Middlebury vs WashU vs Tufts

<p>I'm interested in international relations/studies with some future interest in law, but I'm mainly UNDECIDED and there's a huge possibility that I'll end up majoring in something completely unrelated.
I haven't visited these campuses as I live abroad, but may get the chance to visit two of them</p>

<p>Things I'm considering:
-Academics (IR, flexibility, ease of double-majoring, name recognition for future jobs)
-Quality of life (dorms, food, social life, city, weather, and overall student body happiness)
-Athletics
-Study Abroad</p>

<p>Is it TOO small? I'm worried that the student body is relatively small and that paired with its rural setting might be too much? Did you have similar worries / was this your actual experience at Midd?</p>

<p>How often do people get the chance to ski / snowboard in winter? Are many people are passionate about it?</p>

<p>How strong is Middlebury outside of its languages and IR departments?
One of my concerns is that Midd as a LAC offers fewer courses, professors and opportunities than the other schools, which is especially important if I decide to change majors.</p>

<p>How strong is Middlebury overall when compared to the other two universities?</p>

<p>I'd appreciate some comments as to some of the strengths/weaknesses of each of these schools and I'm grateful for any and all insights or comments you can give! :)</p>

<p>If I get to visit two of these three campuses before my decision, which two should I visit?</p>

<p>Visit Wash U. and Middlebury in my opinion. Tufts would be easier probably because it’s closer to Middlebury, but you need to see an urban campus and a rural campus, and, if you go to Tufts and Middlebury, you would only be seeing the NE United States. You might be able to go to Middlebury and Wash U and extrapolate easier to Tufts. If you are coming in from Europe, you might land in Boston in which case you will see at least Tufts from the air!</p>

<p>Study aboard opportunities: Advantage Middlebury
Access to large city: Advantage WashU and Tufts
Excellent IR Program: Advantage Tufts and Middlebury
Access to skiing/outdoor activities: Advantage Middlebury
Athletics: Advantage Middlebury (strong, successful DIII program, lots of school spirit)
Name recognition: For general population, none of these schools are very well known outside their spheres of influence. For those who matter (employers, grad school admissions, etc.), all are very prestigious. Wash U more so in Midwest, Midd and Tufts more so in East.
Size: Up to you. I think Midd is the perfect size (~2,600 students). Some may think that’s too small.
If you only get to visit two, I’d see Middlebury and either Tufts or WashU. </p>

<p>All great schools and I would not for a second suggest one is better than another. Each have their unique locations and resources and use them for the benefit of their students. I currently live adjacent to WashU and know many who teach and have studied there, all bright and accomplished. My kids went to schools in the NESCAC and in Boston so I’ve thoughts on their value as well. Bottom line is you won’t go wrong if you embrace which ever you choose to attend. BUT, you should visit and research as many as you can and get your own sense of what’s going on. If my kids listened to the chatter on College Confidential they may have been completely turned off to one school or another. Thankfully, we didn’t know about this site during the process and stereotypes did not apply to either. I’d visit Middlebury and WashU…Tufts is lovely and comfortable sits between the two extremes. </p>

<p>Totally agree with Arcadia’s assertions regarding these institutions. If you’re planning to apply to grad school, I think that WashU and Midd are a tiny step above Tufts prestige-wise, but not enough to really matter. I did not like the Tufts campus, nor did my wife (who attended grad school there) or my best friend in high school (who also attended grad school there), but that is just a personal preference. One other thing to consider is that Midd and WashU are kings of their mountain, while Tufts is surpassed by at least two other schools in terms of prestige, in its community. Who knows whether that matters? Midd offers one of the best undergrad IR programs around, but the Fletcher school at Tufts offers one of the best grad programs. You could always attend Midd for undergrad and one of the other two for grad. That way you’d get the best of both worlds. Good luck. Great choices to have to make. </p>

<p>urbanslaughter, for the sake of dialogue, what does the best of both worlds mean? </p>

<p>Morandi, I simply meant that it would offer the opportunity to attend both, a top undergrad IR program and a top grad IR program. </p>