typical quarter on quarter system schools.
Carleton students typically take 3 courses per trimester, and a Carleton course of 6 Carleton credits is considered to be the same credit as 5 quarter hour credits (i.e. a full course load is equivalent to 15 quarter hour credits), according to https://www.carleton.edu/registrar/records/transferring-credit/first-term-first-year/
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I apparently have title-edit rights, so took care of that for you. 
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As an aspect to consider, five of Haverford’s twelve economics faculty are listed as visiting professors, which represents somewhat of an atypical percentage. The research productivity of these visiting faculty would not, I believe, have been included in an analysis such as that posted.
Given the distance to the Twin cities, it would be more difficult for a Carleton student to intern during the trimester, but college kids are resourceful. The best way to find out is to actually speak to someone on campus. Carleton has a way for admitted students to talk to current students. I think when you sign up you can specify what type of questions you have so that they can try to pair you with a student who shares your interests, if available.
Also - not all public service needs to be in a big city. You can get involved in local politics or business wherever you choose to go.
Can you be more specific about your future aspirations than “to work in public service”?
That can mean such a wide range of careers - from running for political office, to working in a diplomatic office, to municipal services (teaching, police, fire, health care, etc), to military service, to almost anything in federal, state, or municipal government. I’m wondering where your passions lie, what your hopes & dreams are.
I’m sorry that I can’t answer your question about Carleton. At any college, students normally play a big role in finding internships and they can be done anywhere. The Career Iffice can help you learn how to do that, but there will be a limit anywhere on contacts they might have.
What I could find on all 3 websites is that all 3 have funds available to provide financial support for students who work in unpaid summer internships. Macalester offers the added dimension of providing free on campus housing for students working summer internships in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. They also seem to offer more internship funding than the other two, but tharpt’s really hard to tell from a website, so I’s contact each college’s career office and ask the question directly about internship funding.
Some additional thoughts on public service. Each college offers opportunities to begin to take first steps in this area. And each is different.
For example, Carleton has its Center for Community & Civic Engagement. Read up on it on the website to see if it offers promise for what you’re interested in. Even better would be to call them and talk to someone in the office about their programs and activities.
Haverford students have access to a Bryn Mawr program called Growth & Structure of Cities. It can be an interdisciplinary major, it can lead to a 3/2 program which includes a master’s in urban planning, and/or it can involve volunteering and summer internships in Philadelphia, using the city as a learning lab.
Macalester offers several interesting concentrations not found at the other colleges, which touch on topics related to public service, such as Community & Global Health: Food, Agriculture, & Society; Human Rights & Humanitarianism; International Development; and Urban Studies.
Perhaps investigating these kinds of opportunities at each college might help you develop a sense of which one better aligns with your interests.
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Econ major is and has always been outstanding at Mac. Students and faculty at Mac absolutely leverage the urban environment and school year internships at top companies are commonplace. Another perk of Mac: you can cross-register business school courses at St. Thomas walking distance away.
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