Colorado College Vs. Middlebury College--Helppp

Colleges and Universities A-Z Colorado College
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I can’t decide whether I should go to Middlebury or Colorado College, I love both for different reasons. Can anyone please offer me any advice? I compete internationally in snowboard cross and am super passionate about it, so the mountain environment at both places are a huge plus. Some pros specific to each are:
Midd: I applied as a Feb so I could do something cool during my gap semester which is super appealing to me because I definitely want time to explore and be stress-free from school, about an hour drive away from several mountains, slightly cheaper than CC, higher ranking, J Term, super nice people/made numerous friends on Preview Days, driving distance from home.
CC: In Colorado–my dream home!, Block Plan really fits my learning style, smaller classes, better food in my personal opinion, in the Rockies, in a small city, I just really love being out west and its always been my dream to live out west.

Some cons at each:
Midd: A little too similar/close to my home state for me and I want some change/something “new”, hard to go anywhere without a car, take four classes at once, mountains aren’t as nice as the ones out west, many classes are larger than the ones at CC
CC: 2 hours away from any mountain so no weekday riding, need to buy plane ticket to visit home, seems harder to register for classes.

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Congrats! Great schools and they often appeal to the same candidates.

Colorado College has an option of starting in the Winter as well. So, if that is something you would like to do - or even taking a whole gap year - talk to the admissions office. They are very flexible.

One benefit to CC is the block breaks, giving you plenty of time for snowboarding.

Middlebury is higher ranking but there isn’t much difference in their acceptance rates. Both are very much in demand. Middlebury probably ranks a little higher because of a higher endowment and a little higher graduation rate. I think CC attracts a less conventional student on average which results in a little lower grad rate.

CC has their own version of J term. It’s optional.

Some differences, some of which you’ve pointed out:

Academic schedule: traditional vs. block plan w/ Burlington about 1 hr away. (FYI - You shouldn’t have much problem getting classes you want at CC.)
Location: very small VT town vs. medium sized city with Denver about 1 hour away (Red Rocks!)
Skiing: At Middlebury the skiing access is a little closer. At CC, the skiing is superior, the cost for an student EPIC pass beats what you can get in New England and you have the block breaks to ski.

You can’t go wrong with either choice. To me, it would come down to where you want to be (comfort zone vs trying out West and the Rockies), small town vs. city, and then the decision on academic structure - semesters vs. block plan.

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^^ Great synopsis, agree with everything @doschicos has pointed out. I have a much longer response in the Middlebury forum that essentially hits on all those points but takes MUCH longer to read! OP, I can’t believe you have to choose between my two favorite schools. Tough choice!

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/middlebury-college/1884655-midd-vs-colorado-college-help.html#latest

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Just my two cents, but ‘rankings’ are overblown. Just as there is a negligible difference between a 3.4 GPA and a 3.3 GPA, there really isn’t much difference between the 40th US News college and the 30th. Furthermore, if you actually investigate the metrics used by US News, Forbes and Princeton Review, the factors border on the ridiculous.

CC and Middlebury are both excellent colleges, but different. The Block Plan makes CC different than all other schools. My feeling is that the vibe at CC is different because we learn in a unique manner. We don’t have 4 classes at once, and we get to dive really deep into the subject in a given Block. In a sense, it is less intense which might translate into CC appearing to not be as consumed with intellectual pursuit. Plus, we get to recharge every 4 weeks. We get a clean slate, and start anew each Block, which might also controbute to a sense of being laid back.

The single most obvious element of any Friday at CC ( at least from November to April) is the skis being carried on shoulders. There are shuttle busses to A-Basin that cost $5. The 2 hours does not seem to bother students here. If traffic on I-70 is not oppressive, CC students can hit Copper, Keystone, Breck, Loveland, A-Basin and Winter Park in just over 2 hours drive. For the record, there is no time for mid-week skiing anyway. We do a semester’s worth of work in 18 schools days ( for each subject that is.) Many classes have field trips which last into evening. Science classes have two days of lab per week typically. It is downright crazy to miss one day, since that is like missing a week at Middlebury.

I have never registered at Middlebury, but I think that the rigor of the process at CC may be overstated. Sure, it does take some research to make the 8 Blocks meet your needs. Still, the process itself is painless. I got all 8 classes I wanted my first two years.

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First, congratulations on your acceptances at CC and Middlebury. I think each has an admission rate of around 16% overall, so getting into both schools is no small accomplishment. I like all of the responses I’ve read here and plan to offer my own two cents’ worth, but I want to say one thing above all else: #followyourheart. I know it may sound a bit corny, even cliched, but it’s true. It has to be your decision, and yours alone, assuming the offers are fairly equal.

One reason I wanted to post is that I attended both schools, CC as an undergraduate, and Middlebury as a grad student at the language schools during three consecutive summers. They are both amazing places. The campuses are beautiful, and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming at both schools. Colorado College was a great place to study languages, and Middlebury is known for its language schools. I can’t say the experiences were exactly comparable, given my more restricted stay at Middlebury, but I spent enough time at both schools to realize that they are special places. The facilities are outstanding at both colleges.

I have to admit that I love the West, and one thing I miss today are the areas surrounding CC: Pike’s Peak, the Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the many other hiking trails and outdoor spaces. They’re good places to get away. I have never been to the Baca campus, but I wish it had been there when I was at CC. To me, the outdoor access at CC was good for the soul.

I have had a lot of opportunities with my Middlebury and CC degrees. Middlebury is well known in the East, and Colorado College is widely admired, though possibly not as familiar in some circles. I feel that’s changing, though, with all of the positive things happening on campus. You probably know that CC was ranked as the #1 most innovative LAC in the country, tied with a few other schools. I strongly feel that CC is a rising star, and I believe it will continue to be recognized for its excellence by even higher ratings (currently #25 overall in US News). Middlebury ranks very high, close to the top, and that’s well-deserved.

I chose CC over schools like Duke and Chicago, and I have never regretted my decision. It pushed me to develop independent, creative ideas and to value thinking outside the box. At Middlebury, I received incredible graduate-level training in writing, translating, and speaking foreign languages. The education at both schools is truly top-notch, so I feel you’ll be able to flourish in either setting.

I don’t know if any of this helps, but I hope it reinforces the idea that you have two outstanding options. You know the arguments better than anyone; your list of pros and cons is insightful. It’s a tough decision, but I sense the answer already exists somewhere within you. Trust your own judgment, and, since tomorrow (just thirty minutes from now) is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, let me close by saying, “To thine own self be true.”

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So which one did you pick? Just curious.