Help with decision - Macalester or Carleton? (Pol Sci) - just got off waitlist

NewMinnesotan
Sat, 23 May 2020 01:17:53 +0000

I wanted to share my perspective because I was in the same position last year–trying to choose between Carleton and Macalester, and I was also considering studying political science. Ultimately, I chose Carleton, but I can certainly see the appeal of Macalester, which is also a great school! Here were a few of my considerations when I was trying to make a decision, and a bit about my experience so far:

1. Yes, Northfield is pretty small, especially when the alternative is St. Paul. This ended up being appealing to me, because I felt that the small town gave Carleton a closer community, especially since the vast majority of students live on campus. Having actually lived in Northfield now, I think the town has lots of great things to offer. There are really nice restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance, and there's a nice bookstore downtown.

Honestly, sometimes you really feel like you’re in a small town, especially if you don’t have a car on campus. Students don’t make the trip to the Twin Cities very often (although there are definitely opportunities to do so), and there isn’t much open in town at night. That being said, there are plenty of things to do on campus. People usually spend nights and weekends hanging out with their friends and going to campus events (I’m a fan of SUMO, a Carleton film organization, which has free weekly screenings of recent releases).

Also, the winter doesn’t deter students from being outside, going for walks (whether around campus or into town), etc. I still made the 10-15 minute walk downtown at least twice a week in the dead of winter, and I didn’t grow up with cold weather either.

1. In terms of political science, Macalester definitely has its appeals. It has a strong international focus, and being in the Twin Cities has its advantages. Additionally, there is a Political Science major as well as an International Studies major, and a concentration on Human Rights and Humanitarianism. Alternatively, Carleton has a single major, Political Science/International Relations, and a Public Policy minor, and within that, students choose to focus on either domestic or international politics.

This didn’t up being a huge deciding factor for me, first because I knew I might change my mind (and I did–I’m no longer planning to study political science). Also, I decided that I could probably get an equally good education at either school, so I should focus on other factors that were important to me.

Also, there are definitely lots of opportunities for political science at Carleton. For example, a group of Carleton students went to the Iowa caucus this February to observe the caucus process. Externships are also a big deal at Carleton, and the school really works with and encourages students to take advantage of breaks for this purpose.

Sorry this got to be such a long post, but I hope this helped! I remember how stressful this was, so good luck with making a decision!