Hello. I am considering Middlebury for soccer. Would like to hear feedback about Econometric and Computer Science programs. please share the pros and the cons. I will not qualify for any financial aid and unlikely to get scholarship. Will be about 6 hours away from my family and friends.
Donât have anyone who goes to Midd although itâs undoubtedly a fine school for both.
I was stuck on your six hour thing ? College is about growth and exploration. Many of your fellow Midd students will be from much further away, some even from around the world ?
Do you have concern with leaving home ? There are closer schools of course but Iâm sure youâll create a new life and your family and friends will still be there for you. Your friends will also be starting new adventures.
Good luck to you.
I live in New York and love the city. Wasnât looking to move away for college like some other friends I have do. The distance is not the most important criteria in making a college selection but it adds to either a positive or a negative for each option. That is the only reason I mentioned it.
Do you have a chance to play soccer elsewhere ? There are closer options of course - near the city. But Midd is a great opportunity but a slight culture slick from what you know . I hope some posters come through with direct experiences. There are several Midd parents who post.
Who else is on the list ??
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This school is interested in me joining and has a good soccer team. I am very seriously considering it as a result.
Course listings are here:
However, not all courses appear to be regularly offered (those which are have âcurrentâ or âupcomingâ noted).
How did they find out about you ? If Midd other schools will too I assume.
Based on faculty scholarship in the field, Middlebury offers one of the finest economics departments in the nation: Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc.
There are no scholarships at Middlebury. Make sure you can afford the full price by discussing with your parents and using the NPC.
Iâll tag @MWolf who might have ideas about your other questions.
As for being six hours away from family and friends, I am pretty sure MANY kids at Midd will be similar distances away from people they already know, including a number of kids from NY. One reason for going to Middlebury is that you will make new friends and at some point, it will feel like your home away from home. Donât let the distance deter you because itâs really not too bad.
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Iâd bet the majority are at least 4 hours or more away.
As to the OP, I know little to nothing about Middâs CS department, but my general sense is that once youâve made the decision to go to a LAC and forego the chance to be at one of the big gun CS Universities, youâll be fine at most or all of the SLACS.
At for econometrics, Midd has a strong Econ department, so Im guessing their econometrics offerings are strong. If youâre interested in finance, Midd does as well as anyone in sending kids to Wall Street.
Are you being recruited?
Yes. Hence I serious considering it.
if the college is affordable and a good fit, middlebury can place very well for wall street jobs. Unlike business, CS is more meritocratic and you can do well with CS studying at most universities.
I would say if econ interests you more than CS, then pick middlebury. if CS is your primary interest then you can see if other schools which are closer/affordable are possible but middlebury is fine as well.
My kid is a senior at Midd, majoring in Neuroscience. New York is very highly represented in the student body there. Depending on where you live in New York, it is less than six hours by car.
Moreover, Midd is a residential college - everybody is there all the time. You will travel home during breaks, or if there is something going on. Your social life will mostly be on campus, and, more likely than not, with the other soccer players. So it doesnât matter whether you are six hours away from home, 12 hours, or whether you live in Europe or China.
Moreover, that will be the case at many colleges, especially as an athlete.
In any case, six hours is not much. Leave at 10 AM, and youâre there by 4 PM. It may be less, now that the train goes to Middlebury.
Importantly - can your parents afford Middlebury? The college does not have athletic scholarships, and the only merit scholarships are through its partnerships with Posse and Questbridge. Have your run the NPC, and can your parents afford that extra expense?
Of course, that would be the case for any college which has low acceptance rates, especially those which are full-need-met colleges.
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Thank you for sharing your perspective on CS degree.
Regarding college cost I am thinking of value for the price. It is a highly selective school. So price tag is high. How did you know if it was worth the price? What should I think about? Is the school helpful with internships? Is it better to go to the small school because of the relationship and networking? What % of people canât get a job after this school?
Regarding career counseling and employment prospects, U.S. News includes early career salaries among its other data: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/middlebury-college-3691. This information seems most useful when comparing colleges of similar regions and types (e.g., Middlebury to Hamilton, Williams, or Colby).
Personally I think a lot of getting a job depends on the kids. Schools, short of the most elite, arenât handing out jobs.
The kid not utilizing the career center for resume prep, job strategies, etc is going to fail - thatâs at Midd or Montana. The kid not utilizing on campus job fairs or also working LinkedIn and indeed will fail.
Inherently a Midd kid will likely do better than other schools because they were âbetterâ statistically to get in. Just like a Midd kid is more likely than the Marist grad to get into a top law school - not because the school was better but because their LSAT is better - just like their SAT undergrad.
There is little doubt that someone at an elite private who takes advantage of their connections will potentially have an easier time. Potentially.
Yet you will find many who think their investment was wise and youâll find a ton who say - I wish I would have went to X school that gave me merit money or the Y school public where I spent $100k or $150k and saved my parents several hundred thousand dollars.
Only you can decide if itâs worth it. Some make that determination up front - I have the smarts and drive to succeed anywhere. Others decide if it was worth it after the fact.
I know my high priced private undergrad was 100% not worth it. My public grad school was far superior in every wat. I know that now. Didnât then. Went to the top undergrad in my field. But thatâs my situation - not necessarily yours.
But Iâm fortunate, my dad could afford that expense so why I hate that he spent so much heâs ok. Can your parents afford Midd without a huge hit to their lifestyle ? Thatâs one thing to look at.
My S23 is also planning to apply to Midd as a prospective Econ major. My thoughts on Econ at top LACs is that they are all good enough. The curricula is nearly identical everywhere and it tends to be a large enough major that thereâs sufficient course options. My D is a sophomore at Smith and also majoring in Quantitative Econ.
Comp Sci is a different thing altogether. (My DH and I are both CS majors). Many LACs do not offer are are very limited in their CS offerings so that is worth checking out. That said, CS at a LAC is a great backdoor into a major that is impacted at nearly very Uni. and very difficult to get in to. Not sure why more students are not pursuing the CS-at-a-LAC option.
Good luck to you.
Could it be for the reason at the beginning of your paragraph (many LACsâ CS departments are too small with too limited offerings)?
Also, some LACs have issues with too many students wanting to take CS courses. For example, Swarthmore is rationing CS courses for CS majors. An alternative option for a LAC with overenrolled CS courses is to increase class sizes, but that would take away one of the features that many students specifically look for in a LAC.
I agree but with so many students wanting to get into CS programs it seems more would look into this. Maybe it is happening at some LACs. My D has had zero trouble getting into small CS courses even as a freshman.
I looked that CS and Economics department. 12 professors in CS department vs. arc 24 in Economics. I hear your point on CS not being as great as some other schools but would definitely like to make it part of my education. Now curious if it will be ease to minor in it given you assumption that it may be harder to get into CS classes for a non-major student.
Regarding college costs, do students get outside scholarships? where would you suggest I start. While my parents say that will pay for the school I am still concerned about it. Would like to explore if I can get any support.