<p>A Williams graduate said to me that he found "much less intellectual openness" at Midd than at Williams, which is "obviously less brainy than Amherst." How brainy is Midd? By brainy I don't mean blind "grade-ism" here, but pure scholastic curiosity.</p>
<p>Spoken like a true Williams graduate.</p>
<p>Ha ha, nice. ^^; I'll remember to deliver that to him.</p>
<p>Seriously, the kids at Williams and Middlebury are practically interchangeable. The number of overlaps (kids who apply to both) is huge. With the crapshoot that IS college admissions these days, whether or not someone is accepted at one or the other (or both) sometimes comes down to chance or minor attributes (like W needs a kid from Alaska and M already has 2). Granted, Williams ranks higher than Middlebury on most college rankings, so kids who are interested mainly in prestige will be more apt to go to W over M. Does that mean that W is more "brainy" than M? No way. The campus cultures are very similar (same goes for Dartmouth).</p>
<p>While Middlebury and Williams each have their own distinctive qualities, most outside observers would probably find the similarities between the two schools to be a lot more striking than the differences.</p>
<p>Amherst, Williams, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Colgate & Bowdoin have a number of similarities. All are wonderful schools worthy of consideration by any student interested in applying to any of these schools. The students at each school tend to be highly intelligent & well-rounded. All six schools have beautiful campuses. Regarding opinions of "braininess", I think it is more an impression of how the students choose to present themselves as opposed to any significant difference in intelligence. "Intellectual openness", along with perceptions of "braininess", is more reflective of a particular school's campus culture than it is of true brain power or academic quality. For example, even though it can fairly be argued that Dartmouth students have the overall highest standardized test scores among the six institutions, many students like to play up to the "animal house frat party country club reputation" that may give the casual observer the false impression that this is something less than a group of brilliant, accomplished & hard working students when, in fact, it is just a different campus culture. Although, if pressed to rank these six schools in terms of academic rigor and brilliance of the studentbody, Dartmouth, Amherst & Williams would all certainly make the top tier.</p>