UCB vs Colby vs Macalester for humanities

College Search & Lists
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Hi! I am an international student looking for help with college selection!

Background:

-Asian female
-LGBTQ
-middle class family
-transferred from an extremely cutthroat competitive (toxic) high school to a school with nontraditional learning setting
-had mental health issues so may need some form of mental health support
-has never lived in the US before, worrying about culture shock

Preferences:

-my first choice major is comparative literature, also interested in exploring multiple fields (philosophy, sociology, psychology, Spanish, Russian…)
-fell in love with the vibe of LAC during college research
-prefer urban setting, but I’ll still be fine studying in the middle of nowhere
-love the sea, love snow

UCB:

Pros:
-my parents’ top choice because of its name recognition(worldwide) and prestige(in my country)
-has a comparative literature major
-diversity
-better food (not sure)
-It’s CALIFORNIA

Cons:
-no scholarships
-competition seems brutal (but not sure if it’s just for stem/cs/business or the same for humanities)
-worry about internships, research, study abroad opportunities per student
-high cost of living in California

Colby
Not much research done, can anyone share any experiences?

Pros:
-I was named a Presidential Scholar, amazing opportunities
-free music lessons for first year (learn music from the start for free!)
-LAC with excellent academic reputation

Cons:
-less diversity(?)
-no single dorm
-not as interested in the outdoors
-no comparative literature
-not sure if it’s a good fit in terms of vibe

Macalester

Pros:
-60k aid package for 4 years(!!)
-ideal urban campus location (also means great food)
-multiculturalism and diversity (it’s also more socioeconomically diverse than Colby)
-I think I fell in love with the vibe at Mac…Mac really feels like the utopian college experience I dreamed of in high school

Cons:
-no comparative literature
-my parents don’t like Mac because of its ranking
-not so sure about its academic resources in terms of humanities

Any help/advice/experience you can share would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks to you kind people!

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How much does cost differ and matter?

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From what you’ve described, Mac might be your best bet.

You will definitely find your tribe at UCB, but it’ll be up to you to do that. It sounds like you might prefer a more nurturing environment.

I am a huge fan of Colby – they are good at getting their students all kinds of opportunities. Without enthusiasm for what Maine provides, though, you might simply feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. That could be very stressful.

Mac is pretty diverse, in a great city, and friendly. It is the least likely to add to your stresses.

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UCB: $79,162 (estimated)

Colby: $89,240 – $90,490

Macalester: $72,200 – 74,470 (with financial aid)

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My LGBTQ+ daughter loves both Macalester and Colby. Macalester has a big emphasis on international relations and diversity, not to mention being in the city. Colby is good if you are outdoorsy.

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Both Mac and Colby are highly ranked and regarded LACs (your parents should not have any concerns in this regard), and at both, I suspect you can create an individually designed major in something like comp lit (they both have many language/literature departments). Look into this, though, to make sure you’ll be able to accomplish want you want.

I think Mac might hit your sweet spot – if you’re not particularly outdoorsy, you probably won’t take advantage of much of what Colby has to offer beyond the classroom. Mac is in a fantastic twin cities area that has a significant international population (as does the college itself) and a relatively low cost of living. The Minneapolis airport is also a major international airport, so it will be pretty easy to get home (not so much the case for Colby). Both Mac and the surrounding area are very LGBTQ friendly (though this will be the case for any of your top choices). Humanities education is outstanding and well-resourced. You’ll get lots of personal attention from faculty. Mac prides itself on connecting students with internships and other applied learning opportunities in the city, as well. If you love it, I think this is your best choice!

It looks like your ideal college education is more LAC than big university, and if that’s the case, it sounds like Mac would be a really great fit. I wouldn’t necessarily choose a university based on one department (especially when it’s possible to explore your interests through other means), because people change their majors all the time as they discover new areas of study. Instead, look at other factors like overall curriculum, extra-curricular opportunities, and other measures of fit.

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Well I’m really sorry that your parents think that the name of Berkeley is going to solve those kinds of issues with you. It’s a very competitive environment simply because of the numbers of students and the busyness of the school.
Berkeley has all kinds of students there which would serve an international student well. The food is good, however it’s a different city vibe. Lots of different characters on the street. I think the culture of that area will hit you hard.

If you have to pay full for all of these schools, I think you should go somewhere that suits a softer environment than Berkeley.
Housing will be an issue at Berkeley; it’s very expensive and can be hard to find.
Have you received counseling to help with your mental health stability? This is a rough transition going to a country that is very unfamiliar. You need American street smarts. You have to be very independent and strong.

After the four years are up, what do you plan to do with your degree?

Remember that the US colleges will educate you. You will be a guest of the US government. After your four years are up, you are expected to return to your home country since your student visa will expire.

You need to know this since you need to plan for what’s ahead of you. You cannot plan on staying in the US.

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I’ve mentioned this in another thread or two, but my oldest daughter (HS class of ’22) is at Berkeley, and — while she’s making it work — her experience there has prompted us to think much more carefully about the college experience we’re hoping our class-of-2025 twins can have, and we’re purposefully looking at smaller, more undergrad-focused schools. Berkeley is a large, impersonal place, even when it tries to feel smaller.

