Those Macalester Kids
Kaplan has put together a list of the nation’s most elite schools that are not in the Ivy League and Macalester College is on the list.
Macalester students are passionate about academics, politics and extracurriculars, says Lorne Robinson, dean of admissions and financial aid. Being in St. Paul helps. Most small liberal-arts colleges tend to be in rural areas or small towns. Macalester’s 1,840 students—all undergraduates—come from 80 countries and all 50 states. Despite its size, Macalester’s catalog lists 750 courses. The most popular majors: political science, economics and biology.
I don’t really know a whole lot about Macalester, but I know that Macalester students have a certain reputation. I’m not 100% clear on what the reputation is exactly, but they do have a reputation, just like students from all the other schools around town and around the state do.
So somebody fill me in. What is it about Macalester students? Or kids at the U? Or Metro State or Augsburg or St. Kate’s or St. Thomas or MCAD or MCTC or Hamline or any of the other schools around town?
Are they snotty rich kids? Are they stoner losers? Are they catholic school girls in the Britney Spears sense? What’s the word?
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Macalester is my alma mater. It gets a rep for being fairly liberal around town (some might describe it as radical).
Trustafarians?
The reputation is rich, smart and liberal, I guess. At the bars around the neighborhood, my friends and I have coined the term for “The Mac Attack,” when a whole bar will fill up the kids. Very easily picked out of a crowd, there’s a definite Macalester “look.” We usually try to frequent those bars when school is out of session.
I think “trustafarians” about sums up the vague sense that I had.
I’m also interested in the reputations of different Twin Cities students, since I study at th U, but know little about this area. Maybe I’ll switch to Macalester next year…
Someone forwarded this to me awhile back. It offends nearly everyone, but pretty accurately sums things up.
HOW MANY MINNESOTA COLLEGE STUDENTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?
1. At Bemidji State University, none, Bemidji doesn’t have electricity yet.
2. At Bethel, it takes none. They don’t screw.
3. At Carleton, it takes two. One to change the bulb and one to explain how they did it every bit as well as any Ivy Leaguer.
4. At Concordia, it takes ten. One to figure out how to screw it in, nine to find an ugly enough lampshade to match there school colors.
5. At Gustavus, it takes six. One to change it, two to mix the drinks and three to find the perfect J. Crew outfit to wear for the occasion.
6. At St. Kate’s, it takes seven and each one gets four semester credit hours for it.
7. At Hamline, it takes three. One to change the bulb and two to phone a friend at St. John’s to get instructions.
8. At Macalester, it takes four. One to screw in the bulb and three to figure out how to get high off the old one.
9. At Mankato State University, it takes 1, but it takes him 6 years.
10. At Moorhead State University, it takes 3, one to change it and 2 to crack under the pressure.
11. At St. Ben’s, it takes 4,one to change the light bulb and 3 to figure out how it will help them meet their future husband.
12. At St. John’s, it takes none. We get the Young Tommie Sluts to do it for us, and they make us lasagna.
13. At St. Mary’s, it takes five. One to change it and four to talk about how they would have done it in Chicago.
14. At St. Olaf, it takes 100. One to change it, 49 to talk about how they do it better than Carleton, and 50 who realize it’s all a lie.
15. At St. Thomas, it takes eight. One to change it and 7 to bitch about how they wouldn’t have gone to St. John’s/St. Ben’s even if they could have gotten in.
16. At University of MN St Paul, none, down town St. Paul looks better in the dark.
17. At University of MN Twin Cities, 4, one to change the bulb, and three to write up a complaint to the Board of directors stating that they could have gone to a better school If they had wanted.
18. At the University of MN Duluth, the whole student body, there’s nothing else to do in Duluth on the weekends.
19. At University of MN Morris, it takes 1; he just holds the bulb and waits for the world to revolve around him.
20. At Winona State University, it takes 3, one to change it and 2 to figure out how to turn it on.
21.At St. Cloud State University, “who gives a F***… let’s drink in the dark!!!”
I’m an alumni (’79, so not real current) but I can say it’s not really trustafarians. Mac has such an incredible amount of money that most students are there on some sort of aid or scholarship.
It has a very high international component, is incredibly leftist, very very bright, and, when I was there, led the world in drug usage per capita. We were arguing over where the transgendered could pee before the rest of MN knew what transgendered means.
Okay, this will date myself and its highly unlikely anyone knows about this but when I was about 7 (er, 30 years ago) my aunt had an apartment 2 blocks away. For whatever reason we were walking through that area, heading to the bus or what have you and it appeared to have snowed. (this was in the summer).
Once we were closer we found that an extremely large area (who knows from my 7 year old eyes) but if felt like at least a full square block, had been completely littered with cut outs from Playboy and Penthouse. Neatly cut photos of naked women spread (um?) all across the courtyard.
Since then I have always been a big fan of the school.
Mac kids = 1 part self-righteousness + 1 part feel good activism + 2 parts having the money to do what they want + 1 part mentioning the few poor kids they know + 1 part terrible, terrible music.
“We were arguing over where the transgendered could pee before the rest of MN knew what transgendered means.”
Recognize our progressiveness!!