A Visit to Macalester College

On a cold but beautiful winter’s day – 20 degrees and sunny -- downtown St. Paul never looked better. Macalester College is located on the main drag and bus line connecting the Twin cities, but its contained campus pulses with activity even at 9:30 on a weekday morning. Macalester is one of the few small liberal arts colleges located in a city, offering a personalized experience with access to broader internship, cultural and political opportunities.
The college, known for its liberal bent, emphasizes social responsibility, progressive political ideas, and international cooperation. They offer a popular concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism, and five majors actually require study abroad. Unlike other small liberal arts schools, Macalester offers international students the same 100% need-based aid they do for domestic students. This means that there is a variety of economic status represented among the 19% international student body.
Students are very engaged in their classes, but are not competitive with each other. They continue conversations outside of class and are more likely to be talking about Tibet than the latest TV show in the cafeteria. The students play "push ball" on the green when there's at least 2.5 feet of snow. The goal is simply to push a huge ball past the other team's line -- hard and fun to do when the snow is past your knees! And if you like soup, Mac Soup, a student group, makes a bowl for everyone on campus once a month.
It’s a small, selective liberal arts college, in an urban location, with students who are engaged with their studies, their local community and the world at large. Should you add Macalester to your college list? I’d be happy to talk to you about it! Call me at 847-660-8625 or fill out the “contact me” form at the bottom of the page.
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