Midd's Social Life

<p>Sorry if this thread is redundant. I was wondering if anybody knows much about Middlebury's social scene? I've visited three times, had a recruiting trip, and to be honest I'm still not sure what kind of social life I should expect. </p>

<p>I know Midd has eliminated Frats, which definitely creates a different campus vibe, at least at the end of the week. I also know Middlebury and has plently of awesome entertainment shipped in for the student body, and has an active and vibrant performing arts community. However, I've heard rumors that Midd's social life has recently turned south, and "lame" dorm-parties dominate the weekends. Is there any truth to this? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!</p>

<p>the fact that nobody has answered this thread scares me a little. Can someone who goes/went to Midd PLEASE speak up? Otherwise all of us prospectives are gonna think the social life is lame, and nobody wants that, right?</p>

<p>i agree! someone please post on this thread... i would like to get an insight into the school besides what all the admissions officers boast about.</p>

<p>I'm currently a freshman in my second semester at Middlebury. As wave already stated, the college is really good at getting entertainment to the campus. On any given weekend there is always at least 3 different college sponsored options per night, aside from the activities that occur every week. Pub Night is on Thursday nights. It's held in the Grille, the restaurant in the student center. A new band plays every week and those 21 and older can
drink. It's a really good time to chill before Friday discussions, yet still socialize. Friday nights there is a new film shown at 7 and 10 in Dana Auditorium. There are always usually multiple dance parties which the majority of campus attends. Friday nights the Bunker is open. It stays open till 2 and it's where most people end up before their night ends. It serves drinks, and is DJ'd by different people weekly. There are usually themes to the night. They project music videos on screens and it's usually pretty fun. Saturdays bring a different assortment of activities. There is no set event as there are with thursdays and fridays, but once again their are usually a number of dance parties. </p>

<p>As for non-school sponsored social life, it's true that the college has eliminated frats and sororities, however we do have things called Social houses. They are essentially the same thing, as there is a pledge process and each social house is housed together on campus, however they are co-ed and you don't have to live in the house to be a member/brother. They host parties often, just as frats do, and the vibe is very similar. Also, on any given thursday/friday/and Saturday, it's never hard to find a party to attend. Because the majority of the student body does live on campus, and Middlebury isn't in a big city, there really isn't anywhere for people to party outside of the dorms, however I wouldn't call the parties that occur in the dorms lame. Most of them are held in the various suites that are around campus, however singles and doubles will hold parties as well. The suites are big enough to accomodate large groups of people, so it never feels particularly "lame" if you will. Theme parties are also a big thing over here. There have been ABC parties (anything but clothes), "P" parties ( you have to dress as something that begins with a P), Who Party (dress as someone else from the party), Fave childhood Character party (no explanation needed), and the classic Toga party. It's not odd to be walking across campus late on a friday night and see people dressed as pirates, animals, or pokemon. </p>

<p>It's true that the college is small, and on some weekends it can feel like there really isn't going on, but that's generally rare. I will say that it is what you make of it. If you go in assuming that it's going to be terrible, you probably won't be let down, but I was very surprised at the amount of fun midd kids have. Also, most people here have great imaginations are really good at finding new fun things to do. I'm sure the social scene isn't what it is at a state school like CU boulder, however as long as you are doing things you enjoy with people that you enjoy, I'm positive you won't get bored. Middlebury has a strong sense of community and I believe that this comes in part from the fact that there is a relatively small student body, that stays on campus for the weekends. It is during these weekends that bonds are formed that carry into the weekdays as well.</p>

<p>If you have any other questions related to this, or about anything else as well let me know.</p>

<p>Thanks Kadena! Does Midd have an active group of outdoor enthusiasts? We know skiing is really popular, but are there many students who hike, camp, kayak, sail, etc? How hard is it for a kid without a car to get off campus to do some outdoor activities, or to go to Burlington for a change of pace? Do people leave campus/town very often?</p>

<p>
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Does Midd have an active group of outdoor enthusiasts?

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<p>Are you joking? Middlebury is THE school for outdoor enthusiasts. The Mountain Club is extremely active throughout the year. </p>

<p><a href="https://seguecommunity.middlebury.edu/index.php?action=site&site=mmc%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://seguecommunity.middlebury.edu/index.php?action=site&site=mmc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Midd is minutes from some of the East's best hiking, fishing, boating, kayaking, camping, snowshoeing, and (yes) skiing areas.</p>

<p>As for getting around town and to Burlington, there are many transportation options, including Zipcars.</p>

<p>Transportation</a> Information</p>

<p>I have a few questions as well..</p>

<p>Hypothetically speaking, what if I were interested in playing field hockey and doing a sports club @ the same time? Do you know of any students that do that?</p>

<p>Also -- what is the winter like? I know that it's cold and snowy; however, I'm from the South Jersey coastal area (so I never see more than 3 inches of snow), and am basically not used to it at all. Is it a hard transition?</p>

<p>Could you elaborate a little more on the social houses? Basically what I got from one of the previous posts, they're like frats, but just without the name? I had no clue that Midd even had them. I just assumed there was nothing like it. It's nice information to have!! </p>

<p>Btw, thanks for typing up all of that information - it was extremely helpful!</p>

<p>Thank you so much, kadena, you're awesome. Whew, I was a little scared too, bubbletea and peachie, but thankfully kadena saved the day. And I have to second kadena's assertion about dorm parties...the suite-party I attended was anything but lame. I just wanted to make sure my experience was representative of the typical party, which it obviously was.</p>

<p>Please don't judge the social life at Midd based on the lack of posts on this forum! My son started at Midd in Feb and he and his friends are having WAY TOO MUCH FUN to be posting on cc. He has been having an ABSOLUTE BLAST since the day he arrived. Lots of work but lots of fun too!</p>

<p>How preppy is Middlebury? Would you say the general student body is very preppy overall?</p>

<p>Do you have contempt for WASPs or something?</p>

<p>aim 14, what club sport are you interested in? I know that crew for example has a spring season and a fall season with a winter training period. You can row fall season and not spring season and vice versa. Other club sports have only one season, so if it falls during the field hockey season you will be unable to do both. If you let me know what you're interested in I can find out and let you know. </p>

<p>Dragonreborn, that's a fair question. I feel like Middlebury has a reputation of being extremely preppy. That's the assumption I was under before I started school in the fall, however the student body is very diverse. There are going to be preppy kids anywhere you go, but everyone at middlebury has their own style and I would say that it's any preppier than any other school like it.</p>

<p>My d. is a freshman at Middlebury and has a very active social life. She called today saying that tonight (Friday) she was going to a concert and then to a dorm party. On any given weekend, there are dorm parties all over campus, as well as social activities the college provides. My d. is on the college activities board and she has been involved in organizing a large variety of activites. The school has a terrific outdoor education program, which has turned my non-snow loving d. into a snowshoe girl!!! The Commons system plus the ability to access any dorm by swipe card facilitates enlarging a student's social circle. My d. was a freshman last year at NYU and the difference between the 2 schools socially is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!</p>