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Hi! Does anyone by any chance know what the average high school GPA of accepted students at Macalester is? I'm trying to figure out if my numbers are in the same ballpark... Thanks!

By Macmom (Macmom) on Sunday, July 25, 2004 - 04:25 pm: Edit

The class profile for class of 2008 says that 4402 applied for a class of 465, 26% of those admitted were ranked first or second in their class, 345 were National Merit finalists or equivalent, 81% were in the top tenth of the class, median SAT Verbal was 715, median SAT Math was 690, median ACT was 31.

By Fonzie (Fonzie) on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 04:43 am: Edit

The median ACT was 31?!?

By Eeem (Eeem) on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 02:09 pm: Edit

The good thing about Mac is that they don't work from an admissions formula. If you don't have the best SAT or ACT scores, the best GPA, etc, they're not going to automatically toss your application. They take into account the level of classes you chose to take in highschool. For instance, if you took AP or IB courses in highschool and have a lower GPA than those who didn't, Mac takes that into account. They like if you challenged yourself, even if your grades aren't the greatest. They also know that some people don't test well, so if your academic record is good and your test scores are not, you still have a chance. Admissions is becoming more competitive, but if you made an effort to do well, challenge yourself, and took a diverse range of classes, then I think you have a chance at Macalester.

By Medusa2003 (Medusa2003) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:04 am: Edit

The median ACT at Macalaster is 29 per the Macalester website. The middle 50% range is 27 -31. I'm curious where Macmom got the statistics?

By Medusa2003 (Medusa2003) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:23 am: Edit

Also, the 345 National Merit Finalists that Macmom reports seems to be a typo. Historically, Macalester has had around 50 National Merit Finalists enroll each year which is about 10% of entering freshman.

Macalester is an excellent school but some of the numbers reported just don't seem right.

By Medusa2003 (Medusa2003) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:46 am: Edit

After further evaluation of the numbers that Macmom posted they seem more reasonable if these are stats for ADMITTED students compared to ENROLLED students. The admission of 345 National Merit finalists out of an applicant pool of 4402 is perfectly reasonable. An admitted student ACT which is a couple of points higher than the enrolled student ACT is also reasonable, since it is likely that many of the students who applied to Macalester may have also applied to even more selective schools like the University of Chicago, Swarthmore, or Amherst.

By Macmom (Macmom) on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 08:06 pm: Edit

I took my information verbatim from the class profile for 2008 (unless I mistyped something, which is always possible). I think it is clear, from the reference to "26% of those admitted", that this information applies to admitted students, not enrolled students. I believe this profile came out before the acceptance deadline. It's the most current information I could find; it was posted in information for admitted students. In any event,Macalester seems to be a great place with plenty of bright, interesting students who do not come from a cookie-cutter background (my daughter will be a sophomore). It does not seem to be a place where prestige, defined by formula-driven statistics, is paramount.

By Medusa2003 (Medusa2003) on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 11:40 pm: Edit

Thanks for the clarification about the source of the statistics you posted. You make an excellent point about the importance of the social and academic atmosphere in making college decisions. It seems that one advantage that Macalester has is its location in an vibrant urban environment. Most schools of similar quality are in obscure locations.