<p>Okay, I am really losing it right now, i have to figure out which college to go to in a day or so and I cannot decide btwn Middlebury and Amherst. Both are great of course, but I still do not know. I will probably major in one of the natural sciences possibly chemistry and maybe also political science. I think I head that there are more science research opportunities at amherst than middlebury but i'm not sure. I really really loved the middlebury campus too, but it's also in the middle of nowhere. As I was skimming the amherst catolog, it seemed like they had a pretty basic number of chemistry courses although chemistry is chemistry whereever u go but middlebury seemed like it had more types of advanced electives, although it could just be that the amherst classes are more in depth but i have no idea. Amherst seems to have less variety of classes because it is a bit smaller, but they have the other 4 colleges for other classes which they can depend on. also often amherst courses seem more creative and obscure than middlebury ones, esp in political science.<br>
besides that, I am also not sure about the social scene. both are nice of course, but i just dont kno. I am not really a drinker at all. How well does the commons system work at middlebury and does it keep you from making friends with many people outside your commons?
does anyone get bored in the middle of nowhere at middlebury?</p>
<p>By attending Amherst, you will get great alumni connections in the U.S. and the world, and the international prestige, for Amherst is known as the best LAC in the U.S. along with Williams. As well, thanks to one of the largest endowment for LACs and generous alumni giving, Amherst is able to offer truly state-of-art facilitie. Labs and research facilities have all the latest materials and technologies. You will also enjoy variety of courses from Five Colleges Consortium without any charge. I'd personally choose Amherst over Middlebury, especially when double-majoring in chemistry and political science.</p>
<p>Middlebury would give you every single thing that you mention Amherst will give you, with the exception of the Five Colleges Consortium. Middlebury's student body is considerably larger, as is the campus and the facilities, which can help alleviate some of the concerns about going to school in a rural area.</p>
<p>as far as i'm concerned, amherst has more opportunities regarding sciences; i.e. more developed labs, more research opportunities, more funding. for the other factors though, they're essentially the same--they'd offer you the same undergrad experience.</p>
<p>I'd go with Amherst</p>
<p>For somebody who didn't have a chance to visit Amherst while students were on campus, what would you say the differences are between the 2 student bodies? I think that would be the deciding factor for these two schools.</p>
<p>Amherst is in all respects (except for endowment) much smaller than Middlebury. The students are quite similar, except that Middlebury students might be a bit more athletic, outdoorsy, and outgoing/sociable than Amherst students (speaking in great generalizations of course). Per capita, Amherst is more diverse than Middlebury, but both schools are making an effort to increase diversity. IMO, Middlebury's campus is much nicer than Amherst's, but that is matter of personal preference.</p>