Academics
One of the most highly regarded liberal arts colleges in the United States, Middlebury College in Vermont is about “creating a person both socially and intellectually prepared for the world.” The school has “a high level of global thinking and language acquisition in such a rural place,” and there is an “emerging focus on creativity and entrepreneurship.” When teaching students to develop communication, writing, creativity, and critical thinking skills, the school “allows you to develop these skills in whatever subject or subjects that one is most passionate about.” Students’ needs and choices are “of very high priority” to the administration, and there is “institutional support for whatever absurd idea might strike you.” Professors are, on the whole, “truly top-notch”; not only are they “brilliant academics, but they are also adept teachers and classroom leaders.” They come here because they want to teach undergraduates and research; “Middlebury expects both; most professors deliver.” “Several of my professors have given out their cell phone numbers after particularly difficult lectures to make sure that students can figure things out,” says one. “It’s almost impossible to actually be ’invisible.’” The overall academic experience is “very intense” (“If you haven’t done the reading, prepare to be called out for it”), but “students reliably enjoy their classes.”
Student Body
The pervasive atmosphere at Middlebury is “super friendly and caring,” and there is not only the pressure to work hard, but “also the encouragement to make sure students succeed.” Students “compete with themselves, not their classmates.” With a happy population, beautiful environs, and not a single student going unchallenged, the school encompasses “a perfect blend of intellectual curiosity, responsible living, and fun.” As one student eloquently puts it, it’s a bunch of “bright kids doing too many things—all of them good, none related to sleep.” This “engaged, active,” “preppy” student body “doesn’t take themselves too seriously but do take serious initiative.” A typical go-getter student “pursues at least one major, a minor, and is the star of at least one sports team or special interest group, but usually more.” Social life can be “very centered around athletic teams,” but these “well-read, outgoing,” and “well-rounded students from stable backgrounds” always end up connecting with people they can relate with easily. “You will struggle to find time to spend with all the different friends you will make,” says a student. Social ease is a common trait among MiddKids, and most students “know how to hold a conversation and [are] open to new experiences.”
Campus Life
Empty hours at Middlebury are in short supply: “If you’ve got free time in your day at Middlebury, you’re doing something wrong,” says a student. However, after all that reading, “at the end of the day, we all just like to get together and hit up the Snow Bowl to go skiing.” “Vermont does make a difference,” says one student of Middlebury’s location near mountains, lakes, and ski trails, and its focus on “how important the outdoor experience is for the school.” Drinking is “fairly prevalent” on Fridays and Saturdays, but “not during the week.” It’s a healthy culture, and “public safety does a good job of keeping things safe while not being overly intrusive.” The dorms are “gorgeous,” and there is even one called the Chateau, modeled after the largest chateau in Fontainebleau, France. The number of activities available are admirable, and “most people actually choose not to go into cities on weekends because they would hate to miss what’s going on on-campus that weekend.”
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