How I chose my college

Choosing a college can be thrilling, overwhelming, and everything in between. Generations of students have been in the same place you are now – wondering what school will be the perfect fit. Here are just a few stories from students who had a similar choice to make.

Choosing a college

These students share the process and priorities that brought them to Mac!

For the longest time, I was convinced that I would go to my state university, just like everyone else who attended my high school. It wasn’t until a random Thursday afternoon in early September, right after I was wrapping up debate practice, that my best friend told me about how she had just toured Macalester and thought I should look into it. The next week, I asked my debate coach what she thought, and she echoed a similar sentiment– ‘you’d be great there.’ Finally convinced, I looked it up and perused the website. A small school, located twenty minutes from my house, with a diverse student body that cares about making a difference. It was a complete departure from what I had initially expected my college experience to be, and part of me worried about what it would look like in real life. 

Is it too good to be true?

Fast forward to the Spring of that same year, and decision day was rapidly approaching. I was invited to a program to stay on Macalester’s campus and learn more about what it would be like to be a student here. While meeting new people is always a little scary, I was surprised to be surrounded by people who were so alike yet so different from myself. I met people from all over the country, with unique interests, skills, and backgrounds. They were kind, funny, and reminded me of my friends from home, even though I had only known them for a couple hours. I made friends then that I hang out with now, and I started to learn then what I know now:

Macalester is not perfect–no school is–but the connections, relationships, and experiences that I’ve had prove that it’s good, and it’s true.

I chose Macalester for a few key reasons that all came down to seeking both contrast and connection. First, I was eager to experience life in a place with snow, a total departure from the heat and humidity I grew up with in Florida. There was something exciting about throwing myself into an environment that felt unfamiliar and seasonal, even if it meant dealing with winters I’d only ever seen in movies. I told myself that if I truly couldn’t stand it after four years, I could always move back south. But I saw it as a chance to grow by stepping outside my comfort zone. Second, coming from a very small high school with fewer than 150 students total, I was looking for a college that could replicate the sense of community I valued, while offering something my high school couldn’t with a broader, more global perspective. Macalester stood out to me for its tight-knit campus culture and its strong international focus. Nearly every class I’ve taken here has included peers from a wide range of cultural, national, and socioeconomic backgrounds. That diversity has deeply enriched my academic experience, challenging me to think more critically and compassionately about the world beyond my own. It’s one thing to read about global issues in a textbook, but it’s another to hear firsthand perspectives from classmates who have lived those experiences.

Coming from a very small, rural town in Iowa, going into my college search the one thing I was absolutely certain of was that I wanted to be much closer to a large population, whether that be a city or a large school. I visited many different types of colleges and universities, and used that wide variety of experiences to help me understand what I really wanted from my final school: being in or close to an urban area, small class sizes, a college that prioritized student well-being, and a collaborative atmosphere.

I knew a number of people who had either gone to Mac or previously worked here, and so I wound up visiting three times. Across those visits, which spanned the beginning, middle, and end of my college selection process, I was impressed by the resources available to Mac students, as well as the discussion and collaboration I saw when I sat in on classes. The Cities were also a big draw, and as I explored them with my parents I could see myself living in them. I had also decided by this point that I wanted to swim in college, and the coaches on the swim team here were incredibly welcoming, and emphasized the importance of positive team chemistry, which I believe also extends to the rest of the campus. Students love to support each other and their interests, and I could see that even before I was actually enrolled.

Macalester Students Reflect on their Decision

The first time I saw Macalester, it was around midnight, technically the same day I was scheduled for my campus tour. My mom and I had just finished driving 10 hours from metro Detroit to the Twin Cities, and she humored me by driving through campus on our way to our hotel. I distinctly remember her saying “I could see you being happy here.”

When I went on my campus tour, I was exhausted from a long day of driving, but the warm energy from students on campus kept me invigorated. I remember asking a student to walk me through Old Main and hearing professors laughing and talking with students. On another floor, I saw two students helping each other review homework problems. In high school, I struggled with comparing myself to other students, but I thought that was just supposed to be a part of school that I had to overcome. I honestly didn’t know that I could attend an academically rigorous college that prioritized collaboration over competition until I found Mac.

I knew I wanted a college where I could experience a flow of ideas and learn from a diverse set of perspectives, and I also wanted a college that emphasized community. As a queer student, it meant a lot to me to see that Mac had resources and programming that actively supported and celebrated queerness and engaged with LGBTQ+ organizations in the greater Twin Cities. Similarly, when I talked to students, I learned that I could easily explore professional journalism opportunities with papers in the Twin Cities while still finding a community in the student newspaper. On my way out from admissions, I picked up a copy of The Mac Weekly and read it on the car ride home. Now, the person who wrote the front page article I read in the car is one of my closest friends. My mom was right: I am happy here. 

At my high school it was expected that you go into the workforce, army, or community college right after graduating. After going to my counselor’s office, I felt completely lost, nobody in my family had gone beyond the 4th grade in their small town in Mexico, and now I was trying to do the impossible. When I applied to Macalester, right from their start, I received so much support from the fly-in programs to financial aid. Due to my lack of knowledge about the college application process as a first-generation low-income student, I had not visited any institutions. About a month before decision day, I narrowed down my top two choices being Macalester and a large state university. My aunt took me to both institutions during the last week of April, and during my visit to Macalester I got to go on a tour and talk to professors in the political science department. During my conversations with professors, I could see their genuine interest in what I was talking about, and my current advisor Lesley Lavery was just so amazing. Through my conversations with professors, I was able to observe other interactions that students had with them, and it was evident that they have supportive connections. After leaving Macalester, my sister and I went to the Mall of America. Just with a few minutes of walking around this huge place for the first time, my sister and I knew that I found the place for me. To this day, I think committing to Macalester at the MOA is the most Minnesota thing I have done.

Before coming to Macalester College, I studied in UWC Dilijan, an international high school in Armenia. To me, UWC was a magical 2-year experience during which I understood differences, gained independence and grew to know myself more and more clearly. So, when choosing colleges, I was looking for colleges that believe in education, development and humanitarianism, meanwhile offering strong science majors – liberal arts colleges therefore became my focus. 

Coincidentally, around that point, Sarah Paulsen, the director of international admissions, visited our high school. I had never heard of Mac until we had an interview. Yet after that, I started to get to know Mac, actively. I learned that it values internationalism and has a diverse campus; it is located in the Twin Cities, which makes Mac so different from other liberal arts colleges; and it is favoured by a great number of UWCers. Somehow, Mac was more and more impressive to me. 

But the most impressive thing about Mac before I came to the campus was its application essay questions. I can’t recall the exact questions but clearly remember I wrote about religion, culture & cuisine and values – the qualities a college should care the most about because we will carry those qualities with us from college, to society. We never lack smart people, but we always need people with kindness, understanding and potential. Some people may say Mac, or other liberal arts colleges, create a bubble. But Mac creates a community where we can learn together while still preparing us for the real world.

After being at Mac, I’ve never regretted my decision. I can really feel the efforts Mac has invested in me as a student and a person. Minnesota can be quite cold; but Mac makes it a little warmer.

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Day In The Life

Spend a day with more students from Macalester. Meet their friends, professors, and roommates. Step into their classes and join them at Café Mac. There’s never a dull moment.

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