Haverford, Wesleyan, or Middlebury?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Haverford College
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<p>I am trying to decide which of these schools to apply to ED.
Before people give me the "ED is only for a clear #1" talk, I am not the kind of student who is "struck" by a certain college. I visited each of these schools, and loved them, above all others, in different ways. Looking at them pragmatically, I see advantages and disadvantages to each. I would like to apply ED to reduce stress and save time in my senior year.</p>

<p>So, where should I go?</p>

<p>Here's who I am:
I am a fairly nerdy, not in a Dungeons and Dragons kind of way, but just a little awkward, more comfortable in a smaller relaxed atmosphere than at big parties, not a big drinker or a varsity-caliber athlete. It would be nice if my school has a similar atmosphere.
For this, Haverford seems best.</p>

<p>I prefer a rural setting to an urban or suburban one (when else in life can I live in beautiful mountains and farmland but still have so many intellectual and cultural resources?). I have lived in the Philly suburbs for my whole life and I'd like to try somewhere new.
For this, Middlebury seems best.</p>

<p>I would like there to be a variety of extracurricular activities going on around campus that are relaxed and open to everyone, rather than people pouring themselves into just one thing (the "work hard, "play hard" attitude I always hear about on tours and in admissions books). For example, I'd like to be able to try debate without committing to major tournaments, or play hockey but just for fun.
For this, Wesleyan seems best.</p>

<p>I am planning on studying government, and I have interests international relations and economics, human rights, and environmental studies. These schools all have great departments in these areas; they all have PoliSci with concentrations in IR as well as environmental studies programs. Haverford has Peace, Justice, & Human Rights; Wesleyan, the College of Social Studies; Middlebury, International Politics & Economics.</p>

<p>My concerns:</p>

<p>Haverford may be confining (even with the Tri-Co consortium), as well as not being a new environment from my home.
Wesleyan may be a little too liberal even for me; I'm not an artist, a hipster, a hippie, or any of the other "alternative" people I saw on campus.
Middlebury, to some extent, looked like all of its students were 7-foot-tall blonde future presidents; again, I'm not that type of person, and I would be more comfortable with a slightly nerdier crowd.</p>

<p>Any advice on which school to pick? I'm sure I would be happy at any of them, but I just need something to push one of them ahead of the others.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help.</p>

2

<p>I do not recommend ED for you. You really need to have a clear #1 to apply ED. If you want to remove some of the pressure, apply somewhere that has non-restrictive early action. You might find yourself having a #1 down the road.</p>

3

<p>Consider Grinnell or Reed as potential fits for you. </p>

<p>RD is a better bet to allow more time to consider your options.</p>

4

<p>It’s a looooong time from November to Aug/Sept, plenty of time to regret your decision as you get to know more about colleges.</p>

5

<p>Son and I visited all three of these colleges, your self-description sounds a lot like him, and your take on the three schools matches ours almost exactly. Midd is by far the preppiest of the three, highly prizing athletes and reputed to be a place where drinking is ingrained in the culture. Absolutely beautiful setting and the best facilities of any school we toured. Wesleyan is avant-garde and countercultural; free-spirited but son thought the tradition of sitting naked in the library was silly and a bit too much. Definitely a place with a diverse and interesting student body.</p>

<p>Son applied ED to Haverford, and got in. Granted, we are not philadelphians so this is new territory for him. But, if you want Haverford, just not in Philly, I would suggest Carleton or perhaps Reed might come fairly close.</p>

<p>Or, just admit that HC is a special place and the right fit for you, and apply there! :)</p>

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<p>The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning away from ED, no matter how much I’d like to have the process over with. I’m a borderline candidate especially at Middlebury, but I guess it’s better to make a good choice from fewer options at the end than to commit to a bad choice now.</p>

<p>I really like Reed, and Carleton, Macalester, and Grinnel have all been suggested to me as well. But, because of travel times and costs, etc. my parents would much rather I stay in the East.</p>

<p>These three schools I’m asking about seem less preppy to me than other Northeast schools (of course Middlebury less so, although seeing a game of Quidditch was reassuring). Is this correct? Maybe I would be best suited for one of the schools out West, but do you think Middlebury would be better than, for example, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton, Colgate?</p>

