<p>My primary concern with going to Middlebury is that there are not many other colleges around it and the probability of making friends outside of the college is very small. </p>
<p>Does that mean that Middlebury students are stuck with the same people for four years? </p>
<p>How do you make friends and build a large social network for future employment and other opportunities? </p>
<p>Thank you!!!</p>
<p>My thoughts:</p>
<p>1.) Yes – I suppose you would indeed be “stuck” with the same group of brilliant, talented, and engaging people.</p>
<p>2.) How would a social network on campus be any less useful than a social network off campus? There are people at Midd from all over the world and many of them are EXTREMELY well-connected.</p>
<p>3.) I’m sure Midd would help you snag some very cool internships over the summer.</p>
<p>Most people in college, no matter where you go to school (from a large research university to small liberal arts college) only truly interact with their fellow students, faculty, and administrators. Sure, you might get to know the barista at the local coffee shop, or the bartender at the local pub, but the majority of friendships you’ll form in college will be with your peers. At 2,500 students, Middlebury is sufficiently large that you’ll never meet everyone that there is to meet. You’ll meet folks outside the academic community when you volunteer or go to Burlington for the occasional pub crawl, but most of that depends on you and your social skills–not the college. You’ll still have your friends back home as well. Also at Midd, where 60% of the class studies abroad during Junior year, you’ll have an opportunity to expand your social network internationally.</p>
<p>My interviewer told me that a) she made so many life-long friends there and b) she couldn’t wait to get out of Middlebury after four years with same people. I didn’t know what to make out of that seemingly contradicting statements.</p>
<p>^ makes perfect sense to me. 
But then again, I’m old.</p>
<p>You make great friends and they are with you forever, but after four years in a rural area, I am sure it would be really exciting to move to the city or other population and really spread those new wings.</p>
<p>yee0890 - Here’s my perspective on that. I couldn’t wait to go abroad this year. Partly, that was because I was excited to live abroad and immerse myself in language-learning and all that. However, it was also because I would be living in cities for the first time and I would get to live outside the bubble for a while. I’ve loved my time abroad, but now, with the end in sight, I’m really looking forward to going back to Midd next year. I miss being able to go to the dining hall with friends for dinner. I miss how easy it is to meet people, do stuff with friends, etc. There definitely is that sort of contradictory nature to college life.</p>