Jeff

I absolutely love Macalester. It has been the perfect match for me. A couple of its qualities bother me, however. One concerns the international students, of which Macalester is largely composed. They tend to be incredibly cliquish according to what area of the world they're from. This makes it hard for domestic and international students to interact on a regular basis, but there are several people, both domestic and international, who completely ignore these cliques and cross boundaries. The other complaint is the dating scene. For some reason, it is very weak or absent, altogether. There seems to be some inhibitions that Mac students have about approaching each other in a suggestive way, and I don't know why. I love the setting that Macalester is in. Saint Paul has a very neighborhoody feel, while still maintaining some minor resemblance to a city. This makes it easy to feel at ease, while also allowing you to explore and discover new places. Most students are happy to be here, but they're not very quick to express it. Most of the conversation concerning Macalester involves a complaint in some form or another, whether it be social life, financial aid, or the food.

Since most classes are small enough, professors usually have no problem learning and remembering your name. One of my favorite classes was an introductory acting class. I acted in high school, so I have a love for theater. The acting class was incredibly fun, because all it is playing, but it also challenged me to be better and helped me realize that there's always room for improvement. My least favorite class was an introductory Asian history class. It was on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which meant the class was an hour and a half long. The professor was incredibly dry, and often seemed to be a bit confused about where he wanted to lead the class. It was unbearable to sit through that class and attempt to learn something.

The Geology Department and Macalester is very prestigious. With five professors, it is small, but most of the professors are incredibly effective teachers. Only one seems to have trouble with helping students learn. The rest know how to motivate and challenge students. The department is also incredibly cohesive and intimate. Students address the professors by their first names, there is a lot of professor/student interaction outside of class, especially when it isn't crucial to the learning process. Not only are the professors teachers and advisors, but they're close friends.

Outside of class, students very often engage in intellectual conversations. Some might argue that it is the leading cause of procrastination. Depending on who you're talking to, you can gain wonderful insight from another's views and and knowledge. It plays a very important role in the learning and social process.

As a typical leftist liberal arts school, Macalester is extremely welcoming of different ethnicities and orientations, but somewhat hostile towards religion. In terms of socio-economic status, the student body is highly diverse. This is probably a reflection of Macalester's financial aid policies. Students are from incredibly varied places. An extremely large proportion comes from outside the country, and domestic students come from every state. One of the characteristics of Mac students is political activism. People work for several different causes, from the environmental crisis to support for a political candidate. Students are so socially and politically aware that they often feel like they and their fellow students aren't doing enough to change the world. A student who would feel out of place at Macalester is one who focuses most of his or her energies on athletics, or one who values partying and social life over academics.

Soccer games are probably the most popular events at Macalester. They take the place of football games at most other American schools. However, there are several other events that have a high turn-out, including the African Music Ensemble concerts, and occasionally dances. Most of the closest friends I have were from my residential first-year course. I lived with them and related with them through the class and other experiences. However, I gained many friends from other areas, as well. Most of them are from classes or extracurriculars. The dating scene at Macalester is incredibly flawed. For some reasons, students are afraid to approach each other and attempt to start a relationship. A majority of relationships seem to begin under the influence of alcohol. Something is holding Mac students back, and no one knows what it is. There is no greek life at Mac, at there is little to no desire for it. Parties, dances, and social events seem to come in pulses. There are some weekends where nothing is going on, and others where so much is going on, one doesn't know where to start.

The only stereotype I can think of is one that all extremely liberal liberal arts colleges share. The students are crazy liberal and obsessed with political correctness.

This stereotype is mostly accurate, with some outliers who bring a more moderate or conservative view to the environment.