<p>I’ll take a shot at this, although I want to preface this by saying that demographic and social “feel” of these school’s student bodies is really quite similar so don’t put too much emphasis on my observations.</p>
<p>Of the two, Carleton is a little more intellectual (has historically had relatively very high numbers of students who eventually get Ph.D’s), and “quirky”, Mac a little more political and international. Sports are at each although not much emphasis is put on varsity sports at either. Also no greek societies at either. Politics skew left on both, but Mac students tend to a more visible activism, probably in part because they are in the capital city and politics is just in the air. Both schools have a good-sized core of students from the upper midwest, but both can properly be said to be national in their draw. I fear misleading you if I mention particular academic strengths as each school is strong in many areas, but Carleton is especially noted for its science programs and Mac for its international and social science programs.</p>
<p>Really the biggest differences are in the physical campus. The closest east coast physical comparison to Carleton I know by visit is Amherst. Like Amherst, Carleton is an historic campus close to the center of what used to be a small town but which has grown-up a bit. Northfield (population 20,000, vis-a-vis Amherst, MA = 38,000) now qualifies as a large town on the verge of small citydom, IMO. Also like Amherst it has a very large and similarly-sized arboretum adjoining campus. The general ambiance is peaceful and contemplative. The chief physical difference from Amherst is that the dominant topography is farm fields, not forested hills. Trips to the Twin Cities (about 45 minutes to downtowns, 20 minutes to south suburban malls) are possible but Carleton students tell me they don’t really play much of a role in their school experience.</p>
<p>Mac, on the other hand, is a compact campus embedded in a residential neighborhood in St. Paul and, although not noisy or “bustling”, picks up more energy from the city that surrounds it. You can see my recent description of the campus here for more details. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14104829-post70.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14104829-post70.html</a>. I can’t think of an east coast equivalent that I have seen.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>