<p>I am a senior from a public highschool in CA and I am trying to decide between Middlebury and Carleton.</p>
<p>Things I like about Carleton:
-more laid-back social atmosphere
-trimester schedule (although odd breaks schedule could be a minus)
-students seem very happy</p>
<p>Things I like about Middlebury:
-From what I have read, the dining halls and dorms are better
-They have a very strong language program
-Very strong alumni network</p>
<p>Does anyone have any comments or ideas about reasoning? are these facts correct?</p>
<p>I applied to both schools and ended up choosing Midd. I never actually got to visit Carleton (too far/expensive), but it was a definitely possibility throughout my college application process. So, I don't know if they're happier and more laid-back there, but I think you could say the same about people at Middlebury. Also, trimesters would probably be nice, but I'm a fan of J-term... there's just a different feel to campus during the month that I really enjoy. It also means that we have similar vacation times to other people, but don't have the month (or longer) winter break that a lot of my friends have and can't stand (instead we have an additional week in February off). Dining halls at Midd are nice, some dorms are nice, others are so-so. Languages and alumni networks are both definitely selling points... In the end, I think your experience at both schools would be very similar. For me, the languages and location tipped things in favor of Midd.</p>
<p>Thank you so much! What do you think of the social life at Middlebury? Is it more laid-back or pressured? also, do you (or anyone) know anything about the Spanish program in particular?</p>
<p>The social life is what you make of it, which I think is generally the case in college. For me, it's pretty laid-back. I go to parties, but not necessarily every weekend. I have a group of good friends who I'm with on a daily basis, and some people who I see maybe once a week but still like to hang out with. I'm not on any teams, so I can't really tell you what the sports social life is, but it seems to be more... well, maybe pressured, what with team parties and all.
Unfortunately, the Spanish department, while strong, is not one of the best language departments. It makes no sense to me given the number of students taking Spanish, but there are a few great teachers that have been around for a while and a few newer ones that aren't that great. I took one semester of Spanish freshman year and was kind of disappointed with it. Hopefully I'll get to take another semester next year... If you're thinking about starting with a new language, however, the Chinese department is absolutely incredible (I'm studying in China right now), and German, Russian, and French are also great. Also, regardless of whether or not you end up at Midd, you should do their summer language program one year (all the summer programs are top-notch, including Spanish). It's totally worth it--Vermont in the summer and huge jump in language skills=awesome.</p>
<p>I'm thinking about applying to both schools.
Honestly, I think they offer the same calibre of academics, but they have vastly different social atmosphere.
Middlebury's got much more prestige, and people recognize the name value much more. It has prettier, preppier people. Lots of kids from prep boarding schools. Better facilities and buildings.
Carleton is definitely - you either love it or hate it - kind of school. People are very down to earth, minnesota nice or whatever, and they strike me as much nerdier kids than midd. Middlebury definitely parties more.
But yeah, I agree that every kid at Carleton seems to be happy - i dont know if that's the same @ midd</p>
<p>Transportation wise, Carleton College should be easier for you. You may want to consider applying to Dartmouth College which is laid-back, trimester but only three courses a trimester. Brown University is as laid-back as you can get for an east coast elite school.</p>
<p>I'm not particularly into partying, nor designer clothes or make up. Would I feel out of place if I usually just wanted to wear jeans and a T-shirt and no make up? Or is everyone pretty put together all the time?</p>
<p>^Vermont is known to be really laid back and simple...you'd certainly fit right in at Middlebury. However, I did see girls that were wearing lots of make up, uggs, skirts, and all that... they are probably a minority on campus.</p>
<p>The only thing, though, is that Middlebury is known as "Club Midd"...I visited twice, taking a class the second time, and people did seem quite put together. However, they were really nice and I do think jeans and t-shirt would be more than acceptable; that's certainly my style! I think you would find every type of person on virtually every campus.</p>
<p>There's every type of person...you certainly won't feel out of place if you don't wear designer clothes and makeup, although many people choose to do so. It's an expensive New England school, so naturally there will be a lot of northeast prep school students there. The way many students dress and act is often just a reflection of that. Don't worry about it though, there are plenty of people who don't dress like that--nobody really cares.</p>