<p>Exactly what the title implies. I got accepted by all three, and am rather torn.</p>
<p>You have a tough decision ahead of you. I did my undergrad at Middlebury and went to graduate school at Duke. I can tell you that I found my education at Middlebury to be superior to that at Duke. At Middlebury the classes were smaller, the campus more intimate, and the interactions with professors more frequent (e.g., dinners at prof’s houses). I loved the quaint charm of Middlebury’s campus. The City of Durham leaves much to be desired, but you certainly are closer to amenities like shopping centers and strip malls. Dartmouth is a great school. I visited there regularly while at Midd. The biggest difference between Midd and Dart is the frat scene. Most of the kids I knew at Dart were in frats, so my experience when I visited was always fun, but not for me.</p>
<p>I would go to Dartmouth as I think it incorporates the best aspects of Middlebury and Duke. Most of the students at Middlebury were not good enough to get into Dartmouth.</p>
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<p>Kinda like most students at Colgate weren’t good enough to get into Middlebury? :-p</p>
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<p>Not in my day. I don’t think it’s that true today, either. For the most recent class, the median SAT of Colgate is within 10 points of Middlebury while Dartmouth’s median SAT is ~ 100 points higher than Middlebury. </p>
<p>Actually, if Middlebury had supplied USNWR with any more info than their address for the issue that I had, I may have been interested in applying. I guess they’ve gotten a lot better at marketing since then.</p>
<p>posted in the wrong thread</p>
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<p>Just want to point out that the undergrad experience is VERY different than that of the grad experience and I don’t think you can really equate the two. This is true especially at Duke, but I’d say it’s true everywhere. The structure of the curriculum, the classes, student life, etc. vary greatly from undergrad to grad. Typically, most find their undergrad experience more “fun” and hold much larger allegiance to their undergrad alma mater. Not saying your point has no merit - just that it’s hard to compare…I would agree that Middlebury has a larger percentage of small classes and the campus is more intimate, though. On the other hand, scientific research at Duke is more widespread and on a larger scale, there is obviously a much larger sports scene, it has more national recognition (mostly due to size; obviously, Middlebury is held in very high regard with those in academic circles), and it has much better weather. So, yeah, it’s about fit and what your priorities are. All great schools. Can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>I think it should be the sch that fits you the best, not just the sch that has the best reputation</p>
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<p>Agreed. Although I did take a fair number of classes with undergrads (I had several prereqs that I had to fulfill), and I’m basing my response mainly on science and stats classes I took with undergrads. The level of class discussion and interaction with profs was simply more intense at Middlebury.</p>
<p>Personally, I would choose (and have chosen) Middlebury. I visited both Dartmouth and Middlebury and MUCH preferred the social scene at Midd. I found the Dartmouth kids to be very elitist and generally haughty when I asked them about their school, whereas Midd was the complete opposite.
Academically, it all depends on what you are planning on studying. The language and ES programs at Midd are, in my opinion, superior, but at Dartmouth you might fare better with, say, an engineering track.</p>
<p>I, like Arcadia, went to Midd undergrad and am about to begin graduate school at Duke this fall. However, I can relate a bit more since my undergrad decision ultimately came down to deciding between Midd and Duke. It is true that Duke does have more name recognition…my decision came down to this:
- The students I met at Duke were standoffish and arrogant (I’m NOT saying this is typical, but this is simply the impression I had during my campus visit…also characteristic of the students from my high school that happened to matriculate at Duke). On the other hand, Middkids seemed so friendly and happy. This was a major selling point for me.
- I’m from the south and wanted to explore different terrain. New England provides a unique college culture and Vermont beauty is really, really hard to beat. Midd put me outside my comfort zone in a very positive way, making me much more fearless, adventuresome and confident. In a small lib arts school you really can’t blend into the masses…you are an acknowledged individual expected to partake in various aspects of college life and stand out in some meaningful way. Larger universities make undergrads feel like a small fish in a big pond–what’s nice about Duke, however, is that it’s rather small for a University.
- Midd education is focused solely on undergraduate education. Since Duke is a top research university, the grad students come first. I’ve heard this multiple times from students and faculty at Duke. My advisor at Middlebury went to Duke as a science undergrad and said if she knew in advance, she would have attended Duke for grad and chosen a small lib arts school for undergrad. Midd’s undergraduate education is really unbeatable.
