Macalester, Oberlin, or Haverford?

conflicted2010
Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:26:32 +0000

I applied to a number of liberal arts colleges, but these three have become my top choices. I haven’t visited any of them, and as May 1 approaches I’m getting pretty nervous regarding which one I’ll choose. I only have time to visit two, so I need to get some accurate information on the three, especially in comparison to each other. To put myself in context: I am a quirky, arty intellectual interested in the humanities/social sciences.

I researched all three schools pretty extensively, and different aspects of each appeal to me. I love how academically intense Haverford is, but I don’t love the nerdy naivete it seems a lot of the students possess, nor do I know how I’d handle the small size of the school. I am really interested in how strong the arts are at Oberlin, but I’m worried about the supposed “different for the sake of being different” air of the student body, and I’ve also heard some negative remarks regarding the caliber of Oberlin’s academics (though I’ve also heard some great things, so I’m not sure what to believe). Macalester’s city location and warm student body appeal to me, but it seems like their academics are below-par in comparison to the other two colleges. I eventually want to go to grad school, and both Haverford and Oberlin have high grad school acceptance rates.

I know this decision ultimately comes down to my own, wholly subjective experience on the campus, in the classes, and with the students of each college. Nevertheless, any help with this ridiculously hard choice would be fantastic. Thanks!

(Cross-posted on Haverford and Oberlin forums)