<p>I keep hemming and hawing between these two schools.
I have been accepted to both and must decide which one to attend by May 1st.</p>
<p>I really love the idea of a small, personalized college community in terms of both academics and social life. This is certainly something Midd offers. The campus was also beautiful, but then again i visited in the springtime. I don't want the fact that i was swept off my feet by the "charm" of the place to influence my decision too heavily.</p>
<p>Midd is much less diverse than Brown, which is a minus for me. it also has more of a WASP-ie, wealthy, elitist, prep-school, jockish kind of reputation. Which i don't exactly like. I actually surprised myself that i liked Midd more than Wesleyan (was also accepted there), since i had in mind i'd go to a more liberal "hippie/activist" type school. But, while at Wes i go the feeling people were trying a little too hard to be different. When i visited all the middkids i met seemed friendly, but then again it was a preview day.</p>
<p>That said, there are things i really like about Midd and also things that i know i shouldn't like.
Another factor is that hardly anyone i know has heard of Midd. While the same people go "wow brown-that's such a cool school!" which it is, i really loved it there too. </p>
<p>Brown would give me a lot more opportunities, in terms of classes and extra-currics, as well as a much more diverse student body. I find myself leaning more toward Brown, but it's hard for me to rule out going to Midd.</p>
<p>So, does anyone have any opinions about diversity/cultural life at Midd? Also, is the small size (small classes, prof attention) at Midd really that much better than at a medium-sized place like Brown, which also has a very reputable name attached to it?</p>
<p>the thing you have to watch out for with Brown is the constant theme that it’s “a lot like an LAC”; it is and, it isn’t. There are lots of people even in your own class who will fall right off the radar as soon as school begins. As an LAC (Wesleyan) grad it’s an eerie feeling to constantly meet Brunonians who attended the same college at the same time and never so much as heard of each other. Or, they’ll have graduated without ever having met a gay person or had a heart-to-heart talk with a person of color. I mean, that’s probably not a deal-breaker for many people; I’m just saying that for me, it would be a little strange to go to a school that brags so much about its diversity and not take those interactions for granted. </p>
<p>To me, Middlebury and Wesleyan are the ideal size for people interested in what diversity has to offer without it being suffocating or overbearing; you eventually just begin to just “see people as people”; but, you also realize that it’s a process rather than a given.</p>
<p>Well, there are bigger differences between the schools than what you focused on. You may have noticed already, but Middlebury is in Central Vermont, while Brown is in Providence. This factor alone should have some impact on your decision. I attended Midd at a time when it wasn’t nearly as diverse as it is now. My sister had attended school in Providence, and while it’s changed a lot since then (for the better mostly) I was happy to be in Vermont rather than Providence (but that’s going to be your decision), and I felt I met all sorts of people from diverse backgrounds. Sure people will always know the Ivies, even more than some of the top LAC’s, though many of the top LAC’s are more selective than many of the Ivies. I always tell people, if name recognition were the deciding factor then we’d all be attending Ohio State or the University of Florida. Rest assured, the people who count (those who will be hiring you and those who will be admitting you to grad school) will all hold Middlebury in high regard. You’ll get a great education at whichever school you choose. You just have to go with your heart. </p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what are the things about Midd you “know [you] shouldn’t like”?</p>
<p>Sorry that was probably a little vague.
The potential negative aspects of Midd, to me, would be the more homogeneous student body, the importance of athletics (although i know this is common in nescac schools…), and the “preppy” image it has. My college counselor also said she thought of Midd and Brown to be on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as “liberalism” goes, but i don’t know how accurate that assumption is…
On paper, these things are a little unappealing to me, but while i was actually at the school the pros (outdoorsy vibe, scenery, environmental program, language program…) seemed to outweigh the cons. Yet, it’s hard to make a judgement based on one visit…</p>
<p>I agree, the location is another really big difference. But, I have the feeling that in college i should be so busy working and having fun that i don’t need to go into a city all the time! (Plus, i found vermont to be quite beautiful.) That being said, i feel like junior/senior year, Brown would offer more of a “real world” kind of experience than Midd. Which could be really good for me… Is 4 years (or 3…if i study abroad) too long to stay in the Club Midd “bubble” while retaining one’s sanity?..</p>
<p>I won’t disagree about the importance of sports, although there certainly are people who play only frisbee or quidditch. But Brown and Midd on opposite ends of the liberal–conservative spectrum really seems wrong to me. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most liberal, some southern conservative school would be a 1 or 2 and Brown might be an 8 or 9 with Midd a 7 or 8 right behind it. Obviously there are a lot of environmental activists at Midd and I would guess that the campus was 75% Obama supporters.</p>
<p>Yeah, I found her assessment the liberal/conservatism of the school a little bit off-base and probably associated with some antiquated stereotype…
I kind of like the idea of Midd not being way at the end of the liberal spectrum. I imagine it would lend to more real two-sided political discussion. It’s more fun when there is someone to “convince.” ;)</p>
<p>To change gears,
I came across some very unsettling comments about midd on **************.com, and was wondering if anyone had any response to them at all… i don’t know how credible they are, but i’m still a bit concerned about what these people have to say about midd.</p>
<p><a href="http://www..com/VT/MCi_comments.html%5B/url%5D">http://www..com/VT/MCi_comments.html</a> (the second one)</p>
<p><a href="http://www..com/VT/MCi_comments.html?page=4&type=&d_school=Middlebury%20College%5B/url%5D">http://www..com/VT/MCi_comments.html?page=4&type=&d_school=Middlebury%20College</a> (second and third comment)</p>
<p>I didn’t click on the links, but if it’s the website I’m thinking of, then I’m highly suspect of what’s written there. It used to be that anyone (not just students or alumni) could go to that site and post whatever they wanted. No way to be sure what their affiliation or intentions were. Listen, Middlebury has one of the highest retention and graduation rates among all colleges in the country, and THE highest alumni giving rate. That only happens when the majority of students are happy with their academic, social, and residential experiences. Middlebury students are pretty damn happy with their school.</p>
<p>Midd is very liberal, tho very tolerant of others views/ideas.
As my S says, “even the people I don’t want to be friends with are nice”. </p>
<p>He is a rabid liberal, very active in Student and local Vermont politics and the student newspaper as a frosh-very easy to break in to small organizations and have a voice early on with such a small campus.</p>
<p>… whereas my kid is more conservative but equally as tolerant.</p>
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<p>You sure wouldn’t know it by the students’ participation in liberal issues/politics. The Middlebury College Democrats’ webpage hasn’t been updated in a couple of years.</p>
<p>[The</a> Middlebury College Democrats](<a href=“http://community.middlebury.edu/~dems/]The”>http://community.middlebury.edu/~dems/)</p>
<p>Well, it will be soon. The Campus Dems are very active in community politics, maybe not as into websites as they should be.</p>
<p>I’ll forward your concern onward…</p>
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<p>I don’t believe I said I was concerned. I do, however, find it amusing a club that’s supposedly so active hasn’t updated their webpage since 2007. Although now that you’ve assured me the oversight will be remedied, I look forward to seeing the new and improved Dem website. ;)</p>