Colorado College vs. Macalester vs. Occidental vs. Whitman?
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Anonymous
| All of these colleges are on my DC's list for social sciences. What are some pro's or con's you have experienced or are privy to? |
Anonymous
| Spouse is an enthusiastic alum of Colorado College. Grew up in Boston so it was a real change, loved the hiking, biking, skiing aspects but also really thought the CC block system was a great way to learn. |
Anonymous
| Aren’t they all second tier? If you’re going to pay that much for college why not aim higher? |
Anonymous
Oh, according to this board I thought Pomona was “second tier.” Please see yourself out, troll. |
Anonymous
Is this how you speak to people you know in real life directly to their face? Or are you only this rude on anonymous forums? |
Anonymous
Not familiar with the latter two, the first two provide decent education. If the kid wants to pursue advanced degrees, they are more than enough. |
Anonymous
| Macalester is urban, unusual among lacs. The other ones are Barnard and Richmond. |
Anonymous
|
These are among the rare group of liberal arts colleges that are in or near cities, which is a great perk for internships and entertainment outside of the school bubble. I definitely see the appeal!
We visited Occidental and I liked that it had a pretty campus and a nurturing vibe. The graduation rate is a little lower than some of the other schools on my kid's list, which gave me a little pause, but I think my kid will still apply because it is strong in international relations. |
Anonymous
It’s not rude. It’s fact. |
Anonymous
| My sense, based on visits/family friends rather than direct, prolonged experience is that the vibe at Colorado College and Macalester is quite different. CC attracts outdoorsy, work hard/play hard types;Macalester is a bit more intellectual, more urban, more public service/activist oriented, more international. Kids from my DC’s prep school who apply to these schools tend not to overlap— CC goes along with Middlebury, Colby, Colgate, UVM; Macalester applicants also look at Swarthmore, Haverford, Wesleyan, Bates. Not implying that one is better than the other, just different strokes. But this is based on a small sample size and might be wrong. |
Anonymous
| Recommend looking at other threads about Colorado College as the block scheduling is unique and apparently great for some but not for all students. |
Anonymous
| Colorado College is unique; the block plan is not for everyone, and Colorado Springs is an unusual city with zero East Coast vibe (albeit with some remarkable strengths, e.g., the US Olympic headquarters, Air Force Academy, exceptional outdoor pursuits). But it has been great for my DC: mentor-level relationship with professor in major, school-funded grants for international travel, rewarding summer internship in relevant field, part-time on-campus job that teaches real-world skills. Our other kids go to HYPSM and a "Top 13" LAC (ha!) so we have basis for comparison -- for the right kid, including ours, CC can be a one-of-a-kind great fit. We are very happy with DC's experience there. |
Anonymous
| No one from the east coast will know Whitman (eastern Washington SLAC - far from everything). We are PNW and my dd got significant merit from Whitman and Mac. Ended up at a 5C's college. Will attest that CC does not overlap with Mac. People at Whitman are smart, and hardworking, and rock climbing is huge so maybe more similar to CC? Not sure about Occidental. I'd say CC has the most cache name-wise, then Mac. |
Anonymous
Walla Walla is not a city. Whitman is a lovely college for the right kid, but it is one of the most isolated LACs I can think of. It's 3 hours from Spokane, 4 hours from Seattle, and 4 hours from Portland. It is closer to the Nez Perce reservation, and to a variety of white nationalist compounds, than it is to a city. |