<p>My apologies urbanslaughter, and also to @arcadia I didn’t mean to portray it that way.
However, my point is that one should not paint a school as a utopia with no problems. You cannot generalize and say that people on that site is making up stuff (of course some might be, some might not be.). </p>
<p>Instead of saying that Midd is the “perfect place” I’d really want to emphasize that it has its faults. Yes, weather sucks if you hate the cold. Yes, there are waspy people. Yes, there is a high percentage of preppy people at midd than at other schools. However, Midd has great facilities, academics, etc etc.
—I hate how people say that Midd has “great academics”. What exactly does that mean? Rather, Midd has small class sizes, professors who are there to teach and give support. However, Midd is also academically rigorous- meaning if you don’t study and put in the effort, you’re probably going to flunk out. so, if you’re into major partying, Midd might not be the right fit for you. </p>
<p>–See, I gave the pros and the cons.</p>
<p>My emphasis is not on whether midd is the best school or not (some may think it is, some may not), but rather to tell people that yes, midd is a fantastic place, however it also has its faults (like everywhere else). </p>
<p>Sorry, I just wanted to give the reality, not a one sided view of a school. If you love midd, you want others to love midd, not end up transferring out because of false intentions.
Don’t you agree?</p>
<p>Faith2be-so you are accepted at Midd, haven’t started, and are worried about transferring? Because of some stuff you read on a web site? Honey, you need to spend less time on the internet!
You are so lucky to be going to Midd, and I am certain you will both make many life-long friends AND get a great education. Post back after your first semester, honestly.
Now is the time to be happy and enjoy the fact that all your hard work has lead to a great result. Nice job.
My boys are both from public schools and have to work to go to Midd.They have campus jobs and count their pennies. They spent spring break at home earning money while other students went to the Caribbean. Just the same, they are both happy and haven’t suffered from being from a different socioeconomic class than others. In fact, they feel proud of their accomplishment and lucky to be at such a great school. To quote my oldest-“even the kids I don’t want to be friends with are nice”-
So keep an open mind, expect good things, and they will come. Congrats!</p>
<p>faith2b:
How many years have you lived in Middlebury?
How many classes have you taken there?
How many meals have you eaten in the dining halls?
How many Middlebury students are you friends with?
How many Middlebury graduates have you interviewed for a job?</p>
<p>As an alum, I think I’m in a better position to speak intelligently about what Midd is like and what it has to offer than (no offense) a high school student who perhaps visited once or twice. Most of the people who post about colleges on this and other websites have never even set foot on the campuses that they speak so knowledgeably about. I post because I think I have a decent grasp of what it’s like to be a Middlebury student. I’ve been there and done that. </p>
<p>Middlebury is not utopia. There are things you’ll love and things you’ll hate. It’s cold and snowy in the winter. There are times when you’ll feel isolated and crave the big city. You’ll be living with kids who are super rich and well connected, but you’ll also be living with people who come from small villages in Africa with no running water. That’s one of the things that makes Middlebury such a great learning environment–both inside and outside the classroom. You’ll have plenty of days when you’re overwhelmed with work and just want to curl up on a beach and sleep for days. But I ask that you experience it for yourself before making assumptions about the school and its student body based entirely on comments you read on an anonymous website. I encourage you to attend the admitted students weekend and talk to real people, not avatars. I try to back up my claims with links to more information, as that’s one way to differentiate between reality and misrepresented stereotypes and erroneous information. I hope you love Middlebury as much as I do, and I wish you the best of luck. </p>
<p>p.s–show me ONE post where I’ve said that Middlebury is more prestigious than Ivy League schools.</p>
<p>OK… so I have tried not to reply on this thread, but I can’t resist any longer, but for different reasons. I can understand how people may try and discount the words of Arcadia, Urban and OBD. But here is the thing… being the parent of a new Feb in the midst of his first semester, I can honestly say that their words ring true. I just got off the phone with my son. Yesterday was one of those days that Urban referred to, he was in the library the whole weekend, working on papers, studying for an exam today etc. and his exact words were “I feel overwhelmed.” Today however was a better day. He can see past the next couple of heavy work days and look forward to a weekend where he doesn’t have 2 papers due, and 2 exams to study for. Today, he can rejoice in the fact that he spent 2 hours discussing religion with a prof, another hour with the head of the physics dept. discussing careers in Physics etc. Is Midd the perfect school? does the perfect school exist? I can just say that those folks over in admissions do an unbelievable job finding kids who belong at Midd and they seem to do it in a way that other schools can’t. Faith… go in with an open mind and heart. You have lots of time to question your decision, but clearly you shouldn’t do that based on what you read on some website… not pro or con.</p>
