Life at Macalester College is an intimate liberal arts experience near two big Minnesota college towns. The Macalester campus is a 10-minute drive from both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, two hubs of theatres, museums and outdoor activities known as the Twin Cities. Freshmen and sophomores must live on the Macalester campus. There is no Greek system at Macalester, but students can get involved in dozens of other clubs and organizations. The Macalester sports teams, known as the Scots, compete in the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Football is not a big draw for student fans, but both the mens and womens soccer teams are competitive. Annual student events include Springfest and Founders Day, campus celebrations that include bagpipe music and food. Bagpipes are a common theme on campus; the instrument heralds the beginning and end of major events, and students can take bagpipe lessons for free. To get off campus, students can take a class each semester at one of the other private colleges in the Twin Cities: Augsburg College, Hamline University, St. Catherine Universityand University of St. Thomas. Keen on an international focus, Macalester College regularly enrolls students from more than 90 countries, and about 60 percent of the student body studies abroad.For students that need extra assistance for exams or graduate school applications, the on-campus MAX Center offers free individual and group tutoring sessions. In addition, financial assistance is guaranteed to every student, as the college pledges to meet the full need of each enrollee. Notable alumni of Macalester include diplomat Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary General of the United Nations; former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale; and talent agent Ari Emanuel, for whom the "Entourage" character Ari Gold was modeled.

Bryn Mawr College is an institution for female students in the suburban outskirts of Philadelphia. Though it is a womens school, Bryn Mawr students have many options to balance a single-sex education with coed opportunities at neighboring schools. At Haverford College, which is a mile away, Bryn Mawr women can take courses, join organizations and live in residence halls. Bryn Mawr students can also take courses and attend social events at nearby Swarthmore College, and can enroll in classes at the University of Pennsylvania. A shuttle van transports students among Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore; the University of Pennsylvania is a half-hour drive from campus. For students traveling at night, they can be picked up at any campus location or nearby train station by the schools Lantern Van, which runs until 1 a.m. On campus, there are more than 100 student clubs and organizations, some of which are housed in the renovated Victorian homes on Cambrian Row. All students are expected to live on campus throughout the academic year but can request approval to move off campus. The Bryn Mawr Owls athletic teams are members of the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference. For fun off campus, downtown Philadelphia is 11 milesor a 20-minute train rideaway. Home to more than 250,000 college students, Philadelphia has something for everyone: history, nightlife, shopping, sports and more.The small school hosts unique and engaging educational events throughout the year. The Creative Writing Program Reading Series, for example, is an opportunity for students to hear notable authors read excerpts of their famous works. First-year students attend Balch Seminarsintense writing, reading and discussion sessions meant to make Bryn Mawr women more critical thinkers and instill a bond among the freshmen class. Students can put the critical thinking skills they learned in class to work through the schools Praxis Program, which allows students to earn credit for community-based work and research. Notable alumnae of Bryn Mawr College include actress Katharine Hepburn and geneticist Nettie Stevens, who discovered the meaning of the X and Y chromosome.