Does this sound like Middlebury?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Middlebury College
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<p>Hey. I had a post up that got lost but I had some great responses that were really helping me narrow down my choices & think about the schools I could fall in love with & apply to. So I’m re-writing!</p>

<p>I’m a sophomore at a university in the northeast majoring in English Lit (minors in History & Classical Civilization). While I don’t hate it I definitely feel it’s not the school for me, somewhat in terms of academics but definitely in terms of atmosphere & student body.</p>

<p>I’m not a big partyer/drinker & this school is! I’d love a school where the students’ interests vary, they attend on-campus events in high numbers, and also like going to the movies/day trip/hanging out with friends. I would also love to meet more people like me: non-apathetic, interested in learning & friendly. </p>

<p>I’d love to be heavily involved in 2-3 EC’s (esp. student events). I feel that this school not only has few EC’s to choose from but they’re not varied or well-attended. I’m not bothered about sports.</p>

<p>While academics come first for me, I don’t want to go crazy & spend 10 hrs a night on homework! I do want small classes (generally), great class discussions & personal attention from professors, although this doesn’t mean I’d like a school with only 1000 students. I’d also like to take classes outside my major such as Marketing, Design (Graphic, web etc.), Philosophy etc. However I know a lot of schools I’m interested in don’t offer Marketing; I’d sacrifice that for the ‘perfect’ school & just take summer classes.</p>

<p>The schools I’m researching right now are: Dartmouth (great transfer program but too much partying?), Haverford (great academics but too small?), MIDDLEBURY (great English dept. but too outdoorsy?), Brown (can design own curriculum, first choice at the moment), Trinity College (don’t know enough about it but has been recommended to me), Williams (good academics, friendly students, don’t know much else), Amherst (good academics, but not sure it’s a fit for me), Boston University (has Marketing classes, good location for travel & internships, not sure about student-body), Wesleyan (sounds a bit like Brown). Yes, it sounds like I'm Goldilocks.</p>

<p>My stats, if it’ll help:
HS-
Full IB program in England. 6, 5, 5, in highers
1200 old SAT- did very well on Verbal, terribly on Math cos I’m beyond bad at it
Lit and Writing SAT II- 700 & 640
Some EC’s but not a great deal but it was a non-American school in England</p>

<p>College-
3.81 GPA. Dean’s List all 3 semesters. 4.0 GPA in major
In honors program
In honors English
Heavily involved in 2 EC’s, in a couple more
Great teacher recs</p>

<p>If anyone could offer any insight on the schools, comments or suggestions I would appreciate it so much. Thanks!!</p>

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<p>From the sound of it, I think you'd love Midd. I don't know that I'd describe Midd as outdoorsy, but Midd is definitely environmentally conscious. We do have our own ski mountain, so that might have a lot to do with students being outside during winter. But from your description of what you want, I think you can find it all here.</p>

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<p>Thanks Lindy! I've heard great things about the English dept. What is the student body like (I know it's generalising but just an overall picture is fine)? Do you go to Midd?</p>

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<p>Yes, I do--I'm a sophomore double major in history and English, in fact. I'm glad you've heard good things about the English department, I have many favorite professors in that department. The student body, let's see. Well, it's pretty varied. We have lots and lots of international students from all over the world. Lots of students are involved in athletics in some way or another, be it varsity or just club/intermural sports. Many students here are either very environmentally or politically conscious or both. Theater and music in all their forms are quite a big deal here, too. Languages are popular, too. Midd also has its share of preppy kids, too--heck, I'm one of them--but everybody's very friendly, works hard and has fun. Any more questions, please let me know! =)</p>

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<p>Thanks Lindy! I'm majoring in English with a minor in History so that's convenient! I would love a student body that is either environmentally or politically aware (basically, not apathetic!). </p>

<p>What's the surrounding town/area like?
What's the housing like?
Is there anything you dislike about Midd or anything you wish you'd known?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>The town of Middlebury is pretty small, but it has everything one could want: movie theater, good restaurants, bookstore, coffee shop, bank, post office, grocery stores, clothing, jewelry and stationery stores. On nice days students often take the 5-10 minute walk into town. I love the town because it has everything I need without the distractions of a major city (of course it's up to personal preference whether or not one wants all the offerings of metropolis). Burlington--where the nearest airport is--is a 45-minute drive away. In fall, it's nice to drive around and look at the trees changing color or to take a hike.</p>

<p>Housing--as a freshman, most people are put into doubles, although there are also singles and two-room triples. Of course, housing tends to get nicer as you gain seniority, but I had no complaints about freshman housing. All housing is co-ed, too. Students can also join social, language or interest houses and live there.</p>

<p>The only thing I dislike about Midd (which is not major and I really don't complain about it) is the one-month mud season between the last snow and spring. Other than that, I love it!</p>

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<p>The town sounds perfect; the one I'm in now doesn't even a theatre you can walk to, only has the school bookstore, one shabby grocery store and no fun stores (clothes etc.). Ideal! How far away is Midd from say Boston or NYC? </p>

<p>I'd be entering as a junior so I'm hoping the housing would be decent! Do you have a regular lottery system?</p>

<p>Midd is definitely climbing to the top of my list; I'll probably apply anyway, but I'd like to know more for the future. For example, what EC's are you in and do you feel there's enough interest in them in the student body? Here, there are mostly sport, music/dance, greek clubs and that is it. And people would rather drink than do anything else, either on-campus or off. </p>

<p>I don't really know what else to ask, as you make it sound so perfect! :) But if there's anything you can think of...</p>

<p>P.S. And by mud you mean the brown stuff?!</p>

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<p>Boston and New York are about 5 hours away, but Montreal is only 2 and is a much more popular destination.
The way housing works--as an incoming student they'd probably place you in what's available, but there's no such thing as bad housing--each student gets a random number and can choose their housing according to that number. Number 1 before number 10, etc. There are some finer points but that's generally how it works.
There are so many clubs here on campus it's hard to know what to do with them all. There are dance, singing, religious, political, environmental, outdoors, juggling, drama, cultural, language and sports clubs and students are generally involved in more than one. Personally, I'm co-president of the swing dance club, a member of the Irish club and of Xenia, the sub-free social house. We don't have the greek scene here. Instead we have co-ed social houses that anybody can join. They do provide most of the parties on campus, but there are always other things to do. I never go to social house parties and I'm always busy on weekends.
And yes, by mud I mean the brown, squishy stuff on the ground...although more specifically I should say slush because that's what it really is. =)</p>

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<p>Those places are pretty far out but I guess I'd only be doing it a few times a year to fly in & out. </p>

<p>Do you know if upperclass housing has apartment style places?</p>

<p>Is there a club on campus that plans student events (music, lectures, movies etc.)? Would you say <em>most</em> of the student body attends on-campus events and/or is in a club?</p>

<p>Is there anything else about Midd life that sets it apart from other colleges?</p>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>