Hey guys. I have recently been admitted to all three of these colleges, and I’m currently struggling with college selection.
I understand that Carleton is ranked higher than Midd, but I don’t consider college ranking to be an apt representation of the academics of colleges (and so do most of you, I believe). And I’d like to hear what you guys have to say about it!
Carleton seems to have wonderful programs for all my fields of interest, but the disproportionately low popularity is kind of holding me down, the website (which looks somewhat crude, especially when compared to that of other colleges) is holding me back. I understand it is a foolish reason to hesitate when making my college decision, but I think I do need some confirmation from you guys.
The psych program at Midd is, in my eyes, equally amazing, and it has a renowned ES program. However, I hesitate to get enrolled because of the recent overenrollment problem that seems to affect many students, especially freshmen.
In short, I’m inclined to choosing Carleton, but the aforementioned factors kind of worry me. And for Midd, it is the overenrollment scandal. Please feel free to share your thoughts below, and I’d really like to know which college you think Carleton is comparable to when it comes to the academics.
Lastly, I’d like to thank you for scrolling through my post and I wish you all have a nice day!
Interesting take on Carleton’s website. I have found it clean and intuitive. Perhaps because it is colorful rather than traditional it may suggest simple to some. It is clearly the product of a relatively recent and very thoughtful design process. The fact that all departmental sites at Carleton use the same design to its full potential impressed me a lot. In short, I would rate Carleton at the top of all schools for their web design. I am also partial to Williams for a slightly more brainy/modern vibe, but their design is not as consistent as Carleton’s.
When I was researching last year, Middlebury’s site still had a lot of legacy older design pages that looked dated. It looks like they have cleaned those up now, or at least I can’t find them quickly. But perhaps your impression is a result of their latest renovation work.
Ultimately, the website is not the most direct reflection of the actual college experience. If it gets in the way or is too dated (signalling lack of investment in services), that might be a problem. But otherwise those look and feel characteristics are just going to be arbitrary design choices updated every 5-8 years. MIT used to have a gorgeous, text-heavy site that was really appealing to someone like me who wants maximum information laid out logically. But someone else probably told them that their approach was too extreme, and now they’ve got a site like any other school’s.
I did not research psychology specifically, but one of the reasons that Carleton made it onto my kid’s list was that it leads all LACs in the proportion of students who go on to PhDs in STEM disciplines. And most top LACs exceed Ivys on that measure. It is a real powerhouse. Middlebury is fine too, but not at the same level, in my opinion.
The big question mark for me about Carleton is the trimester system, which has advantages and disadvantages. You’d have to be comfortable with that. Carleton has a super friendly and collaborative vibe. It is almost too positive, to the point that I wonder if someone who has a slightly more cynical character might not fit in.
What’s the 3rd choice - your title. You put in Carleton and Midd.
I would argue Midd is better known than Carleton but I would also say, who cares.
You have two schools with concerns for you that I would not factor in (that’s me) because the schools will address them (overenrollment, for example) over time.
Which school do you feel most comfortable?
Look at the positives, not the negatives. Assuming they’re both affordable, choose that one. This includes calendar, vibe, etc.
Good luck.
Thank you very much for your suggestions! The third choice is Davidson but I deleted it from the title before posting my concern. Davidson also has a wonderful psychology program but I suspect that it is as academics-oriented as the other two.
Is or isn’t?. It is.
It’ll be warmer and closer to society.
Good luck yoy you
Thank you very much for this detailed response! I agree that the website of Carleton is highly informative and really emphasizes clarity.
What’s the third college??
Ah, I see…Davidson. Frankly, I would choose that over the other two…but you are the one who needs to make this decision.
See 3 messages up. Davidson.
All 3 are great school which will provide a wonderful education. Given that they can all provide what you are looking for in terms of academics, what school is the best fit for you. Have you visited all of them? Davidson will have the best weather, for sure, and is closer to a city (if that is important to you in terms of activity and coming/going to school). I am familiar with Middlebury - remote and outdoorsy with great access to skiing. A wonderful FL program. I don’t know as much about Carleton, but I think it is somewhat similar to Middlebury in terms of location.
Have you visited these schools? If not, can you? I would drop any website content/appearance issues as a factor in your decision. I wouldn’t call the overenrollment situation at Midd a ‘scandal’, but it has impacted housing to be sure. But, Carleton has overenrolled in some of the last 5 years or so too (google is your friend), including prior to the pandemic. Read the school newspapers to see how overenrollment is impacting the students.
If costs are a consideration, how does net COA compare?
Carleton is far less remote than Middlebury, with relatively nerdier students. Both have harsh winters. Carleton is on the quarter system which some students prefer, others like to avoid.
Have you looked at the gen eds for each? Looks like Carleton has a FL requirement for most students (there are ways to test out, but in most languages have to demonstrate competency to 4th level, and 5th level in Chinese, Arabic, or Japanese), whereas at Midd it looks like one can avoid taking a FL.
Have you looked at the psych major requirements for each? Psych prof backgrounds and research? Full psych courses and how often each is offered?
I believe this represents a correct understanding.
Thank you very much for this amazingly comprehensive comment! I am an international student living in Asia so it’s unlikely I can visit these schools in person (which also explains the inaccurate use of the word scandal, I guess. I didn’t mean to go that harsh on Midd). Although both Carleton and Midd have been affected by over-enrollment, I’d say that, in my humble opinion, the effect on Carleton is far less significant than on Midd. Carleton over-enrolled 20-30 students for one year, while there has been a rapid growth of roughly 300 students in the undergraduate student population at Midd. The FL requirement is not that much of an issue for me. I find learning foreign languages quite enjoyable and it would, instead of being something that makes me hesitate to get enrolled, makes a school more appealing. The psych departments are equally amazing. Midd has two more professors but I believe some of them also work in the neurosci department and offers fewer psycholinguistics-related courses, which are one of my academic interests.
Anyways, it’s been a very inspiring experience contemplating all the questions you asked in your post, and I truly appreciate your help.
And, yes, I do consider Carleton’s vicinity to the Twin Cities and the size of these two metropolises a perk.
How do you feel about harsh winters? If those aren’t appealing, that would put Davidson back in the mix!!
The harsh Minnesota&Vermont winters are certainly intimidating, but my hometown is located in the cold part of my nation (not quite as cold as these two states tho), and I believe I would be able to adapt and gradually get accustomed to the harsh weather conditions 
But I would agree that the weather in NC is definitely one of the major attractions to attending Davidson. Some of my friends went to Davidson and absolutely love the weather and natural landscape there.
You are faced with the paradox of choice…3 really good choices! Which makes it difficult to choose. You will do well at whichever school you ultimately select. You do have some time to decide, so I would participate in any virtual offerings these schools offer for admitted students.
I assume your travel would be easier to either Minneapolis or Charlotte? Is that an issue for you at all? Are you full pay at all 3 schools?
With all of that said, it does seem to me that you lean Carleton for the important things, like strength in your potential academic areas.
Have you looked at the Cognitive Science major at Carleton?
I would select Davidson, no contest. Amazing Psych program plus the students have a wonderful quality of life. Both Minnesota and Vermont are not pleasant in the winter.
Yes I did! And it looks like, as you might be suggesting, a perfect combination of the areas I’m interested in exploring. However, I do still want to learn, or at least attempt to learn these three areas separately for that it may offer a more in-depth view of these domains. However, I think it would be likely that, if I was to attend Carleton, I’d eventually pursue a major in Cognitive Science.