If your heart made you say “Mac really feels like the utopian college experience I dreamed of in high school” … listen to it! Do I think you could make it work at UCB? Sure. But do I think Berkeley will make you light up? I don’t. Save Berkeley for grad school.

You sound like you’re really drawn to Macalester. From everything I’ve read on it, it sounds like it’d be a great fit for you.

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US New ranks Colby 25 and Mac 27. Are they ok with Colby’s rank?

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To me, these schools have really different vibes. All three are great academically, but Colby and Mac will bring the easy exploration of a LAC curriculum and access to profs.

Colby and Berkeley are to me polar opposites in terms of campus enviornments – Colby is quite isolated, and you can’t really even walk to the nearby town of Waterville-- the school runs shuttle buses, which is great, but there isn’t much to do in the town. I think you’ll probably find the off campus food options lacking (I believe the only delivery to campus is Domino’s Pizza, for example) and the on campus food will probably get tiresome. Berkeley however is very much in the middle of an urban environment, and one with all of the attending cultural opportunities but also challenges facing many US cities, namely homelessness, drugs etc. My kids are used to this, but this might be a big shock depending on where you are coming from in Asia. The food options of the area will be plentiful whether you want dishes from home or from other cultures (some great Ethiopian, Mexican, etc. food nearby, for example). Macalester has the access of the city with concerts, restaurants, etc., but is in a gentler, residential area of one, with much less of a gritty in-your-face environment, with great food easily accessed as well (and cheaper than in CA). In terms of LGBTQ friendliness, I think you’ll be fine with any of these choices, but Mac has more of an alternative/nerdy/LGBTQ+ vibe vs. Colby, which is maybe more mainstream/prep, if liberal. Mental health-wise, I think Mac is the winner, with a very friendly environment (Minnesota nice is a real thing), unless you hate cold/winter, which would give a huge advantage to UCB over both LACs.

I hear you about the prestige thing, and it can be a powerful influence, esp. in Asia-- but I do agree that if you are thinking of comp lit, you might be leaning less toward hiring companies that care about this more (Wall Street etc), and more toward graduate school…and if that’s the case, I think that obtaining a strong GPA and undergraduate research opportunities would likely be easier at Mac and Colby… big factors for grad school admission…and both are well respected by top graduate programs and you can potentially get the power school name then.

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How much impact will your parents have on the decision? If they’re deciding, then it is what it is.

Even in this country, few will know of Colby or Mac.

Most schools will have a literature major of some sort - but of course, then what will you do with it when you get home?

I’d say find the best for you - and as you said you’ve done little research at Colby. And it costs more.

Does that matter?

Mac is small and in a gem of a city but cold. UCB is huge.

What is your preference? And will your parents allow you to fulfill your preference if not UCB?

If not - well it’s a great name - so congrats to you.

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As much as I hate to say this, I do not think UCB would be the best environment for you. The school is not known for this kind of support and many students feel a bit “on their own” in handling these issues. Maybe someone else will have a different perspective on the matter, but that has been my observation over a number of years.

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Go to Mac. It is cheapest, and you clearly like it the best. I think your parents are putting pressure on you for UCB, but it can be brutal. They will get over it and I think you will thrive at Mac. It’s a great school!

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It is clear that you prefer Macalester College over your other two options. Will your parents pay for any of your options ?

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Comp Lit at most small undergraduate colleges tends to be not very developed. But the ones I know tend to have interdiscipiinary programs that involve faculty housed in different language depts.

Of course, Berkeley has a big free-standing comp. lit. department, with grad students.

I don’t see much in the way of a comp.lit. -like program at Colby.

But Macalaster has something called Critical Theory (as you likely know). It seems like sort of a Continental philosophy/Cultural Studies interdisciplinary thing. Could be great for you, with philosophy (of a particular kind) and other disciplines represented.

You could add a literature major in a particular language, like Russian—though they seem to have only one person who does Russian literary study in their Russian dept.,—and have a double major that felt pretty integrated and vital.

And EDIT: the Russian literary scholar is part of the Critical Theory interdisciplinary program.

I’d say that, at a glance, Macalaster could accommodate your academic interests and other desiderata very well—maybe better than Cal, and probably better than Colby, And it’s in a great city.

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It’s also likely that Macalester (like most LACs, and many universities) allows an individually designed major, which could effectively become a comp lit major, if the OPs interest in that field persists.

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Academic Policies - Macalester College - Acalog ACMS™ describes Macalester’s “Individually Designed Interdepartmental Major”.

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As an International, where prestige is huge, I’d recommend Cal. And yes, the humanities are a lot more collaborative than some of the STEM classes.

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Macalester is a strong PhD feeder, including in the Humanities, so I would not be concerned about the resources/support in those areas.

So, how to convince your parents? I am not sure, but can you find someone who knows about US LACs like Mac and yet who your parents might trust?

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True, but it’s nice to have a departmental home, with other students doing comparable things to what you’re up to.

No knock on designing your own major. I have seen some students start feeling somewhat adrift and isolated as they progress, but not all.

Many do end up adopting a department or program as a kind of home (often their advisor’s department) anyway.

But still, there are benefits (academic, social) to being in a department.

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