Middlebury, Haverford, or Wesleyan?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am trying to decide which of these schools to apply to ED.
Before people give me the "ED is only for a clear #1" talk, I am not the kind of student who is "struck" by a certain college. I visited each of these schools, and loved them, above all others, in different ways. Looking at them pragmatically, I see advantages and disadvantages to each. I would like to apply ED to reduce stress and save time in my senior year.</p>

<p>So, where should I go?</p>

<p>Here's who I am:
I am a fairly nerdy, not in a Dungeons and Dragons kind of way, but just a little awkward, more comfortable in a smaller relaxed atmosphere than at big parties, not a big drinker or a varsity-caliber athlete. It would be nice if my school has a similar atmosphere.
For this, Haverford seems best.</p>

<p>I prefer a rural setting to an urban or suburban one (when else in life can I live in beautiful mountains and farmland but still have so many intellectual and cultural resources?). I have lived in the Philly suburbs for my whole life and I'd like to try somewhere new.
For this, Middlebury seems best.</p>

<p>I would like there to be a variety of extracurricular activities going on around campus that are relaxed and open to everyone, rather than people pouring themselves into just one thing (the "work hard, "play hard" attitude I always hear about on tours and in admissions books). For example, I'd like to be able to try debate without committing to major tournaments, or play hockey but just for fun.
For this, Wesleyan seems best.</p>

<p>I am planning on studying government, and I have interests international relations and economics, human rights, and environmental studies. These schools all have great departments in these areas; they all have PoliSci with concentrations in IR as well as environmental studies programs. Haverford has Peace, Justice, & Human Rights; Wesleyan, the College of Social Studies; Middlebury, International Politics & Economics.</p>

<p>My concerns:</p>

<p>Haverford may be confining (even with the Tri-Co consortium), as well as not being a new environment from my home.
Wesleyan may be a little too liberal even for me; I'm not an artist, a hipster, a hippie, or any of the other "alternative" people I saw on campus.
Middlebury, to some extent, looked like all of its students were 7-foot-tall blonde future presidents; again, I'm not that type of person, and I would be more comfortable with a slightly nerdier crowd.</p>

<p>Any advice on which school to pick? I'm sure I would be happy at any of them, but I just need something to push one of them ahead of the others.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help.</p>

2

<p>It sounds like you’d be most comfortable at Haverford, but maybe you’d like to step out of your comfort zone. You haven’t said anything about your scores and grades. You might apply ED to the one that is a reach for you, I’m guessing Middlebury, and see if you can take advantage of the slight advantage ED gives you.</p>

3

<p>I’m not sure how it’s come down to these 3 schools. It would seem that Carleton (if you’d be willing to venture out to the midwest) and Williams (closer to home) would be better fits.</p>

4

<p>Haverford is a wonderful school and does seem to fit very well with your personality. There is a definite bi-college community but really the tri-college thing is a stretch at best. Bryn Mawr and Haverford students are close and people go back and forth constantly. Not much interaction with Swarthmore unless that has changed a lot. </p>

<p>However - your desire to expand past the philly suburbs is important, you should listen to that.</p>

5

<p>I have to say, while all of these are great schools, your interest in international relations and environmental studies screams Middlebury. Those are two of its biggest strengths. It would be hard to find a school with better programs in each of those areas. Yes, Middlebury does appear to have a student body made up of “beautiful people”, but it’s by no means exclusive of alternative types. That’s one of the things I loved about Middlebury. When it comes down to it, even if you’re not seven feet tall (speaking as someone just short of 5’8" and apparently getting shorter) you’re all Middlebury Panthers and that’s all that seems to matter. I had friends who were on the Hockey team, the football team, and in the arts . . . and we all had fun together. It’s a true example of study in the liberal arts.</p>

6

<p>Of those three, I would say Middlebury, but you might be more comfortable at Macalester or Carleton if you’re not comfortable with Midd’s preppiness.</p>

7

<p>trynachoose, my S applied to all three of those schools, with almost exactly the same reservations. He, too, went to HS in the Philadelphia area. He also applied to Colorado College and Macalester (which both offered him merit money, something MHW don’t give). He considered Whitman College but ruled it out due to the distance.</p>

<p>One nice thing about Colorado College is that it has a non-binding Early Action option, meaning you could get a decision before the end of the year. It offers a major called “International Political Economy”. Its one-course-at-a-time “Block Plan” is great for majors like Environmental Science (because it facilitates off-campus field work and research projects). The mountain setting is spectacular and gets around 300 days of sunshine a year.</p>

8

<p>Choosing these three may be unusual; I know they all have fairly different cultures. But it’s not like one of them is UTexas or Notre Dame; they are still overall very similar; small, Northeast, liberal arts, liberal culture, etc. And I like their different and unique features.</p>

<p>People have suggested Carleton, but my family doesn’t want me that far from home. Same goes for Macalester, Grinnel, Reed, and Colorado. Thanks to everyone who suggested these, but I don’t think they’ll work for me. Williams is on my list, but nothing about it seemed quite as interesting to me as what I mentioned about these three schools.</p>

<p>The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning away from ED, no matter how much I’d like to have the process over with. That aside, any more insight as to the atmospheres of these schools (are there some non-preppy people at Middlebury? some more mainstream kids at Wesleyan?) would be appreciated. Thanks.</p>

9

<p>Sounds like Haverford is the fit, with Wesleyan the close second. In many ways, Middlebury seems like a distant third. But, ED should only be used if you have a clear first choice.</p>

