<p>top liberal arts colleges are reasonably less well-known internationally than those traditional top universities like Cornell or Upenn (not to mention HYPS, that all people on earth know them), or even Carnegie Mellon is better known in China... i don't expect people to know those really decent LACs like Williams, Swarthmore or Middlebury, but how is the case in the states?</p>
<p>Do people know Middlebury in the United States? Is it a popular one that if you mention the name of middlebury, people will know it is a decent liberal arts college in NE?</p>
<p>just out of curiosity... i know that fame or reputation isn't worth a thing..</p>
<p>The general population may not know the name, but most highly educated people, grad school admissions officers, and those who do hiring know that Middlebury is a top school.</p>
<p>buddy, people in new york city dont know where or what middlebury is. i dont think itll have much clout in the far east. but arcadia knows whats up.</p>
<p>When you say “people in New York City” don’t know Midd, are you talking about the Bus Driver or the Diner waiter? Admissions people at Columbia and NYU certainly know Middlebury and hold it in high regard as do those making hiring decisions at major Wall Street firms.</p>
<p>We used to live just outside the town of Middlebury, halfway up Robert Frost Mountain (not making this up!) in Ripton, Vermont.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t care whether or not it’s well known. It has one of the most beautiful settings of any college campus I’ve ever seen, and that’s what impresses me, in my old age. If it weren’t so far away from where we live now, I’d encourage DS to apply. (But he has already applied to enough places anyway.)</p>
<p>I can vouch that it’s well known in New England. I don’t know about NYC, but I think most educated people have heard of it. It has a strong reputation, in the Northeast at least. I’m originally from Boston, and, growing up, I certainly heard about it.</p>
<p>And ahhhh, that setting. Have you visited the town of Middlebury? Oh my gosh, it is the quintessential picturesque little New England town, complete with white-spired Congregational church and grassy “common.” Plus, there is a HUGE waterfall right smack in the middle of town, feeding into Otter Creek. It could not be prettier if it tried.</p>
<p>Creative writers certainly know Middlebury. Every summer, the population of Ripton swells as the Breadloaf Conference people arrive.</p>
<p>My family and I love the mountains, so we gravitate toward places like Middlebury. It certainly seems to me that there are far worse spots to spend four years of your young life. :)</p>
<p>Oops, just saw that you’re in China, so I guess that means you haven’t yet visited Middlebury, LOL. </p>
<p>Do you like gorgeous natural settings? If so–go for it. Middlebury (the town) is a little piece of heaven. It really is. Just remember to dress warmly, LOL! (But, to tell the truth, we found that cold weather in Vermont was much more bearable than cold weather in Boston. Boston’s cold is dank (because of the ocean), with a wind that cuts right through you. Vermont’s cold is drier, with a lot less wind. Plus, everyone there dresses for it, with lots of layers.)</p>
<p>I will always have fond memories of Middlebury and environs. Just thinking of all the great hiking trails, the crystal-clear brooks, the waterfalls…what an absolutely gorgeous, amazing place. </p>
<p>OK, now I’m getting nostalgic and auld-lang-syne-y. Time to go to bed!</p>
<p>When you say “people in New York City” don’t know Midd, are you talking about the Bus Driver or the Diner waiter? Admissions people at Columbia and NYU certainly know Middlebury and hold it in high regard as do those making hiring decisions at major Wall Street firms. </p>
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<p>I was talking about both the inexplicably capitalized Bus Driver and the Diner Waiter, thank you very much, as well as a sizeable percentage of the people that you assume are in the know–like the recently retired advertising exec I met at a Christmas party who thought it was in Connecticut, or the illustrious “Wall Street” day trader I met at the gym who didn’t know where it was geographically (let alone in the rankings) but had the the vague notion it was good in languages.</p>
<p>there’s no need to get defensive–a lack of name recognition is essentially symptomatic of attending any top lac. And I am well-aware Middlebury has all due clout in graduate school admissions and other relevant sectors like Fortune 500 internship recruitment and the general job market, though I’m certainly less confident in the latter two and would like to see some data–like average recent midd grad salary–to back it up.</p>
<p>I agree with LadyDianeski-The only thing that SHOULD matter is the quality of all facets of the school, and it is absolutely true that Middlebury is TOP in everything (academics, facilities, athletics, etc).</p>
<p>That being said, I almost applied to Dartmouth ED over Middlebury for the sole reason that the former has significantly more prestige (I liked very little else about the school). I finally came to my senses, applied ED to my dream school, and am a proud member of the class of 2015.</p>
<p>I do live in NYC, and unfortunately, while many people know the name, fewer know just how amazing it is. On the USNWR, it is number four for liberal arts schools, and guess what’s number four in universities? Stanford. It’s a bit embarrassing for me that I still wish Midd had a bit more prestige, but you should know, in your heart, that it is a TOP school in every regard, and as urbanslaughter mentioned, important people you’ll meet will most likely recognize the quality of your undergraduate education.</p>
<p>Also, let’s not forget that Midd has some of the most loyal alumni (top-10-most-loved-schools: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance), happiest students around, and most beautiful campus. You will NOT be sorry you chose Midd and you will most likely have the best four years of your life. Very little time goes by where I wish I could hightail it out of high school and just get up to Vermont! I am so excited for Midd it’s unbelievable…</p>
<p>People who “matter” certainly know the top LAC’s (WAPS, Midd). I.e.: top professional schools, graduate schools, elite employers and intellectul people who actually know anything about education, in general.</p>