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<p>Not in terms of preppiness, it won’t be. I teach at a preppy boarding school in the northeast, and usually Middlebury is the destination of choice of some of our preppiest kids who like LAC’s. Lots of “Nantucket red” shorts and whale belts in the crowd, but of course these are simply stereotypes based on a kernel of larger truth. Preppy is more a state of mind than a dress code.</p>

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<p>Travelling to Minneapolis is actually quite easy and less expensive than other airport options we looked at, so I would consider dealing with that airport to be a plus, which means Carleton and Macalester.</p>

<p>Middlebury does not sound like a good fit for you, and Bowdoin is similar. If you like Maine, Bates and Colby deserve consideration, you might find like-minded people at Bates especially.</p>

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<p>Have you been to all of these schools? The same kids apply to all of them (Amherst, Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, etc.). Where they end up is mostly a function of where they were accepted. There’s little difference in preppiness between kids at any of these small New England colleges. If anything, Middlebury’s substantially larger size means you’re more likely to find different types of kids in higher quantities. Have you seen the kids who play Quiddich? They’re the definition of quirky.</p>

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<p>I visited Bates and Colby. Without meaning to offend anybody, Colby seemed like a slightly lesser version of Middlebury: same focus on internationalism and environment but with slightly lower academics (or at least slightly less impressive students). I’m not saying I don’t like it, and it’s on my list, but Middlebury is higher.</p>

<p>Bates did feel different. It had less of a preppy feel. Again, it may not be regarded quite as highly academically, but it’s much higher on my list, close to H,W,M.</p>

<p>Can anyone answer this:
I’ve gotten a pretty even balance suggesting Haverford, Middlebury, and Wesleyan between this and other threads. As I said in the original post, each has major advantages along with some drawbacks. So, when you say I am not a good “fit” at Middlebury, for example, are you saying I would be unhappy there, and couldn’t find similar people? Or is it that the overall culture may be slightly less similar to me, and I would just have to look a little harder for people I would like? I assume it’s closer to the latter, and that I can’t really go wrong with any of these choices. But I do have to make up my mind eventually, even if I am leaning away from ED (and if I get in, of course).</p>

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<p>You are right! You really can’t go wrong with any of these great schools. We used to live in Maine so I know Bowdoin, Bates and Colby and some of the students to go there very well. In my judgement Bowdoin is the most like Middlebury in terms of the emphasis on sports. Colby is a great school with lots of smart kids, maybe a little easier to get in to than Bowdion and Bates attracts more artists and free thinkers (in general). I am sure you will be happy at any of these school so I would focus on putting together great applications and see where you get in. Then you can attend the accepted student days and I bet you will have your answer.</p>

1 Like
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<p><a href=“http://www.haverford.edu/ir/pdf/CDS2010_2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.haverford.edu/ir/pdf/CDS2010_2011.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>2014
acceptance rate 26% (and 1 person accepted from waitlist)
% ranking in top 10% of high school class: 94%
Middle 50% for SAT Critical Reasoning: 650-740
Middle 50% for SAT Math: 650-750
Middle 50% for SAT Writing: 660-750
Students of color 33%
Neither parent attended college 12%</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/273449/original/commondataset2010_2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/273449/original/commondataset2010_2011.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
2014
acceptance rate 17% (but 134 students admitted from waitlist?!)
% ranking in top 10% of high school class: 86%
Middle 50% for SAT Critical Reasoning: 640-740
Middle 50% for SAT Math: 650-740
Middle 50% for SAT Writing: 650-750
Students of color 33%
Neither parent attended college </p>

