Macalester, Oberlin, or Haverford?

collegesavvy
Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:38:21 +0000

Hi,

I’m a current undergrad at Mac, and I’ve got to say that academics here is intense. I’m a sophomore and in a couple of days, I have two 25-page papers due (one for Global Political Economy, and the other is for Geography of Development). Because the classes are really small, there is no getting around not doing your work, and profs notice it. That being said, profs at Mac are not only some of the brightest in their fields, but they’re also the most conscientious teachers and mentors you will find.

Through the school, I’ve gotten really fortunate with opportunities, and when I meet people and I tell them I’m from Mac, there is never a negative vibe from them. In fact, most of the non-profits in the Twin Cities prefer Mac students over any other college students in the area. There’s a lot of Mac alumni presence around the world. For example, when I was accepted to attend a leadership conference at Harvard Kennedy School last month, I was surprised to find that a Mac alumn was coordinating the conference, and she told me that Boston was full of Mac alumns who hail from top institutions.

I don’t think you’ll have trouble getting into grad school after Mac. Mac has one of the highest percentages of alumns getting Ph.D’s (one of my friends just got accepted into Columbia at one of their PhD programs).

That being said, I know how hard it is making a choice between Haverford, Oberlin, and Mac. I have friends at both Haverford and Oberlin, and we all really regard each other as academic equals, and truth be told, there’s not much of a difference. As undergrads, we all use the same foundations textbooks; deriving equations is the same method no matter what school you go, what Plato said thousands of years ago does not somehow sound “more intense” at other colleges, especially not at small liberal arts colleges.

What I recommend you do is to first check out the schools’ Facebook fan pages. You’ll see how the college brands itself. Then, engage in the schools’ Facebook groups for your class and get a feel for how you may fit in with the student body. Who knows, maybe you’ll make early friends.

If you have any questions about Mac, I can certainly make myself available. I’m majoring in Political Science, and minoring in either Econ or Geography (I haven’t decided yet, but it’s ok).

Best wishes on your decision!