<p>I've been accepted (yea!) and am trying to decide between Middlebury and some other schools. i am planning on becoming a doctor. My stats for the entering class are just slightly above middle. I have been accepted at schools where I am near the top, statistically, that are very good schools but not the reputation of Midd. I know that medical schools look mostly at MCAT scores and your overall and science GPAs. I am sure I would have a higher GPA at the other schools, but I love Midd. How tough IS the science department - is it really hard to get A's? I am an athlete, so I will be spending alot of time training and I will be doing work study. I want to enjoy my college experience and am worried that I won't be able to because it will be so difficult at Middlebury. Also, the other schools have offered me nice sized merit scholarships which may enter into my decision...
Also, I read somewhere on CC that for graduate business schools, Middlebury is on the top tier list and a multiplier is used for GPA's because of the school's rigor whcih boosts the overall GPA figure. Is this true and does it apply also for medical school applicants? Thanks for your comments.</p>
<p>Middlebury is a tough school. You’ll work your butt off to get good grades. You’ll also be surrounded by similarly bright, motivated students.</p>
<p>If you’re not interested in challenging yourself in college, then go to one of the lower-ranked schools. Frankly, I think you’re going about this the wrong way. Have you visited the colleges that accepted you? Did you feel more at home at one of the schools? You should pick your college based on fit. Ask yourself: Are you comfortable with the size of the school? The number of students in each class? The environment (rural, urban, etc.)? The quality of the facilities? Accessibility of professors? Dining options? </p>
<p>In the end, prestige isn’t everything.</p>
<p>What sport do you play? </p>
<p>Not gonna lie, the curriculum is very tough. And the labs require a lot of time and can be a nightmare to an athlete’s schedule. </p>
<p>Everything arcadia is saying is spot on. </p>
<p>I will also say that my own kid has been less than thrilled with the uptick in class size which puts a lot of pressure on professors in the classroom and the professors in the lab. It seems the class sizes have gotten much larger than what was typical even a year ago to say nothing of their size when we were looking at schools. Still… and in spite? He LOVES the professors at Midd and his classes. But it is tough work… rewarding, yes… but absolutely a lot of work.</p>
<p>Midd is very tough academically. Tougher, even, than many (if not all) of the Ivies-at least the ones with which I am familiar. Frankly, if you are more concerned with your GPA rather than the actual education you receive, Midd is most likely not the school for you. In my opinion, Midd students are at Midd because the education is superior, even if their GPAs suffer for it. We value the skills we will walk away with over some number that is placed on our performance. If that’s not what you value, maybe you should look elsewhere.</p>
<p>I apologize if this seems harsh, but it’s a very definite pet peeve of mine.</p>
<p>Have to chime in-there is very little grade inflation at Midd. If you plan on playing a sport, majoring in science can be tough.
However, all grad schools recognize Midd for its rigor and superior prep.</p>
<p>Genius S at Midd is getting mostly As with hard work, but not impossible-still has time to work 10-20 hours a week(research for prof and maintain website), write for the paper, visit GF at another LAC, and have a social life.</p>
<p>Athlete S at Midd is working his backside off for Bs and high Cs-playing a sport, taking lab science, and learning a new language. He feels it is worth it for the study skills he has acquired and the knowledge he is gaining.</p>
<p>Both boys straight A students in public school, IB curriculum.</p>
<p>Why would you want to go to college and not learn as much as you could? This “Old Batesie” DOC was happy to attend a college whose rigor prepared her for med school and the trials of a life in medicine.</p>
<p>I have also wondered this question. Out of all the schools I’m deciding on now, Midd seems to have the reputation of most difficult. I care about the quality of my education, but does the workload at Midd really give you a better education than possibly less difficult, but still very serious schools like Vassar or Wesleyan? Or does it serve to give a similar education but just hurting more students’ GPA’s in the process? That’s a legitimate question I’m wondering if Midd grads have any comparison of their own experience to peers they might know at other top LAC’s. My main worry is that although law schools and other grad schools recognize the difference in rigor of schools, they still have to report their admissions info to US News, which may alter their ability to accommodate students’ who have perhaps a lower GPA, but a much more rigorous undergrad experience.</p>
<p>So are you accepted, or just wondering whether to apply? The choice may be made for you-
students at Midd are happier and more satisfied with their experience compared to Vassar and Wesleyan in the Princeton Review, so apparently they are either a self-selected bunch of grinds, or feel that the workload is acceptable.</p>
<p>Middlebury’s academic rigor is very tough (little, if any, grade inflation) — I cannot say enough about the professors, the course work, the access to top tier PHD instructors, who demand their students to interact with the coursework and demonstrate their knowledge. My student says that reading the textbooks is mandatory, because the professors do not just rehash the text in class, but instead, they layer on new information and critical ways of thinking about the reading/assignment with classroom discussion. All parts are incorporated into papers, midterms and finals.
