<p>I agree that the difference between #9 and #15 is probably not significant, especially since it doesn’t tease out whether these PhD’s are in Econ and Political Science or Psychology and Sociology. I know that Macalester has very strong departments in Economics, Political Science and International Studies, and I also know that Oberlin is strong in English and Music.</p>
<p>As an International Student, several things favor Macalester: 1) larger international community and institution-wide commitment to internationalism; in addition to your fellow international students, many of the American students you will meet there have also lived abroad (I think 13% of US students have lived abroad); 2) the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, as well as the University of Minnesota just 5 miles away, have a larger international and more diverse population than the small town of Oberlin; 3) the MSP International airport is just a short cab ride or shuttle away from the Macalester College campus (like 10 minutes)–which makes for significantly easier travel.</p>
<p>True, it is colder in Minnesota than in Ohio, but it is a dry cold with bright sunshine not the gray dampness of Ohio. (I lived in Ohio for the first 23 years of my life and have now been in Minnesota for even longer–I vastly prefer Minnesota)</p>