<p>Way to go Midd!</p>
<p>top-10-most-loved-schools:</a> Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance</p>
<p>Interesting to see four top schools - Princeton, Middlebury, Amherst, and Williams - all in order from 3-6. It’s important to note that both Amherst and Williams have a good deal fewer students than Midd, so for Middlebury to earn a higher percentage of alumni donations is even more impressive.</p>
<p>Always good to see the excellence of Midd, subjectively propounded by its grads ad infinitum, statistically ratified like this.</p>
<p>But to be fair, this particular chart probably also reflects the persistence of the alumni office or whatever body handles these donation requests…</p>
<p>Maybe my experience can offer a little clarity on this issue fisherman. I attended Middlebury for undergrad, a large PAC-10 State University for law school, and a large Ivy-League University for more graduate school. Now, all three of these schools pursue donations equally persistently. I’ve only ever donated to Middlebury. Certainy, some of that may be related to the connection I feel to my undergrad, but it does illustrate that these three very different types of schools PURSUE donations similarly, while the linked chart illustrates how the listed schools ATTRACT donations.</p>
<p>Fair enough–I guess all the schools do send home that little slip for donations… </p>
<p>All I know is that Middlebury is in the midst of a billion dollar capital campaign and hence assumed that the quest entailed a likewise aggressive solicitation program for alumni contributions…</p>
<p>But you actually raise a great point. I don’t think there’s much more a school can do beyond sending home a letter and maybe making the occasional call to grad’s home, things all the schools do to essentially the same extent. Besides, even it was the case that Midd’s alumni contributions to some extent reflected the craftiness of the college in soliciting them, it would hardly be a demerit. It would just mean they had some smart chaps working for them in addition to children that love their nurturing mother :)</p>
<p>I am a parent who is donating, in addition to paying the tuition. It is a sacrifice, but it is so important to encourage and support centers of excellence. My D is getting a first-rate education and growing as a person in an atmosphere that is incredibly demanding yet not cut-throat competitive. That was important to us and to her. (Plus the food is great, and she has learned to ski!) In my view, Middlebury earns its love.</p>
<p>My boys love Midd, too. Can’t say I can scrape up any spare change right now, but it really seems like the perfect environment for each of them, and they are very different people.</p>