<p>I just got accepted from the wait list at Middlebury. I have enrolled at a Washington D.C. area school, where the opportunities are endless (in terms of internships, social, etc). I also like Washington DC and MAY be interested in International Studies (undecided). </p>
<p>So my question is: How isolated does Middlebury feel? I love nature, but on the way to my campus visit all I saw were cow pastures. Does the college do an excellent job of having things to do?</p>
<p>Any input would be much appreciated. I also have like three days to decide. : ( : )</p>
<p>I personally don’t go there, my sister is just finishing her freshman year at Midd. I recently visited her and yes it is isolated but there are many things to do on and around campus that you don’t really notice the isolation. Believe me, once on campus its not all cow pastures… I didn’t even notice any actually. </p>
<p>But yes the social aspect will be much tamer than a Washington D.C. school, but its still social.</p>
<p>My son also is finishing up his freshman year at Middlebury. His second semester has been more intensive than his first. According to him, there is a lot of writing-intensive homework.</p>
<p>He has really liked it there. We’ve never heard any complaints from him about isolation and he has made a lot of friends. He will be studying abroad in Munich for seven weeks this summer.</p>
<p>We live in the DC area and I believe that there is no DC-area school which compares to Middlebury for international studies. If you want to study abroad, Middlebury’s hard to beat. Of course, if you’re possibly interested in undergraduate engineering or business, then Middlebury is not the school for you.</p>
<p>Agree with laxtaxi, and would add that the international studies programs at GW and American are also very strong. While I personally would rate Midd higher than any DC school overall, international studies is the one area where the top DC schools are at least on par with Midd.</p>
<p>ok if you want to know I got into American’s Honors Program with a big scholarship. Their ISS school is outstanding, but I am aware that Middlebury’s overall academics is superior. I don’t know, it just seemed as if American had so much going on and so many opportunities. For example, for the honors students we will read a summer reading book and then the author will be at the university and we’ll discuss it. That sort of stuff.
Also, does the location create a large ‘Middlebury’ bubble?</p>
<p>I think you have to go with whatever works in your head. An Honor’s program is pretty good stuff… DC is a fabulous town. And from a parent viewpoint, scholarship is huge. However, if you are recieiving financial aid, is the scholarship for four years or do you have to satisfy some requirement. And how does Midd’s overall package, if there is one, meet your projected needs over the next four years. Now. if there is no financial aid at Midd, and only a one year scholarship at American, thats something different as well.</p>
<p>Personally, I think there are a lot of great colleges out there. I am thrilled S is going to MIdd, but I would probably be thrilled with a lot of his choices had he chosen them. What do your parents think?</p>
<p>I suppose that being in an isolated place, it does limits your experience and opportunities. People may deny it but studying in DC certainly offers alot more opportunities than studying in a remote location like Middlebury.
However, the option is yours. Whichever suits you best and Congrats…!!</p>
<p>Cristian, I’m not sure I entirely agree with you. I think when you’re in a large city like DC (a great town, that I loved living in) your opportunities are typically outside the school and the school knows that. Because of its remote location, Middlebury is constantly working to bring in opportunities. That, combined with the fact that Midd has such a tight alumni network, means that opportunities abound on the campus and off.</p>
<p>If the choice was between Middlebury and Georgetown, I might need to put a little more thought into the decision. But between Middlebury and American, I wouldn’t think twice about accepting Middlebury’s offer. AU doesn’t have much of a campus (and it’s not in the best location), its academic reputation isn’t as good as Middlebury’s (IMHO–although others might think differently), and AU won’t offer as intimate a learning experience as Midd. As others have said, Midd’s reputation in international studies is excellent. Do you live in a city now or plan to live in a city when you graduate? If so, you might want to consider a change of scenery for three years (assuming you’ll study abroad junior year, as 64% of Midd students do).</p>
<p>This isn’t to malign Georgetown, but I would recommending going to Middlebury over Georgetown any time where programs overlap. Georgetown’s a good school, but I question whether it’s worth the extra money over several good public schools around the DC area.</p>
<p>A high school classmate of my son’s wants to transfer out of Georgetown. According to the classmate, the Georgetown student body isn’t uniformly outstanding.</p>
<p>But I suppose if one wants to go to a city school, with the allure of the Nation’s Capital, I can understand Georgetown’s appeal.</p>
<p>I know a student currently in georgetown… He is a friend of my brother actually… He told me that Georgetown has a lot to offer and being in DC, you come across an array of opportunities… Opportunities are bound to come by in the nation’s capital. I agree that Middlebury is working on to bringing in the opportunities. However, what Middlebury has to offer cannot rival to what a big city like DC has to offer…</p>
<p>Of course the town of Middlebury won’t offer the same employment opportunities as Washington, DC. What is the relevance of that statement? I guess there’s a point I’m not getting… Are you saying that city schools have the inside track in placing kids in their respective cities simply because the schools themselves are located there?</p>
<p>At any rate, my son didn’t apply to Georgetown because he felt that some of the state universities around DC were comparable to Georgetown academically for a lot less money.</p>
<p>During the academic year, you’ll be taking classes and focusing on your classwork regardless of whether you’re in Middlebury, Vermont, or Washington, DC. During the summer, you’d have an equal chance of finding an internship in DC coming from either school.</p>
<p>i also think there is a distinct advantage to attending a Middlebury for undergrad sinply because the focus of the entire school is on the undergraduate student. There might be a lot of opportunity in DC and the surrounding area, but whose getting the attention? The undergrad or the graduate student? Son had wanted a small school where he could continue the class conversations and close relationships with teachers especially now since he is older as well. This is never easily done in a large university where the publish or perish rules of engagement would seem to benefit more graduate level students. Also, if we’re talking science, Midd’s facilities are top shelf, especially when compared to Georgetown’s these days (and it aint changing over the next four years, that’s for sure).</p>