h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ah, the Midwest. I've lived here all my life, and darn if we don't have our own vocabulary. We are blessed with such gems as "kitty-corner", meaning "diagonally from" and "don'cha know!" which everyone should know by now. We are staunch supporters of the word "pop" in reference to soft drinks. One of my favorite phrases that I know is Minnesotan is "oh, fer cute!" It means "oh, how cute is that!" I've never heard a non-Minnesotan use it, but amoung us, I think it's quite common. Another common one is "well, I s'ppose" meaning, "well, it's about time to leave..." Definitely a hick line, because it means they won't leave for at least another half an hour or, at the worst, three...man I this state!

Neutrino

ha . . . i went to mn this summer for an awesome summer camp called MITY . . . (i'm from california) and everyone did say pop. it was great.
i also loved the houses, and how green and blue it was, but i still maintain that california is SO MUCH better than minnesota.
Most important reason: You only have ONE theme park, Valley Fair, and it sucks. Definently the worst theme park I've ever attended, and that includes Legoland.

oregonians say kitty-corner, too, or at least in portland

Hey now, just 'cause you're used to DisneyLand and Six Flags doesn't mean you can knock the wind out of our sails...ValleyFair may not be great, but it's still a lot of fun. We also have THE MALL (AKA the Mall of America), which is rather cool. I still maintain MN's a great state, especially the countryside. We get all these stereotypes, too, like soccer moms, and swedish Lutherans, and Minnesota Nice. The funny thing is, a great deal of the population exactly matches these profiles.

Yeah, the mall of America was very big. And yes, Minnesota is a very pretty place. And yes, you are home to some great colleges.
But that theme park . . . oy. I'll give you one thing, though - there are practically no lines. I swear, my friends were apologizing to me for a ten minute wait. THAT was mind-blowing. Other than the lines, though, the rides were blah.

A ten minute wait? You must've gone on an off-day...yes, we are home to some great colleges (I happen to be a member of one--Macalester College--yippee!). In fact, I should be studying so I can stay at this great college, but I'm doing something else, of course.

Neutrino

YOU GO TO MACALESTER?
I LOVE MACALESTER!
I AM APPLYING TO MACALESTER!
(THAT'S WHERE MY SUMMER NERD CAMP THING WAS)
TELL ME ABOUT IT!

and me!! one of my really good friends is applying there.

Tell you about it, eh? Where to start, where to start...Well, it's a very open campus. You can believe almost anything you want and be accepted for it (unless, of course, you are a republican, then you will be sent out back and shot). Another real cool thing is everyone is very warm to you, smile and wave, and chances are you will receive the same back. Everyone is smart here, so it's nice to be surrounded by non-morons. The academics here are really good, at least in my experience. Professors expect as much as they should from us, but aren't unapproachable, which is nice if you have questions. There is always something to do around here, sometimes TOO much. There is a lot of social and political activism, as well as cultural and music organizations. Basically, whatever you're into, you can find it here. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else you want to here, so let me know.

Neutrino

So it's true - republicans are absolutely not accepted?
That seems to be the problem with most of the liberal arts colleges I am in love with; closemindedness! You'd think a bunch of hippies would be past all that, but no, every single damn one says No Republicans. I"M a liberal, but some of my best friends are conservatives, and I prefer a more diverse atmoshphere.
Other than that, Macalester seems awesome. What is the social atmosphere like, other than friendly?
Also, would you say there are a lot of required courses?
Three of my friends are also applying to Macalester; think this will hurt us?
Have you ever been on an admissions comittee there? Do you know what they are looking for?
THANK YOU!

It's mostly true that repubs are mostly not accepted, however, there IS a MacRepubs contingent on campus, though mostly they are underground. It is not that we are anti-conservative or anything, simply that the values most Mac students hold do not match the values of the Republican Party. It is a problem of closemindedness, true, but I feel that ultraconservatives have a harder time with this issue than liberals. The social atmosphere is very open. Since it is a small campus, you pretty much see everyone and know most people, which is very nice (but can be bad at times). People come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so one can always find common ground and a definite group, I think. There aren't too many required courses, obviously, being a liberal arts school, there are general ed's to complete, but they are compatible with most majors. One thing for sure is two years of language. I don't think coming up here with your friends will hurt you, as long as you don't limit yourselves to only being with them. Explore and find other people to hang out with as well, and you should fit in. As to admissions, I'm not on the committee, but obviously I've been through the process. They are looking for people who are passionate about learning, take an active interest in the world around them, are anxious to get out and be active, and who are curious about the world around them and its inhabitants. Other than that, I don't really remember. It helps to have an "alternate" perspective (AKA other than white previleged private school graduate, though certainly, it will not hurt you either, just being openminded and accepting is enough).

Neutrino

i think maclaster is going on my list. thankies!

but how cold does it get in winter?

It gets cold, but it hasn't been terribly cold the last few years. Most times, it is coldest late December and January, which is when winter break occurs anyway, so it's a moot point. Honestly, I don't feel cold should play a huge factor in the decision making process, it won't matter--I promise.

Neutrino

Macalester is def. on my list, I love it so . . . I am white and middleclass, but i don't go to private school! i'm just hoping we all get in, though i don't think it's anybody's FIRST choice. it is one of mine, anyway.
so the campus is pretty close-knit. hmm. is there a lot of partying, etc? i don't want to go to a big party school, but i don't exactly want to go to BYU or anything. again, thanks for answering my questions.

There isn't a whole lot of partying, but if you really want to party, there's always one you can find (just like any other campus). If you don't want to drink, nobody is going to pressure you or anything, which is really cool. I'm glad you seriously thinking about coming here, it's a fun school. Don't worry about race, etc. too much, as long as you love it, everything will be fine!

Neutrino

but *how* cold? forties most ofthe winter, or ... ?


thanks for the info, soooo much!

Oh, no, no! Much colder than that! (well, not TOO much colder). In the winter, it's usually very low thirties or below. Forties are warm days...but like I said, most of the worst weather is during January, which coincides with winter break. Right now, it's been in the forties, and people are getting used to the "shock" of the cold, since we had been getting such nice weather lately.

Neutrino

oh gads . . . can't stand cold weather, but every damn college i'm looking at is somewhere freezing.
i know you're not an english major . .. but how IS the literary scene at Macalester? do you know?

I'm sorry I've taken so long to answer your question...but if you hold on a bit more, I'll be able to, eventually. My roomie's an english major, so I can ask her about it, but I don't know when would be a good time, so it might be a bit longer! Sorry!

Neutrino