Best LAC for introverts

College Search & Selection
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Absolutely - it makes a huge difference. Both schools will (or used to) let you sit in on a class (arrange it in advance).

Did she look at Vassar?

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Yes to visiting but keep in mind- the tour guides at most colleges are selected for their outgoing and bubbly personalities. That’s the job- keeping a bunch of strangers engaged, on schedule, maintaining eye contact with the 9 year old brother tag-a-long and having a cute anecdote to share with grandma who is along for the ride. Talking to strangers is Job 1.

Your D may have a visceral reaction that a school is “not for me” when she’s just reacting to an occupational hazard- tour guides need to be extremely extroverted.

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D20 also nixed Amherst after visiting! She is introverted in that she needs time to decompress after socialization but actually likes to be active and involved. She did apply to Midd, not to Williams. Her college counselor said if she didn’t like Amherst, she likely wouldn’t click at Williams. She had a lengthy list of 30 schools under consideration so we happily moved on.

She found Midd to have a lot going for it and would have happily attended. She was accepted ED to her first choice. Last year was rough with Covid but this year is 1000X better with lots of clubs and activities and a single in a suite of 5. Socially, she has found exactly what she was looking for. Good luck to your D, @Momof3reds! It is such a personal decision but she can’t make a bad choice in this instance.

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My daughter got in at Williams and was offered acceptances at Amherst and Middlebury. She is fairly introverted and is not a huge partier. Williams is not a big party school. There is mostly dorm parties. The one bar near campus the students don’t go to. In some sports: running some athletes and coaches are dry. Middlebury town is ever so slightly bigger, better language program, better indoor track exercise facilities, more snow skiing. Williams bigger reputation, less snow, great tutorial program classes with professor and one other student. The workload is four or five times harder than my other daughter’s second tear small liberal arts school or at big ten school. Also not easy grading. My daughter was National merit finalist perfect ACT from good public highschool and it was an adjustment. Same mostly private and private boarding school mostly east coast kids at both. Williams had extreme measures in place for COVID. Think nursing home like. This was very difficult for all. Also my daughter had roommates all three years so far. Mostly due to picking a single would mean a less desirable dorm. Lastly Amherst does have more students around from other campuses and might allow for time away from campus with more restaurants and shops. At Middlebury and Williams in town u see the same kids. Hope this helps.

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No. We never made it to Vassar. We should look into it. She also really likes Bates, not on her ED list, but really likes it a lot. It’s just a bit close to home.

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This is great. Thank you!

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Very true. We had a horrible tour guide at Bryn Mawr college which totally turned her off of it.

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My internet is leaning towards Haverford and Swarthmore. He likes socializing, but by playing board games vs partying.

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I agree about considering Vassar. My D loved it, but wanted something a little farther from home. She like Bates best of the Maine SLACs, but was waitlisted RD. IIRC they often take over 60% of their class ED.

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My D is what some call an introverted-extrovert. She goes out with many people but sometimes needs to decompress by going to a coffee shop or diner off campus where she can feel anonymous.

So schools where everyone eats in a single dining hall together were big no’s, as were teeny one-street college towns.

One school whose outer area appealed to her - and struck me as a great place to be an extrovert, introvert, or anything in between - was Wesleyan.

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@Momof3reds, I’ll comment on my son’s experience at Williams. (He didn’t pursue Middlebury because it wasn’t particularly strong in his areas of interest so I can’t make a comparison.)

I wouldn’t describe my son as an introvert, but he’s understated, somewhat on the quiet side though he likes to be surrounded by energetic friends, especially those who appreciate his deadpan humor and arcane references.

Williams was a good fit for him because its “entry” residence system provided a ready-made group for meals, campus events and outdoorsy activities. I would agree that single rooms and multiple dining halls were a big plus as was the natural beauty and serenity of Williams’ mountain village setting.

I would mention that Williams (like other academically rigorous LACs) wouldn’t be a good choice for a student who seeks anonymity in the classroom. With the focus on small class size, seminars and tutorials, there’s a high expectation of active, informed participation in class discussions. The faculty are supportive and nurturing, especially as students progress in their majors, and generous with recommendations and graduate school and career mentoring.

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Middlebury parent here. While there is a decent amount of partying, it is more limited in scope than what I have heard about at Williams. However, that being said, neither is know to be a “party school”.

LACs in rural areas tend to set up their own ways to pass the time. So while, at a large urban or suburban university, or even ones in smaller cities, students will be found in local bars and pubs. However, in small rural towns, students are going to do their partying in the dorms or elsewhere on campus.

However, rural LACs also tend to have strong outdoors culture, especially Middlebury. That not only means that the students take a large number of hikes, trail running, and camping, but also that they have all sort of evening/nighttime activities like night walks, stargazing, and other such activities.

As a rule, students who choose LACs are not huge partiers - a kid doesn’t choose a college with 2,000 students if they are looking for lots of parties. Most of the NESCACs, including both Williams and Middlebury, do not have a Greek life at all.

Really, the big difference between Williams and Middlebury is that Williams is more professionally and business oriented (it had one of the lowest percentages of students doing PhDs among the better known LACs), while Middlebury has stronger languages, environmental, an English programs. Williams students are a bit more competitive and ambitious, while Middlebury students lean towards crunchy and activist.

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Really, the big difference between Williams and Middlebury is that Williams is more professionally and business oriented (it had one of the lowest percentages of students doing PhDs among the better known LACs), while Middlebury has stronger languages, environmental, an English programs. Williams students are a bit more competitive and ambitious, while Middlebury students lean towards crunchy and activist.

I don’t think the student bodies are all that different. Middlebury sends a fair number of grads to Wall Street, consulting firms, big tech companies, and professional schools (business, law, etc.)–I’ll bet the numbers aren’t too far off from Williams. Williams excels at math and art history. Middlebury excels at environmental and international studies and languages. Both have excellent econ and English programs. Midd is substantially larger and its campus more spread out. Both are sports powerhouses in D3. And both will have their fair share of introverts and extroverts.

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OK, maybe the difference is not that “big”. Perhaps “major difference” would have been better. But yes, the differences are relatively small.

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Thank you for sharing your son’s experience. It’s very helpful. The small class size is exactly what my daughter is looking for. It’s what she’s used to in high school and thrives in that setting. She would be lost in a big lecture hall. Thanks again!

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Regarding classroom experience, you might be interested in this Princeton Review list, in which Middlebury and Williams appear: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=great-classroom-experience.

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For brief, subjective comments on these schools in the context of other liberal arts colleges, see reply #6 in this topic: Struggling with D21's List. ED & ED2: Amherst, Hamilton, Wellesley, Vassar.

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In addition to the short summary by @merc81, there are also additional descriptions of the assorted LACs. So the entire thread is worth perusal.

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Washington Monthly has a ranking of LACs according to PhD production (“Bachelor’s to PhD rank”).

  1. Harvey Mudd
  2. Swarthmore
  3. Carleton
  4. Reed
  5. Westminster College (interesting outlier)
  6. Haverford
  7. Grinnell
  8. Pomona
  9. St. John’s College (MD)
  10. Williams




  1. Middlebury
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