If you want easy ‘A’s’, this might not be the school for you. If you want to stretch and enhance your education, this is the perfect place for you.<br>
BTW, there is ample time for a social life, if you plan well.
Work hard and play hard!</p>
<p>I’ve been accepted to all three, and I’m visiting this week, so I guess I’ll get a feel for that aspect pretty soon and make a gut decision.</p>
<p>What sport were you recruited for?</p>
<p>No question Midd is a tough school, but I think some people are ignoring the fact that that toughness will certainly benefit you in the long run when it comes to applying to grad school. A perfect example - when I applied to Law School, I had a good friend who had almostthe exact same stats as I did. He attended a less academically rigorous LAC. I got into many schools that he did not. More importantly, that academic rigor prepared me for success in grad school. I had many classmates from similarly ranked LACs who had a hard time with grad school, while I cruised.</p>
<p>The food is better at Midd…Let’s go for the serious stuff, here. Real QOL issues…
Seriously, my S has a GF at Vassar-the work is hard for her, so I wouldn’t say it is an “easier” school. Midd is more outdoorsy or athletic, and Vassar is more urban hipster. The food at Vassar is supposedly dreadful(ar least compared to Midd) and the freshman housing isn’t as nice.</p>
<p>well, even if I am not a fan of rankings…
[Test</a> Prep: GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, SAT, ACT, and More](<a href=“Colleges Where Students Study the Most | The Princeton Review”>Colleges Where Students Study the Most | The Princeton Review)
…so MiddKid… be prepared to work hard…</p>
<p>I’ve been a lurker here for a while–but today I’ll rise from the shadows. Let me say, as a current Midd Student, Arcadia, OldbatsieDoc, urbanslaughter and Modadunn do a great job with analysis and have a firm grasp of the school and community dynamic. Once in a while I will jump in when I disagree–here is an instance.</p>
<p>I absolutely disagree with the assertion that Midd is more academically difficult than its peers and the IVYs. Sure, taking a class with Murray Dry or David Collander may keep you up at night, but I’ve been surprisingly pleased with the very fair amount of work I’ve been assigned.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore who barely got in after attending a moderately rated public high school. I thought Midd would kill me. But the classes I’ve taken so far have been perfectly fair. Grade inflation is ABSOLUTELY pervasive at this school, just as it is at Harvard, Williams and the rest of the pack that do not use grade-deflation mechanisms (cough, Princeton).</p>
<p>Don’t believe me? Check out this very recent campus article: [The</a> Middlebury Campus Blog Archive College study shows grades increasing over time](<a href=“http://www.middleburycampus.com/2011/01/19/college-study-shows-grades-increasing-over-time/]The”>http://www.middleburycampus.com/2011/01/19/college-study-shows-grades-increasing-over-time/)</p>
<p>The average GPA here is a 3.45 – sure, we have an incredible student body, but it is a 3.45 for goodness sake! I know I haven’t worked all that hard, but somehow I’m sitting pretty with a 3.92 . I’m not alone. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about the work load. As long as your interested, as long as you want to do well, you will. Trust me.</p>
<p>LConflicted - mind if I ask what your major is?</p>
<p>Hi Moda! </p>
<p>I’m an Economics major.</p>
<p>I’d have to say my S who is taking a language is KILLING himself for C+/B-. My genius boy seems to be doing a very manageable amount of work for his As.</p>
<p>A recent survey of college students in general showed the average student does about 10 hours of homework a week, which to me means they aren’t learning much at many schools. Business Majors self-report only 7 hours.</p>
<p>My H the College Professor is appalled. We each can calculate easily 30-40 hours a week in our days at Bates and MIT. We were science and engineering majors.</p>
<p>LConflicted: Your comments are out of sync with the experience of others. My D is working incredibly hard at Middlebury as a Chem major. She graduated first in her class at the top performing high school in our state, National Merit, All-State scholar, the works. She works as a calculus tutor in the CTLR. The academics are incredibly challenging for her. She has a 3.75 GPA and a research job at Stanford for the summer. She absolutely loves Middlebury because of the tremendous challenge it presents, but make no mistake, it is a very tough academic environment.</p>