- I was very turned off by the Greek social scene (Dartmouth is big on frats too) and the frenetic basketball fans scared me a bit.
The whole bench burning rituals seemed a bit cult-like to me and I just didn’t see myself fitting in well socially. Then again, if you prefer these things, Duke is probably the place for you because Midd is not like this at all. </p>
<p>This was an EXTREMELY difficult choice for me, so I know exactly what you’re now going through. My parents put a lot of pressure on me, saying “ARE YOU CRAZY, NO ONE TURNS DOWN DUKE!?!”…but after I made my final decision to attend Midd, I never looked back once and have absolutely no regrets. I would recommend going with your gut feeling. Where did you feel more welcome and which institution has the most opportunities that excite you? Don’t rely on the ‘name’ to solidify your decision.</p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>I really must point out that you are asking for a personalized comparison between Middlebury, Duke, and Dartmouth on a Middlebury thread. You could quite possibly be getting biased opinions. If you have not already, I suggest asking these questions on other threads. As for my reply, I would suggest that you pick the school that will fill your wants/needs. Without knowing financial details, social/academic preferences et cetera, it is hard for anybody to offer suggestions. The only person who can really answer the question is you.</p>
<p>Dartmouth for sure.</p>
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<p>He did. There’s one under Duke and one under Dartmouth. On those, however, he says he’s really choosing between Duke and Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Yes I am leaning more towards Dartmouth and Duke, but that’s mainly because of athletics. I am a competitive athlete, and both Dartmouth’s and Duke’s program appears to be stronger in my particular sport (though Dartmouth only has a club team). Midd has a club as well, but the college is farther away from good competitions. </p>
<p>I’m planning to be a history major, however, and the intellectuality of Middlebury’s students really attracted me. I also love languages, and Midd is obviously stronger in them.</p>
<p>I’m still very much considering Midd; what in your opinion really sets it apart from Dartmouth, Duke, and other schools (besides size)?</p>
<p>Dartmouth, definitely, is the most prestigious school.</p>
<p>Oh enough with the prestige whoring already…let this decision NOT be distorted by prestige, please, all three have equally good names when it comes to grad school acceptances.</p>
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<p>It’s funny. You have tons of high school or college kids saying “go to the most prestigious school–don’t worry about fit.” Then you have people who have been through the system–who perhaps are a bit older and wiser–telling you (almost universally) to go where you think you’ll have the best experience. Maybe the people who have been through college and who are in the real world are onto something. Endicott–I was looking through some of your recent posts. It appears as though you have a copy of U.S. News open in front of you, and you go from post to post telling people to go to the highest ranked school, regardless of what they want to study or where they might be happiest. Astounding, really…</p>
<p>I would (perhaps with bias) choose Dartmouth. Its language programs and study abroad program are fantastic. On study abroad you have Dartmouth profs leading a Dartmouth-only group, with free (and awesome) excursions every weekend. the Rassias method is world renowned with drill preparing you to instantly immerse yourself, through verbal communication, into a new language environment. Dartmouth’s History dept hands out thesis grants for research and there are many opportunities for research studies with professors.</p>
<p>Middlebury is a fantastic school, as is duke and I honestly would seriously consider Midd over Duke. But Dartmouth, IMO, brings the best of both (and I’m excluding the prestige issue).</p>
<p>By mentioning athletics you have opened up an entirely new discussion. You need to decide if athletics are really a priority. If you feel more strongly about athletics, then I would say Duke is your best bet. They probably have the best compromise between athletics and academics. Middlebury and Dartmouth will probably focus more on academics and less on athletics.</p>
<p>its funny because your decision equally as difficult as mine, yet mine is completely different.
I was accepted to Middlebury, Depauw, and IUPUI. As far as I know, Midd is not offering me any aid. Depauw is 20 grand a year for me, and IUPUI is totally 100% free to me. I am looking to major in poly sci, but if I go to IUPUI I will triple major in PolySci, History, and Philanthropy. Furthermore, I was waitlisted to Princeton and Dartmouth. I am staying on both, but I have to initially decide on a school by May 1. Then, in May or June, I have a shot at being accepted at Princeton and Dartmouth. You got any suggestions?</p>