<p>I just want to correct a few points. From review of the 2010 common data sets, evidence does not support that Middlebury is more selective than HC. By % in top 10% and SAT score ranges, the student bodies are indistinguishable IMO (or some people would say that HC’s appears a touch better by the numbers). Middlebury’s overall acceptance rate is a lot lower than HC’s but, if anything, that reflects <strong>popularity</strong> and not selectivity. HC’s small size and emphasis on traditions informed by its Quaker history do not translate into a brand of LAC education with as much mainstream appeal as Middlebury’s and HC’s applicant pool is more self-selective. Thinking about it, looking at the numbers, I’m not even sure that Middlebury is even more popular. HC’s acceptance rate last year was 26% and HC relied on its waitlist for 1 additional student. By contrast, Middlebury accepted 134 students off its waitlist to fill its class. It appears to me the admissions strategies are different between the schools and Middlebury’s 17% acceptance rate cannot fairly be compared to HC’s given how each school appears to use its waitlists. <strong>As a Philly resident, the initial poster’s chances may actually be greater at Middlebury than HC given interest in geographic diversity.</strong></p>

<p>I will agree that Midd’s location is breathtaking. I wonder though, between November-March, how its relatively remote location affects the college in attracting fascinating/ dynamic guest professors, scientists, politicians, activists, artists onto campus and allows students easy access off campus to the north-east corridor to enhance classroom learning. If this matters to the initial poster (and it may not), check out the activity calendars between the schools between the snowy months of November-March. I find HC’s location a real academic asset.</p>

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<p>Forgive me if I already posted this elsewhere, but 5 years ago when my S was trying to decide bewteen Midd and HC a guidance counselor who knew him very well (and knew both schools very well) suggested that he would be happier at HC because it was more intellectual. Although Midd is a great school with really smart students, the kids that I know who go there are very sports and party/frat oriented. My S was very happy at HC but he studied alot and did not party all that much. Personally, I think the culture of these two schools are very different. Midd and Bowdoin - very much the same, Midd and Hc, not so much.</p>

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<p>My daughter looked at all these schools and concluded that the differences were not all that big but she was put off by the small size of HC (same comment for Swarthmore too). My nephew transferred from Harvard to HC (for the cross country team!) and says that he really didn’t find the people at HC all that friendly (he is an extroverted young man makes friends easily) and that is is quite small- about 1400 as I recall, or a 1000 less than Middlebury.</p>

<p>I think you can also get what you want academically at any of these schools so the feel is probably the most important thing. From that perspective, it sounds like HC is a better fit.</p>

<p>If you plan to study abroad anyway, then perhaps the relative familiarity of HC for you wont seem so much of an issue- how much do kids go home from a college like HC anyway?</p>

15

<p>“My nephew transferred from Harvard to HC and says that he really didn’t find the people at HC all that friendly”.</p>

<p>That’s…very unusual. I would suggest he try to join clubs to meet people, instead of just the track team, since people in sports tend to stick together like glue. There’s a huge student body he apparently hasn’t met yet. To an outsider, Haverford students can sometimes appear TOO nice, friendly and understanding to the point it’s unusual.</p>

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<p>I think most people experience the opposite - that Haverford students tend to be more welcoming and friendly whereas Harvard students are slightly less approachable. Students may have similar backgrounds, intelligence, etc…but Haverford definitely has a stronger focus on community. </p>

<p>My own experience and that of my college kids is the same. It was harder for them to get the attention of other students on the Ivy campuses we visited, but Haverford students were quick to recognize us as visitors and offer some supportive guidance. In one case we were even escorted us to our destination.</p>

<p>Overall, the difference is a function of the size of the community AND the self-selection that occurs in choosing the community. Not unlike the self-selection and community created by those who choose to live in a small rural town vs those who choose to live in a metropolis.</p>

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<p>So sorry to hear of your nephew’s experience. I wonder if it is different as a transfer. The joke we have about Haverford students is that there must be someone who is not nice but in four years my S was never able to meet him/her. I will say on the whole that HC students really are about the nicest, most accepting you will find anywhere. I know that it is of little comfort, though, if that is not how it works out for your son or daughter.</p>

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<p>well, you sound almost exactly like me- its actually a bit unnerving. i personally have crossed middlebury off my list; it’s really too mainstream. but i cant decide between haverford or wesleyan either, so I’ve decided not to do ED. i know you want to get all the worrying over but honestly, if you’ve got the grades to even be considering these schools, you really don’t have to worry. you’re gonna end up going to a great school no matter what.</p>