10

<p>Wesleyan isn’t really as hipster as its reputation may have it to be… sure, there are hipsters on campus, but the majority of the people, are, in fact, mainstream. It seems like Wesleyan is a fantastic fit for you, especially since there is such a diverse spread of options socially - small get togethers are a very popular alternative to the big raging parties. Plus, it really is a place where everyone is trying new things and involved in a ton of activities.</p>

11

<p>What about Swarthmore? It seems like another possibility that would fit many of your criteria.</p>

12

<p>All three schools are wonderful, but, for me, I would go with: 1. Wesleyan 2. Middlebury 3. Haverford.</p>

<p>Let me qualify my further analysis by stating that all three of these schools are fantastic, and the differences between them, intellectually speaking, are negligible. </p>

<p>While Middlebury is “ranked” higher with regards to USNEWS, personally, I think Wesleyan has more lay prestige. I grew up in Los Angeles and now live in New York City, and I’ve known about Wesleyan pretty much all my life, while the other schools I have only recently become cognizant of. Doing well at each school you listed, however, will give you the opportunity for a fantastic future, but Wesleyan, in my opinion, has more prestige for the average employer/person on the street. But, in the academic community, Middlebury is more prestigious.</p>

<p>Again, all three schools are amazing. And, if it’s between Wesleyan and Middlebury, you can, quite honestly, just flip a coin and not make a wrong decision.</p>

<p>Visit all three campuses, and decide on which place you’d rather live.</p>

<p>In my opinion, ED at Wesleyan, but also apply to the rest of the schools you listed and Williams.</p>

13

<p>I also like 1. Wesleyan 2. Middlebury 3. Haverford.</p>

<p>Wes has a significant overlap with Brown, so I think you will have much of the same types: academic, inquisitive, a bit overacheiver types. How many friends will you really have? In that size of student body you will find your people no doubt. and not even think about it after freshman year.</p>

<p>It is too bad that your family is restricting your opportunities. Sounds like for purely selfish reasons. College is a great way to explore another area of the country in a supportive and safe atmosphere. My kid went from one coast to the other, is now in the middle and is really comfortable wherever she needs to go.</p>

<p>But really, geography is meaningless. A plane ride can be shorter that a drive. And there is skype. You really need to be on your own now anyway, getting away leads to less parent interference/distraction. Youll be reall buy at any school of these calibur that you choose.</p>

14

<p>Picking up on Brownparent’s point, we live in the northeast and door-to-door, it took us barely any longer to fly to Carleton than it did to drive to Middlebury, and I imagine it’s a longer haul from Philly. Also, I don’t know if you happen to be a NMSF, but Carleton throws $2K/yr in their direction, and that’s enough to pretty well offset any additional flying expenses.</p>

<p>Anyway, not trying to beat a dead horse here. If you want to stay in the northeast, so be it. Goodness knows there are plenty of fine schools in the area.</p>

15

<p>Based on everything you said, and my experience with kids from our HS that went to 2 out of 3 of those schools (Midd and Haverford), I would suggest Middlebury. The campus is top notch and in a nice town, but if you need some city, you can drive north to Burlington (small city). All 3 of the schools you’ve listed require not just strong grades with a strong schedule, but also strong leadership and/or creativity to show what you can bring to campus. Havorford is nice as well, but if you’re from Philly I would think you’d want to be further away from your current life so you can really be exposed to new people and ideas away from your more familiar surroundings.</p>

16

<p>It’s interesting that different people read your description and think their preferred college is the obvious choice.</p>

<p>I read your description and to me it screams Haverford in everything but the location. But for some people, location really matters. And on that score, Middlebury’s the clear choice. </p>

<p>I have a daughter at Haverford who absolutely loves it, and I have nothing but good things to say about the place. But Wesleyan was her #2 and Midd somewhere in the top 8 (probably #8 because she didn’t like the remote location and the prospect of cold Vermont winters, which really do get much colder than near-coastal Connecticut or suburban Philly). The schools have distinct personalities, but I think you can find what you want academically, socially, and in extracurriculars at any of the three. Midd has the location that seems to speak to you, and it is just absolutely gorgeous. It is also, however, the one with the biggest reputation for hard partying and heavy drinking, so that might be a negative. But it’s big enough that I’m sure you can find some people who aren’t into that scene. I’d go with the location. It seems to matter to you.</p>

17

<p>@BrownParent
It’s not for selfish reasons. No need to go into detail here, but there are perfectly legitimate concerns, and I have no problem with this since there are so many schools in the Northeast.</p>

18

<p>@rayrick
I am a NMSF…
but even if my parents would be ok with me going this far away, I would not have the chance to visit before applying, and I would be uncomfortable going to a school I haven’t even seen. I am leaning away from ED, so maybe I will apply, see if I get in, and reconsider in the spring. But it seems unlikely.</p>

19

<p>@bclintonk
I’m surprised by the varied responses. I’ve asked in a few other threads as well, and I’ve gotten a pretty even balance between Haverford, Wesleyan, and Middlebury. I’m sure I can’t go wrong with any of them… it’s just hard to tell which factors- location, academic offerings, social climate, etc.- will be most important to me a few years down the road.</p>

20

<p>After bclintock’s response I have to reassert my opinion that Middlebury is the obvious choice for you. You, yourself stated that Middlebury was possibly the best location. You stated an interest in environmental studies. Middlebury has the oldest environmental studies program in the nation and possibly the best (certainly the best among LAC’s). You also stated a preference for international studies. This is one of middlebury’s core strengths - one for which they are widely recognized as being among the best. </p>

<p>You’ll find nice people to get along with at all these schools. You’ll get a great education at all these schools. You’ll probably be happy at all three, so why not attend the one with the most strengths?</p>