Carleton v. Middlebury

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carleton College
1

<p>I am a senior from a public highschool in CA and I am trying to decide between Middlebury and Carleton. </p>

<p>Things I like about Carleton:
-more laid-back social atmosphere
-trimester schedule (although odd breaks schedule could be a minus)
-students seem very happy</p>

<p>Things I like about Middlebury:
-From what I have read, the dining halls and dorms are better
-They have a very strong language program
-Very strong alumni network</p>

<p>Does anyone have any comments or ideas about reasoning? are these facts correct? what is Carleton's language program like?</p>

2

<p>go middlebury ;) I prefer middlebury's academic environment as well as the surrounding in Vermont :D</p>

3

<p>The food at Carleton has significantly improved with the new food service company. New dorms are currently being built and will be open next fall. </p>

<p>My daughter will probably be doing the equivalent of a minor in French. The language departments are good, with many opportunities for study abroad. One of the pros of the trimester system is that it is possible to do two study abroad programs instead of just one. The Carleton-sponsored French programs go to either Paris or Mali, both of which are quite popular. Daughter is currently taking a course in banned French literature. I've heard excellent things about Middlebury's language department, but I'd say Carleton's is strong.</p>

4

<p>Rose13--both are exceptional schools with many strengths. Unless you are trying to decide which to apply to for early decision, why not apply to both and see where the cards fall? Their acceptance rates are very low, so your decision may be made for you.</p>

5

<p>In terms of alumni network- Carleton's alumni support is top in the country and not just among LACs so that doesn't differente the schools.</p>

<p>Another consideration is related to location; Middlebury is much more remote. It's an hour from Burlington, pop 38,000. From California the travel to and fro will be a pretty big deal. You can fly direct across country and have a long drive (which could be tough in winter) - it's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Montreal or about 4 hours from Boston. You can fly into Burlington (although not direct from CA) and then have a 50 minute drive. For Carleton you can fly direct (and it's a shorter flight) and then have a bit under an hour drive on an interstate.</p>

<p>I'd say go to Carleton and then do the Middlebury summer program for language - you'll get the best of both.</p>

6

<p>OP is talking about about alumni connections, not alumni giving (with are two different things). The Middlebury name will probably be more recognized and the alumni network stronger on the East Coast (Boston, New York, Washington, etc.) and select West Coast cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles), while the Carleton name and network will be stronger in the Midwest (Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, etc.). </p>

<p>I wouldn't let travel time dictate my college choice. There are daily non-stop flights to Burlington from Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, and (yes) Minneapolis. The drive time from the airport to the college is the same from MSP (to Carleton) as it is from BTV (to Middlebury). At Middlebury you'll be within driving distance of Boston, New York City, Montreal, and other East Coast cities.</p>

7

<p>very good ideas, thank you! I hadn't thought about participating in the summer language program at Middlebury even if I end up somewhere else... </p>

<p>Does anyone have any opinions about Carleton's schedule with regards to breaks? I have read elsewhere on this site that the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas break is a little on the long side, and it means that Carleton gets out later for summer. Has this been a problem for anyone? What kinds of things do people do during the long break?</p>

8

<p>Ive heard that its nice for many reasons, and trimesters have their benefits and drawbacks (i'm convinced their a good idea).Drawbacks on odd schedule/breaks: internships and things such as that which are based around normal break schedules don't always correspond.</p>

9

<p>A couple of points. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>You're right, Carls are very happy campers. But so are Midd kids. Make sure the glove fits.</p></li>
<li><p>I'd agree the social scene at Carleton is "more laid back" (probably about as unstratified, unpressured as you'd find anywhere). </p></li>
<li><p>I'd have to disagree with arcadia about travel issues and location. Midd is very, very far from Cal., another time zone removed, another 1,000 miles from the West coast. I don't think this represents a critical factor for most applicants, but it certainly is not a trivial issue. And Midd is 200 miles from Boston, over 250 miles from NY, not really in play as places to play. Carleton is 35-40 miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul with a metropolitan area population of over 3 million - quite accessible. Midd is similarly 35-40 miles from Burlington, but this is a "city" with a population of only 38,000.</p></li>
<li><p>Alumni connections will be much stronger for Midd on the east coast (primarily NY/Boston), much stronger for Carleton in the Midwest (primarily Chicago/MSP), weak for both on the west coast. But both will garner significant respect from grad/law/med schools everywhere in the country.</p></li>
<li><p>Trimester system pros/cons have been discussed before. Carleton offers a 3/3/3 program allowing for one more course yearly than most 4/4 semester systems. The Thanksgiving-New Year's break means cost saving by flying once less yearly. You're in a great position to get a holiday job (if there are any to be had this year) because you can start work before semester schools are even out. Other options over the break include Carleton sponsored travel usually paired to specific courses, "alternative break" volunteer opportunities with other Carls, and a potential research block of over one month. While their schedule is somewhat offset from semester colleges, Carleton actually starts and ends earlier than other trimester programs (e.g. Northwestern and especially Chicago). It pretty much parallels lots of semester schools (e.g. Harvard and Princeton).</p></li>
<li><p>And as per my just posted new thread, Quidditch "happens" at both!</p></li>
</ol>

