<p>I think a lot of the English hype for Middlebury comes from the Bread Loaf School of English, but that has nothing to do with undergraduate English, I suppose.</p>
<p>So I assume that these top LACs should be relatively equal in terms of quality of majors/concentrations such as English, etc. Does it come down to more of a "fit" and atmosphere question? </p>
<p>I'm applying to Brown, and I'm pretty sure also to Amherst, Vassar, Wesleyan, and Pomona. I've wavered between replacing Pomona with Middlebury or just adding Middlebury to the mix, but I'm still not sure yet.</p>
<p>Your list is cohesive but you lack a safety. Depending on your stats a safety could be one of the midwestern schools already named or maybe Pitzer, Skidmore, Occidental, Wheaton, Clark. (Or maybe it is your state U.) But at any rate, finding that safety is also important.</p>
<p>SBmom, thanks for your comment. I have my state school as a safety, but I'll take a look at other schools and some of the schools you mentioned, too. Having a list that's too top-heavy is something I'm trying to avoid. :)</p>
<p>Well, I personally think Smith is fabulous! It was on my list of colleges for a long time before I had to do a brutal cut to shorten my list, and I decided against it for other reasons. I don't think it has distribution requirements either, like Brown. I think it's generally well-liked for its reputation for academics, lovely campus and facilities, the attention that students receive when needed, open-minded community, etc. </p>
<p>And hey...if you really like Brown, maybe you should just go for it. Brown is a reach for most people, but if you really love it, you'll never know unless you try. :)</p>
<p>Smith is very similar to Brown in many ways, starting with open curriculum (no distribution requirements), closeknit community, excellent art history department. Obviously, Brown is in Providence, by Smith is in a very happening town, the center of the five-college scene. As Brown has with RISD, Smith allows students to take courses from all of the other five colleges. Both very liberal student bodies, Smith obviously all female. Each of them will have stronger and weaker departments. One thing that Smith has that Brown does not is, for the top 50 or so matriculants, paid research assistantships in the first two years.</p>
<p>Smith also had Ruth Simmons before Brown! And they have an interesting program where older women can return to college. I think it makes for a different atmosphere inside and out of the classroom, although not one that you might notice immediately.</p>
<p>someone who graduated two years earlier than me from my high school went to brown and transferred to wesleyan after freshman year... he's a junior here at wes now ('08) with myself being wes'10... so there's at least someone who thinks wes>brown... just one person, but he does break the stereotype:)</p>
<p>Def consider Tufts. Brown and Tufts have many cross-applicants and several who go each way. Tufts may not have the "hippest Ivy" stamp, but it certainly makes up for it in other respects.</p>
<p>My D applied to Brown. She also considered and/or applied to: Oberlin, Wellesley, Carleton, Pomona, Barnard, and Macalester.</p>
<p>All the schools she ultimately applied to, I think, were either in decent-sized cities or about 40 minutes from a decent-sized city. She is attending Oberlin.</p>
<p>I think she felt Amherst & Middlebury might feel a little snootier, preppier, "sportsier" than she would prefer. Based on reading & other kids from her school who went there. And maybe not within 40 minutes of a big city? Can't really compare to Brown because she didn't look.</p>
<p>Generally she wanted liberal, not huge sports or frats, not many required courses,good programs in areas of interest.The schools were similar in some ways, different in others. College selection can involve compromises. Fortunately there aren't many "on the table", so easy to research.</p>
<p>"Amherst: preppier than Brown; competitive academically; more close community feel. Dartmouth is more liberal and more like Brown than Amherst."</p>
<p>Slipper, I don't think this is true at all. For one, Amherst is located in an extremely liberal town in an extremely liberal state. I'd like to think that we are not so isolated from the community that this does not affect us. Dartmouth, on the other hand, is located in rural New Hampshire. I think that both of these things have a big impact on the student body who applies and the professors themselves. I wouldn't make such a statement that Dartmouth is more liberal than Amherst, how could you possibly know this? </p>
<p>Dartmouth is certainly more like Brown in some ways, but there are other ways in which it definitely isn't. Amherst is located in central New England, and is a fairly equall distance from both the mountains of northern New England and the beach in southern New England. I'd say that both Dartmouth and Amherst are preppier than Brown, but Amherst's student body is not wealthier by any significant manner. Amherst and Brown have an open curriculum in common, too.</p>