Middlebury and listmaking

<p>I just took a look at the Middlebury site for the first time. I'm unfamiliar with east coast schools, but at first glance it looks perfect for my D. How hard is it to get in to? I'm wondering if I should put it on "the list." I don't know any of D's stats, she is a sophomore in highschool, so hasn't taken PSAT or SAT's yet. She is not as smart in math as her older brother, but doing okay, and she going to end up with a much better overall GPA than he did, I know that already . . . She is a combination of bright mixed with a bit of California flakiness (or does "free spirit" sound better?), comes across as a ditz in interviews but scores well on tests. Or if any of you have some other possibilities of schools for her, please feel free to mention them. I'm thinking about schools for her such as Grinnell, St. Olaf, Whitman . . .</p>

<p>Mstee:</p>

<p>I visited Middlebury many years ago. It's in a picture perfect NE town, really lovely though quite cold, about 5 hours drive from Boston. It is very similar in profile to colleges such as Grinnell, Carleton, Colby, Bowdoin, etc... It has a first-rate foreign language department and runs intensive language classes in the summer that many college students take. It also has the Breadloaf Writers' Worskhop which is very prestigious. If your D is interested in cold weather--and if she is considering Grinnell and St Olaf, then give Middlebury and Colby serious consdiration. Colby is about 3 hours away from Boston.</p>

<p>As for the CA flakiness, well, she's only a sophomore! She won't have an interview for quite a while.</p>

<p>I did a master's in the Middlebury summer program and have stayed fairly current with the school. It is a classic New England LAC, much "preppier" than the other schools you listed and different in other regards--but that may be just the reason to add it to the list. It is by exploring the contrasts that your daughter will find her "fit". On a liberal/conservative continuum it would now be the one most on the right of those you've named. It is a beautiful campus and great for anyone who loves to ski or wants to learn languages.</p>

<p>Middlebury is a very selective liberal arts college. It's really impossible to say what your daughter's chances might be without knowing her GPA, rank, the type of curriculum she's going to follow in the next two years, extracurriculars or her test scores. However, here are some facts that should give you an idea about Middlebury's selectivity and what should would need to have a shot at getting in:</p>

<p>Last year, Middlebury's Regular Decision acceptance rate was 21%, for Early Decision is was 34%. They fill almost have of their freshman class in the Early decision round.</p>

<p>They recommend 4 years of English, math, foreign languages and 3 each of science and social sciences. </p>

<p>77% of accepted applicants were ranked in the top 10% of their high school class.</p>

<p>25-75% SAT scores:
Verbal 690-750
Math 680-740
Combined 1370-1490</p>

<p>Factors rated as "very important" in admissions: high school curriculum and grades, class rank, extracurriculars.</p>

<p>D's at Carleton. Middlebury & Haverford were #2 choices and very similar in many respects. We were enthusiastic about Middlebury's use of other test scores in their admission criteria. D is not a great standardized test taker (did do better on ACT than SAT). However, her AP scores from junior year (Calc, Chem, English Lang) were 5's and 4's. Middlebury will take the AP's instead of SAT's and SAT II's. As I recall, they required 3 tests scores - one math, one verbal-type, and one of choice - from AP's, SAT's ACT's, SAT II's.</p>

<p>Tks for the informative and quick input!! Yes, its too early to make any actual decisions about where to apply. By this time next year, there will be much more information to work with. Her school doesn't rank, but I think she has a good chance of top 10%. However, so much depends on how next year goes. </p>

<p>I am thinking of doing an East Coast colleges trip at some point with this one--maybe partly because I just want an excuse for a trip-- I have friends in Poughkeepsie that I feel like I need to visit and hey, why not use a college tour as a pretext. I guess we could visit Vassar, too!</p>

<p>Mstee, I think an east coast trip over the summer is a great idea for your daughter. It's funny but when we did the east coast trip with my daughter last summer between sophomore and junior year, she came away not really interested in the northeast. But, for some reason, the midwest appeals to her. Go figure.</p>

<p>I found college trips to be such a meaningful time just to "be with" my S before you have to let them go. I also think if she takes a shine to some fine schools, you may notice that she will "take over" seeking out things like admission criteria, and trying to get a reading on where she is likely to be a match or a reach, so I think summer after tenth grade is a good place for simple touring to increase motivation and ability to visualize the last two years of high school. The Junior year transcript is very important and some parents don't get their kids engaged in forward thinking early enough. </p>