10

<p>If you're the sort of person whose primary factor in selecting a college is travel time from home (whether it will take 4 hours or 8 hours the 2 or 3 times you go home a year), then Carleton is the obvious choice. If you're the sort of person who values intense academics, an intimate learning environment, excellent campus facilities, a strong academic reputation, and robust school spirit, then both schools will offer what you're looking for.</p>

11

<p>thank you, your input has been very helpful!!!</p>

12

<p>it's good that carleton is getting new food and dorms, because those were the only things about the school that I was hesitant about.</p>

13

<p>I just recently visited. I've heard the new dining service has actually consistently been improving over the course of this school year, too. They take sticky note suggestions and actually try to pay attention. The food that I had was quite good. And the new dorms should be done by the next school year. </p>

<p>I should probably do some sort of college visit review sometime, I have more impressions if you want.</p>

14

<p>Sure, that would be great! I am actually going to visit Carleton very soon myself, but its always nice to see what other peoples' impressions are as well!</p>

15

<p>Sorry to take so long to respond, I forgot I made the offer.
I was there for the Taste of Carleton program, so I guess it was a little easier than going to a college sort of by yourself -- & your parents, I suppose. But they aren't fellow high schoolers, ha. </p>

<p>I was there just prior to the first snow, I think, and the campus was small, fairly easy to navigate, but beautiful. I didn't go into Northfield, but... it seemed quite tiny, so if you're into having a bigger place nearby, you might want to reconsider (though I think Middlebury is even more secluded). </p>

<p>I only managed to sit in one class, because the other class had been moved to an earlier time than scheduled. It was a Literature of the American West course, and they were discussing the film McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Discussion was fairly solid, it seemed like the kids taking it were freshmen and sophomores though. Prof. was very friendly and a good lecturer-slash-director-of-conversation. </p>

<p>I stayed with an international student from Beijing, a really nice guy. The floor (which was in Nourse Hall) was sub-free, and everyone I met and talked to was really friendly. Some--obviously--very intelligent students I met: a kid who had gone way past Calc. 3 in high school itself... another girl interested in linguistics and reading Stephen Pinker... and there were others like that (the first two were just freshmen). I felt both the closeness and value on intellectualism that I'd wanted. </p>

<p>I played Sardines in the chapel (which can be quite eerie at night) with a bunch of kids from another dorm... which is reverse hide-and-seek, basically. That was a lot of fun. The next day I went and saw some slam poetry, which was pretty cool, communal, and sometimes intense (& sometimes amateurish... but still well performed usually). </p>

<p>The main library's fantastic... really nice-looking, and there's lots of couches and places to nap, and each floor as you progressively grow lower is supposed to be quieter and quieter (at the bottom floor, there were quite a few kid just sprawled out on couches asleep, ha, and you could practically hear yourself breathe). Sometimes, I felt the dorms, facilities were occasionally a bit ill-maintained, but it wasn't anything really bad (I'm straining for criticism here).</p>

<p>I may have more---any questions?</p>

<p>There's more, but overall, I liked Carleton a lot.</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
Sometimes, I felt the dorms, facilities were occasionally a bit ill-maintained, but it wasn't anything really bad (I'm straining for criticism here).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Bamboozler--I'm the parent of a Carleton sophomore. My impression of her dorms so far are pretty much what you said--nothing special. But Carls are generally aneasy-going lot, so it really doesn't seem to matter. The school itself is a really happy place. :)</p>

17

<p>Yeah, as long as the dorms are livable, there's options for singles if you want them, the food's good, and the people are friendly... I'm happy! :P</p>

18

<p>Our son is a Carleton freshman and absolutely loves it there. He visited both Middlebury and Carleton before applying ED to Carleton (did overnights and attended classes at both places). He liked the food and library so much at Middlebury, that he really tried to find other reasons to make it work. He did not like the classes he attended at Middlebury, but that is so dependent on specific classes/teachers. When asked, he tells people he chose to go ED at Carleton mainly because of the people. He truly enjoys being with a group of students who are very bright but are also down-to-earth people who can (usually) laugh at themselves - also, from what we saw during family weekend, just very nice people!</p>

<p>He also liked most of the students at Middlebury, but felt it had more of a New England feel - not quite as relaxed. He also felt that it had more of a "country club" flavor than Carleton. </p>

<p>He applied from a southern state so both schools were definitely outside of his geographic comfort zone.</p>