<p>woo<em>ah</em>chin, congratulations to you and your family. It is an honor to be accepted to these two schools. You sound like you are very serious and willing to work hard. With determination you can succeed no matter which school you attend. American graduate schools will care much more about your performance than about small differences (if any) in the reputation of these departments. </p>
<p>Both these colleges have a good record of preparing students to earn Ph.D.s in the Social Sciences. For 1991-2000, Oberlin ranked #9 and Macalester #15 for number of graduates earning Ph.D.s in SS. Remember, there are about 3000 colleges and universities in the USA. So, you can see you picked two good ones. The difference between #9 and #15 probably is not significant. (Source: <a href=“http://www.earlham.edu/~ir/bac_origins_report/socsci.html[/url]”>http://www.earlham.edu/~ir/bac_origins_report/socsci.html</a>)</p>
<p>One thing to consider is the climate. If very cold weather affects your attitude or your health, do not go to Macalester. Saint Paul, Minnesota is one of the coldest major cities in the continental U.S. If that is a problem for you, you should be happy that Oberlin offered more money, so why not go there?</p>
<p>However, if you prefer the opportunities of a big city, and the cold is not a problem, go to Macalester. Oberlin is in a very rural area.</p>