<p>Middlebury is one of the most selective liberal arts schools in the USA. The thing that struck us about it was the excellence of the physical plant..the buildings are done with sharp eyes to architecture (good because you are stuck indoors in harsh winters), the scenery is divine, and the pool/gym looks like it was built for 4000 students instead of 2500. Students are preppier than at similar schools but that does not mean other student lifestyles don't exist..they do and the faculty/student access is superb. </p>

<p>Make sure to take her to schools which have more gentle admission stats as well as letting her see the most difficult "prestige" name schools. It is a good idea to build emotional attachments to schools in both categories. Admission to Middlebury is not predictable even if you have the stats. Opening your child up to attaching to Matches as well as Reaches gives two messages: you had best "ramp it up" if you are interested in highly selective and get focused on hitting those test and advanced classes marks, and secondly, if that is not your fate/profile...we as your parents believe in you and know you can also have a rich rewarding life as a scholar at schools which are also excellent but perhaps more reasonable at the admissions gate. There are really many great schools that have easier than 21% admission rates and that offer a wonderful education. Have a great time sorting it all out with your daughter!</p>

<p>"She is not as smart in math as her older brother, but doing okay, and she going to end up with a much better overall GPA than he did"
OUCH!! Best not to voice these kind of thoughts, I wonder how that attitude influences her. My mother always thought that about my sister, but she ended up with the Master's in Computer Science.</p>

<p>Performing well is much more valuable than being smart. In school and in life.</p>

<p>Oops. My bad.</p>

<p>Well, (blushing), I guess I was thinking that her brothers' math performance is what got him into certain schools, because it certainly was not his GPA. Little sister is doing well in math, getting A's, but she is a different type of thinker than her brother, not getting the sky high scores he got, but decent. She certainly seems talented in math, not implying that she is not, but so far nothing sets her apart from the crowd. She is seriously contemplating going into a science in college and I am encouraging her. I don't think she would do well in an ultra competitive environment, not because of inability but because of personality. But in the right environment with encouragement, I can see her doing very well in a math or science. But, it's still early in the game. She hasn't yet taken chemistry or physics. I would love her to go into a math or science. But I'm not pushing it.</p>

<p>Middlebury is wonderful, bright kids but not super competitive. One correction, it's not 5 hours from Boston, you'd be well into Canada 5 hours North! It's maybe 3 hours.</p>

<p>Oops. my bad. It's about 180 miles from Boston.</p>

<p>21% acceptance rate. Eegads. Are there any picturesque schools in the northeast region of the country that aren't horribly competitive? I'm sure there will only be one or two schools with that acceptance rate on the list, if that, if she does well next year and looks like she might have some sort of shot at such a school. She is not into prestige. Or so she says. She is prone to making bold statements.</p>

<p>You have a lot of competition for these schools from the Bay Area, you would do better in the South and MW where fewer CA kids apply. Grinnell, Oberlin, Davidson, Kenyon perhaps.</p>

<p>Consider Hamilton, Colgate, Colby, Bowdoin. If she is willing to attend a coed school, Smith is great. Mt Holyoke is somewhat less selective than Smith but still excellent.</p>

<p>Grinnell will most definitely be on the list. My H and I became huge fans of the school when S went through the application process last year. Kenyon is another that looks like it might be a possibility.</p>

<p>"Are there any picturesque schools in the northeast region of the country that aren't horribly competitive? "</p>

<p>I'd add Skidmore and Conn College to marite's list. And in the midwest I'd second Kenyon.</p>

<p>MAybe take a look at Dickinson, Hamilton, Hobart & William Smith, Bates too. Depends how "preppy" she is. In the midwest, check out Carleton, Macalester, Oberlin perhaps. I see you have Whitman on the list already - great school. Lewis & Clark might be a good one for a possible safety if she wants something more quirky. In the south, Hendrix is pretty and more liberal than it's Arkansas address would suggest. Some have called it the Grinnell of Arkansas LOL!</p>

<p>Lafayette (Pa) and Union (NY) are small LACs that are not as selective as Middlebury. Trinity (CT) is a university, but small and kids around here who like Middlebury (reach for most due to 21% acc. rate) often like Trinity as match match/safety.</p>

<p>Oh, and a few others: Muhlenberg, Allegheny, Denison</p>