<p>@libiem:
I’m not sure what you want to study, so it’s hard to talk in general terms (but I’ll do it anyway).</p>
<p>Brandeis is flat-out a better school than either Macalester or Hamilton – even if the finances were equal, I’d say go to Brandeis for sure.</p>
<p>One other thing – location. Have you been to Hamilton? It’s a nice campus, but it’s a few hours drive to <em>get</em> to the middle of nowhere.</p>