<p>So I luckily got into all 3 of those schools~
Thing is...I'm now in the process of choosing and lets just say im conflicted ><
So i wanted ppl's opinions cuz opinions always help! ^_^</p>
<p>I wanna be a doctor in the future (immunologist hopefully...specialty is subject to change)
So i was looking for a really strong biological sciences department with strong courses in biochemistry/physiology/etc. (This was my like BIGGEST PRIORITY)
However, I also was looking for a school that had a good Chinese program, psychology program, and philosophy department~ (...Yeah i'm a weird one with a variety of interests which is why im KIND of leaning towards the LAC's over universities -_-x)
Thus I'm just at a loss as to which school i should go to...</p>
<p>Middlebury has like the best language of the 3...But I dont noe what to say about their biological sciences relating to molecular/cell/body-related biology~ (I know they have a strong environmental science...But i'm looking more at the biological sciences)</p>
<p>Haverford has got O.O sciences from what i've heard...Hahaha (I'm clueless about their language department)</p>
<p>Wesleyan has a strong biological science departments...Strong East Asian program (Go China!!!)~</p>
<p>Of the 4 interests I have...I wanna be able to puruse the sciences/chinese without a doubt~ The other two are flexible for me...So opinions?</p>
<p>All top LACs will have great bio programs…I can say from experience that Midd’s is excellent. As for languages, Midd has the best reputation in the county, not that the others aren’t very good.</p>
<p>You’ll have to visit all of them (especially Wesleyan and Midd) and see which you like best. Be particularly sure to sit in on classes. Try to do two bio and two language at each school to get a more well-rounded sample.</p>
<p>Biology is the third most popular anticipated major for Middlebury’s Class of 2013, which is a testament to the emphasis that Midd has placed on attracting top science students. Bicentennial Hall, which is arguably one of the finest sciece facilities at any LAC, is well worth a visit.</p>
<p>arcadia… good to know!! I too felt it was an excellent undergrad program for a school with such a great reputation for humanities. I think in that regard, if my kid changes his major he’ll still be in the right place! </p>
<p>S is definitely leaning towards Midd and doesn’t think he even wants to stay on Amherst’s waiting list. The Midd coach called him almost immediately after he received the Amherst wait letter. Talk about perfect timing for ‘feeling the love’ – this was definitely it. And the size is a plus as well… Amherst is very small too.</p>
<p>I never miss a chance to put in a good word for the Chinese department at Midd. I’m a current junior and Chinese major who spent the fall semester in China.</p>
<p>Simply put, if you’re serious about Chinese then Middlebury is the place to be. Even if you’re not going to be a major and all that, it’s still an incredible program with a department that I’ve come to know and love (at least platonically, haha). Their course offerings are great, with language courses, tons of traditional and modern lit, and even Chinese linguistics, classical Chinese, cinema, etc. At the summer Chinese school last year, a kid from Bowdoin said they only had two Chinese professors. I don’t know specifics about any other LACs, but I think Midd’s department and offerings are much more developed and intensive.
What else? I’ve lived in the Chinese house (all Chinese, all the time) too, which was great. There was satellite reception of Chinese channels, the assistant prof from China lives there and we had dumpling parties (and regular parties) all the time.
So yeah, Chinese at Middlebury is awesome.</p>
<p>Thnks all~
So looks like haverford is out cuz its only sciences~ Hahaha</p>
<p>B/w Midd and Wesleyan~
Both have strong biological sciences then? (Guessing Wesleyan’s is a bit better from the responses)~
But Chinese wise…Midd whoops Wesleyan~ Icicic ^_^</p>
<p>Not so sure. The Asia program at Wes is superb. Good friend heavily involved there and loved it.</p>
<p>Middlebury is very isolated. If you want to get to a more lively environment fairly easily, Midd is not the right place. But if you want to be in a rural, snowy environment, it’s
great.</p>
<p>Most kids at both schools spend the majority of their time on campus or in the immediate town. Frankly, there’s nothing charming–at all–about Middletown CT. Middlebury is right out of a postcard. Wesleyan’s campus also leaves much to be desired.</p>
<p>While I don’t think anyone should let campus aesthetics guide their college choice, I do think that Wesleyan’s campus is slightly atrocious for a school costing 50,000/year. It’s by far most unsightly and worst maintained of all those in the NECSCAC.</p>
<p>Midd and Haverford are equally gorgeous (though Midd has unbeatable views of the green mountains)</p>
<p>By thats just my (incredibly biased!) opinion.</p>
<p>while Wesleyan’s architecture is certainly uniquely eclectic, it is by no means unsightly. beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Middlebury’s uniform grey buildings appeal to a certain aesthetic that is very different from Wesleyan’s mix. yes, the foss hill dorms could use some TLC, but the library, college row, fayerweather, and CFA are a wonderful sight to behold. plus, you cant beat having the baseball/football field in the middle of all of the historic buildings.</p>
<p>I see a nicer old building (that looks more like an old prison than anything else) next to a modern, fairly mundane building, both of which abut a playing field.</p>
<p>LOL! Good one. 3 pm M,W,F. Congrats on the huge increase in apps to Wes, btw. That’s awesome in this time of declining app numbers for top LACs. Wes needs to be back in the top 10 of U.S. News (where it’s always belonged), and I hope this low admit rate helps.</p>
<p>What Wes should do is manipulate upward the SAT scores it reports publically for several years, let that help with an upward trend in the US News rankings, improve the public’s perception of it with this upward trend, then go back to honest reporting once that has been achieved.</p>
<p>As for mundane, modern architecture, the Wes campus center is no more mundane than the Midd library.</p>
<p>Both great schools though. Good luck with your choice, OP.</p>
<p>John Wesley, I love the Disney reference. My D felt that way about Williams and Amherst too. We live in rural Vermont and neither of my kids wanted to go to school in an environment similar to where they live. Both had spent time at Middlebury for Geobee competitions and both were overwhelmed by the uniformity of the white gray buildings. Still Middlebury is an awesome school and the one college we visited where students walking around said Hello, no actually, we got that at Colgate too. Friendly students and great academics. Middlebury is a great choice. </p>
<p>My S though will be attending Wesleyan this fall. I don’t think that the campus is unsightly at all. I like the mix of architecture. And Middletown doesn’t seem so bad to us - just an average small/medium town.</p>