macalester

[Anonymous]

DC has been accepted EA to Macalester with a lot of merit--they liked it when they visited but they are waiting to hear from several other schools and seems to be dropping down their list.

On paper, Mac seems to be the perfect school for them...I'm wondering if it's the lack of "prestige" of this school in the DMV that is causing DC to think less of it, which would be sad. I'm surprised by how few people around here seem to know about it, given all it has going for it (high caliber SLAC in a cool city--kind of a unicorn in that respect).

Would be interested in hearing from people with kids at Mac (or who have been accepted) about their experiences at the school.

[Anonymous]

You mean a cold city not a cool one. Lol.

[Anonymous]

I wanted DC to apply because it seems like a real gem, but no go. Not sure why its not more popular because there are so few SLACs near urban areas, but it does not get a lot love around here. Maybe the next popular school?

[Anonymous]

My son applied to Macalester EA and really liked it. We hadn't visited but in part because of the supplemental essays he felt like he'd gotten to know the school. He got in elsewhere ED but if he hadn't Mac would have been a top prospect. Two academic parents btw and we are fans as well. It definitely doesn't have the same brand recognition that other similar LACs have among the East Coast crowd, but I think that's changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC has been accepted EA to Macalester with a lot of merit--they liked it when they visited but they are waiting to hear from several other schools and seems to be dropping down their list.

On paper, Mac seems to be the perfect school for them...I'm wondering if it's the lack of "prestige" of this school in the DMV that is causing DC to think less of it, which would be sad. I'm surprised by how few people around here seem to know about it, given all it has going for it (high caliber SLAC in a cool city--kind of a unicorn in that respect).

Would be interested in hearing from people with kids at Mac (or who have been accepted) about their experiences at the school.

No kids there, but my DS15 used to do a summer camp at Macalester. It's a great area-- I would be very excited if my DS applied and got into school there.

[Anonymous]

If Macalaster was in the T20, I think DC would have gone for it. Liked the campus, enjoyed the meal we had that evening at a nearby restaurant, etc. Alas, DC was focused on going to the highest rank LAC possible, so it did not make the EA/ED list.

I found that frustrating but it was ultimately DC's choice, so I bit my tongue.

[Anonymous]

I visited Macalester with my senior and really loved it. I think it has more cache for some areas of study like IR or politics but I just really its laid back vibe. And... free bagpiping lessons - I mean that's an awesome perk.

[Anonymous]

I think it is getting more popular, they enrolled their second largest class ever this fall. One thing about Mac is that they are always trying to do better and I think it is a fairly low pressure environment to get a great education and the location can't be beat. 15 minutes from a major airport and close to many internships etc including with government positions in St. Paul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is getting more popular, they enrolled their second largest class ever this fall. One thing about Mac is that they are always trying to do better and I think it is a fairly low pressure environment to get a great education and the location can't be beat. 15 minutes from a major airport and close to many internships etc including with government positions in St. Paul.

Same! Proximity to airport and state capita/capitol are two major points we kept raising with DC....

[Anonymous]

My sense is that it is a great school that refuses to game the rankings the way other schools do (e.g., by trying as hard as possible to drum up applications so the acceptance rate will decrease)...as a result, it is "stuck" in the 20s when it could be in the teens, which would give it a lot more appeal to high achieving kids around here.

But maybe that's for the best...the kids who end up there are super smart but not necessarily the "gunners" and perhaps that is what keeps the vibe so awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sense is that it is a great school that refuses to game the rankings the way other schools do (e.g., by trying as hard as possible to drum up applications so the acceptance rate will decrease)...as a result, it is "stuck" in the 20s when it could be in the teens, which would give it a lot more appeal to high achieving kids around here.

But maybe that's for the best...the kids who end up there are super smart but not necessarily the "gunners" and perhaps that is what keeps the vibe so awesome.

Good points. If they cut the multiple supplementals in half, or just one, they would get more apps. But maybe they've decided that is a good barrier to entry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sense is that it is a great school that refuses to game the rankings the way other schools do (e.g., by trying as hard as possible to drum up applications so the acceptance rate will decrease)...as a result, it is "stuck" in the 20s when it could be in the teens, which would give it a lot more appeal to high achieving kids around here.

But maybe that's for the best...the kids who end up there are super smart but not necessarily the "gunners" and perhaps that is what keeps the vibe so awesome.

Acceptance rate isn't a USNWR ranking algorithm input (neither is yield). Rankings may generally be stupid (I think they are) and USNWR in particular may use a suboptimal algorithm (I think it does), but it's harder to game than DCUM generally assumes.

[Anonymous]

My daughter also got in EA. She visited and really liked it. I also have a family member who went there and have met a lot of his alumni friends. All of them are doing great things and had a wonderful experience with the school. DD is waiting to hear back from a few other schools before making her final decision, but would be very happy going there. I agree it is a gem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter also got in EA. She visited and really liked it. I also have a family member who went there and have met a lot of his alumni friends. All of them are doing great things and had a wonderful experience with the school. DD is waiting to hear back from a few other schools before making her final decision, but would be very happy going there. I agree it is a gem.

OP here- good to know about your family member & their friends! Are they recent alums? We only know one person who went to the school (he is an accomplished academic physician and loved it but he is our age...so it seems like maybe not super helpful for getting the down low on what the school is like now....)

[Anonymous]

My niece graduated from there two years ago and loved it. From Macalester, she was accepted into a top Masters program.