Ignoring the difference in acceptance rates and difficulty of admission, what are some of the pros and cons for each of the schools. They obviously have some similar qualities, but what makes one better than the other. (I’m not asking which is better, because that depends on the person, just some key traits to help me make my decision).
Thanks in advance!
Congratulations, are you a transfer with such late acceptance. You might do some reading in each individual forum, sometimes current students are posting.
@BrownParent lol he never said he got in
Are you a high school senior?
I am a senior, and I haven’t gotten in yet. I’m just curious about the comparison between the schools without considering the admissions aspect; although I do believe I have a decent shot at Dartmouth ED and I know I have almost a guarantee at Middlebury ED. I guess that I’m really just comparing ED 1 options.
Middlebury is smaller and has really great language programs. Dartmouth is bigger but also not too big. It has an LAC feel with the resources of a research university. Quality of life at both schools are phenomenal. Dartmouth is much better for study abroad - it’s academic system encourages people to leave campus and take internships/study abroad during the school year and its study abroad program is the best in the Ive League. Both are great for outdoorsy people due to the close proximity to hiking trails and ski resorts (Dartmouth owns its own skiway though). Dartmouth also has a more diverse student body and the Greek scene is extremely inclusive. Lastly, Dartmouth’s alumni network is unparalleled. You will have no hassle trying to find a job after graduation.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2015/07/29/top-50-roi-colleges-2015-grateful-grads-index/
Middlebury doesn’t have Greek scene. It was banned. Al thought there are like unknown frats underground
I’m gonna disagree with the above poster who said that Dartmouth is “much better” for study abroad. Middlebury has an extensive study abroad program - more than 50% of the junior class studies abroad every year in 40+ countries. Not sure where he heard that one…
Just read your earlier post about being recruited at Middlebury. If the Dartmouth coach hasn’t offered you, I REALLY!!! wouldn’t take that risk. Commit to Middlebury where you’re practically guaranteed, it’s an AMAZING school.
The quarter system at Dartmouth is another factor that differentiates the two schools. Middlebury adheres to a more traditional semester schedule although it offers a one block January term in between fall and spring semesters. Many Dartmouth students like the flexibility of being on campus during the summer and off during other parts of the year. Middlebury students love their Jan plan and seem to build strong community throughout the academic year. When my D visited Dartmouth she saw a lot of diversity but she didn’t see much interaction among the various groups. Perhaps what she observed was an anomaly but it stuck with her. She felt far more campus wide community at Middlebury.
I also wanted to point out that Middlebury has their own ski mountain too.
What are you planning to study? What are your professional goals?
And study abroad is something every school now offers in abundance: It’s a huge industry internationally. It is no longer much of a differentiating factor for any school except, possibly, for those that have their own programs exclusively for their students - and even that isn’t necessarily a plus.
@N’s Mom I’m looking to study Econ and then go somewhere into the finance field. I’m not sure precisely where just yet though. I also will probably end up wanting to go to grad school for an MBA, but I’m not sure about that quite yet.
How about the social scenes and career opportunities?
For econ/finance, Dartmouth is one of the top feeder schools to Wall Street.
Both are great schools. You’re comparing apples and oranges (although they’re about as similar as apples and oranges can be). Middlebury focuses on undergraduate education and that’s one of their real strengths. Dartmouth also offers a fantastic undergrad education, but like all research universities it can tend to focus more on research and graduate education. Many Middlebury graduates end up attending Dartmouth for grad school.
It’s also worth noting that Middlebury’s alumni participation rate (percent of alums donating to the school after graduation) is higher than Dartmouth’s so their alum network is pretty solid. Also, the NESCAC is an alum network too. If you graduate from one NESCAC you’ll be accepted by the other NESCACs as if you’d gone to the same school (ie: go to Middlebury and be accepted by alums at Williams, Amherst, and Weleyan).
Both Dartmouth and Middlebury are listed on LinkedIn’s list of the best undergrad colleges for getting a job at an investment bank:
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/edu/rankings/us/undergraduate-investment-banking
@urbanslaughter Dartmouth was ranked #1 in the nation for undergraduate education five out of the last six years. Dartmouth focuses primarily on undergrads: there are 4400 undergrads and 2000 grad students. Dartmouth’s alumni participation is also higher than Middlebury’s which is quite an achievement since Dartmouth has twice the undergrad student body size. It’s 43% compared to 35%.
It should be noted that most of Dartmouth’s graduate programs are in the sciences. In other disciplines, Dartmouth’s size may work to its advantage, even accounting for the differences in undergraduate enrollment. For example, Dartmouth has twice as many professors in disciplines like classics, history, sociology, and anthropology and a fair bit more in other programs like geography, philosophy, and political science. With more professors, you get a greater and more diverse array of courses. Glancing through some department websites, Midd seems to rely noticeably more heavily on visiting professors than Dartmouth does.
Whatever the flaws of the USNWR undergraduate teaching survey, it’s noteworthy that Dartmouth is one of the very few schools to consistently make the list. Dartmouth is relatively unique among its peer universities and is not just yet another college of its type.
“Dartmouth’s alumni participation is also higher than Middlebury’s” (#16)
What is alumni participation?
If it relates to the alumni giving rate, Middlebury’s (53%) is higher than Dartmouth’s (48%). Both schools are outstanding in this area, however.
(USNWR)
It’s splitting hairs a bit- which school has better Econ dept, better alumni network/participation-both schools are superb and will provide an excellent education with multiple post grad options.
The real question is what environment feels like a better fit. OP, I would highly suggest doing overnights and spending as much time on both campuses as possible. Might help you get a better feel for the culture of the teams, let alone the greater community.