<p>Hi MidMid!</p>
<p>Hm, I’d like to know what classes she’s taking and with what professors. As I mentioned, there are some incredibly tough profs who assign work as though it’s your only class. But they are infamous, and unless you fall into the unfortunate (but rare) situation where they are the sole faculty member who teaches a required course, you can evade them.</p>
<p>In my two years here, I haven’t come across them. Have I purposely avoided the known hardest-of-the-hard through the help of friends and Middkid.com–yes! But I’ve had a good variety of professors and have still found the work here very manageable.</p>
<p>We all have different experiences, sure. My point to prospective students is to NOT worry about the workload just as long as you’re willing to put in some effort.
It won’t be easy, but, in my experience, it won’t kill you…</p>
<p>Also: with a 3.75, how challenging is challenging? I’m sure she puts in time, but it seems to be working just fine…</p>
<p>i think what we’re talking about is time management. If S had worked as hard as he works at Middlebury, he would have left HS with straight A’s for his four years. He didn’t work that hard and was a three sport athlete to boot, but I will say he was very much prepared for the level of work required at Midd and has always had good time management, which helps him immensely.</p>
<p>As a MBBC major, he has moments of convergence - meaning everything seems due (problem sets, papers and exams one after another) all at the same time. The problem, as I see it, is not the work load per se, but the available time in which to get it all done (and have any kind of social life). And that seems to be somewhat dependent on one’s major AND time management skills. Science classes have a lot more “in class” time leaving you less of it. I imagine an Econ major has a lot more reading than a science major (and if you’re an efficient and fast reader? even better). If you aren’t a zippy reader or if writing isn’t your strong suit, or you are very involved in the college community in general in some capacity or other, I would imagine you’ll see some real time crunches. I am not suggesting that humanities is necessarily “easier” than any other major - but managing time at any college becomes just as much of a challenge as the work itself. Heck, with multiple science classes in a semester, S has trouble making an overall schedule that works! For the most part, he hasn’t really had the convenience of picking his classes as to whether they are known to be easier or harder because his schedule isn’t that flexible. It’s more like… “what’s available for this time slot on these days?” However, he goes for whatever seems most interesting, especially as it pertains to distribution classes. He figures that as long as it’s interesting, getting it done IS “easier.”</p>
<p>This said, I will agree that it’s all relative. A 3.75 isn’t a GPA to sneeze at, and S has managed to be on the Dean’s list or earn College Scholar designation for every semester except his very first one. The bottom line, however, is that if you’re used to perfection, you probably won’t easily find it at Midd for the most part. And frankly, some people just may not want to work that hard for an A-/B+ average. And some people WILL want to work that hard AND be on SGA or be a varsity athlete etc. It’s all about time.</p>
<p>Here’s a little insight to that one though… over thanksgiving, my S was lamenting the work load and, compared to kids he graduated HS with, he felt the work at Midd was a lot more than what they were doing for essentially the same classes and grades. My Niece could totally relate because she had graduated from Reed, also known as a “hard” school. She told him she spent four years feeling a just this side of inferior which was hard to accept for such a strong student. However, once she got back into the “real world amid all the stupid people,” she recognized just how smart she was AND she was far better adept at serious multitasking under pressure than those who had essentially skated through college with a similar GPA to hers. </p>
<p>Final thought… More so than any other skill set one brings to college, the ability to manage time is going to be your best ally no matter what your major or interests. And for an athlete, this is probably even more true than for the average student. Let’s just say, although it can be done, it’s rare for a Midd athlete to be also be a Midd science major.</p>