<p>Hmm…reading these and think that faith2be, at least, exhibits a bit of grace and humility. arcadia, have you ever expressed opinions based not on experience but rather on information you read on blogs or websites? we all do it from time to time…a gentile reminder to create dialogue as opposed to lecturing. i hope professors at middlebury do this as part of the learning dynamic.</p>
<p>Of course I have, but I’ll usually defer to someone who can offer their own personal experience, especially when my own knowledge of a subject is gleaned from second- or third-hand sources. For example, in a discussion about what it’s like to attend Bowdoin, I’d put more stock in opinions offered by current students or alums than I would a group of high school seniors. I simply think that they’re in a better position to talk about life at Bowdoin. I’m just trying to do the same for Midd. faith2be read some horrific reviews of Middlebury on another website, and I was offering my opinion both on that website and my personal experience at Middlebury. She can take it or leave it.</p>
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<p>Perhaps you should apply for a teaching position there. You’re very good at lecturing yourself. ;-)</p>
<p>Before this gets out of hand (I’m assuming it hasn’t already), let’s recognize a few things 1.) no school will be all things to all people; 2.) it can make an already stressful process, applying to college, even more difficult when you read on a website that what you had hoped was “the perfect school” isn’t perfect and, in fact, according to that website, is pretty horrible; and 3.) when someone says something bad about the school you love it can be disconcerting - even worse when you know it’s not true. We’re all on the same team - we are excited about Middlebury and want to be sure everyone knows the facts. </p>
<p>While everyone has already bitten and chewed a bit, I went over to that referenced site to take a read for myself. I didn’t read them all, but I read enough to know that there are probably some people who are being really honest and truthful to their experience.</p>
<p>Middlebury is not for the lazy. That’s a fact. Middlebury is indeed in the middle of nowhere. This is also a fact. You will work incredibly hard as has been described time and time again throughout this board. My own kid had a bit of a stumble sophomore year, not academically, but he wasn’t quite sure he really wanted to work that hard for 2.5 more years. He was also put in a position where he had to reevaluate his identity somewhat having always been an student-athlete and then, with no athletics, who was he hoping to be? But really, that was just an identity crisis coming sooner than perhaps he was ready, but it would have come sooner or later. He’s felt lonely and he’s felt overwhelmed. AT TIMES. But honestly, I wouldn’t trust anyone who said a four year experience was all one thing or the other. Most valuable to me was he had to learn to be a little bit more open with his feelings and not be such a mystery if he wanted more emotional support from his friends. He’s learned not only about quantum physics but about trusting people with who you really are deep inside. He is becoming the man is was meant to be…and it’s not without it’s slips and slides, but there are some really huge highs as well. </p>
<p>College is about growth. It’s about figuring out who you are within the context of other people and on your own. And I can honestly say that while there are some issues of dissatisfaction with the administration I think he has found his way around any of that stuff. Where he was once known as a superstar athlete, he is incredibly proud of being known as the superstar academic now. (and is always the first pick on any kind of intramural team!) His professors have truely challenged him and supported him. They are, in a word, amazing for the most part. Seriously, there hasn’t been one class he has dropped due to the teaching etc. For any other issues he might not like, the constant has always been he loves his professors and his classes, and has some amazing friendships. He is engaged in his classes and while tons of his friends from home (summer of junior year) are struggling to find any kind of internships, almost all of his Midd friends have somehow hooked into some simply awesome opportunities for the summer. His, in fact, was pretty much arranged by his advisor/mentor. We are not rich, although we are full pay. In fact, I would love if I paid instate tuition somewhere just so that I could maybe take a real vacation for a change. However, I know that what we are investing in, a Middlebury education, will serve my kid incredibly well in the long term. </p>
<p>All I am saying is… what someone writes on one day with whatever attitude that day brings - needs to be taken with a grain of salt. S could have written a scathing frustrating post if written in October of 2010. Written in January 2011 would have been something all together different! There are days he calls with one bit of fantastic news after the other. And some when I hear just how tired he is. It’s life. Middlebury is not for everyone. Yet, neither is Harvard or Stanford. Nor is Amherst or Williams. But Midd is giving my kid an incredible education in a beautiful spot. He will probably move to the big city at some point, but when he comes home, he calls Midd home. School is home… and he visits here now. Life is what you make it. Have a little faith.</p>