I am coming across a pretty big dilemna as the college process approaches with formidable speed. As the title suggests, I would like your input on Midd v/ Brown.
Some background:
I have been at a New England prep school for the past 3 years. I am a little bit desperate to escape the preppy culture.
I would really appreciate a student body that is open to perspective and celebrates diversity
My preferred majors is Econ
I hope to work in the social entrepreurship field once I graduate
My academics are pretty strong (my guess is top 10%-ish at my school, but I am not anything special in that sense), test scores fall into the mid 50% at both schools
I love art & I am passionate about the environment
I am really involved in school organizations, leading quite a few of them. I would like to do the same at whichever college I matriculate to
I’m an ENPF (just added this point for fun)
I would like to become fluent in French
Given those points. Middlebury and Brown seem to be equally as good.
Brown will offer a really diverse environment, and I really enjoyed the vibe that I got when I visited the school. I would also be able to take courses at RISD (which is a huge bonus)
Middlebury on the other hand, offers an excellent languages program, has a center for social entrepreurship, and is very environmentally focused.
I am also aware of ED2 at Middlebury, but for the sake of this conversation, I would like to leave that consideration out.
Have you visited the two schools? You should try and do a night over attend class, hang at the dorms etc. In my opinion the campus feel is so much different and being there will help you with your choice. Academically you cannot go wrong. My son selected Midd over Brown as he liked Midds picturesque college feel and smaller number of students compared to Browns more city like feel. Two great schools good luck
My oldest boy graduated in May, loved it. My next one moves in this weekend. Found the students to be very friendly but what he liked the most was the academic environment. It was ok to ask questions in class and have others debate concepts. Midd does a great job with regards to engaging the students both academically as well as socially.
Have you run the NPC for both schools? If you cannot decide, you could use affordability to help you. It should be a factor anyway.
Other things that might help you make the decision, aside from visiting:
Brown’s curriculum is almost entirely open. Is that freedom a plus for you, or would you rather have the more structured form of breadth guidance present in a more traditional set of degree requirements?
Brown is urban, while Midd is rural. Think about how the availability of outdoors opportunities, things to do for fun nearby, places to shop and eat, etc., will affect you, and how each school serves those purposes.Also think about the difficulty of getting around campus and town/city, and ease of getting to and from school (from home).
Brown offers more courses and majors, while Midd offers more emphasis on the undergraduate – a typical university/LAC contrast. Which do you prefer?
Definitely visit both if you are considering going ED to one of them.
Thank you for your input! I have lived in quite a few places, ranging from very desolate to metropolitan. I really enjoyed them both, so it isn’t part of my consideration.
I am looking for a liberal arts education, which both Brown and Middlebury would offer. Middlebury, academically-wise, has really great programs in areas that I am specifically looking for… Brown, on the other hand, will allow me to explore a little more. I’m not sure if I can make up my own mind ;).