OK, need help quick, Crisis!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Middlebury College
1

<p>Few days back, I've just rejected all my other offers and today, planned on depositing for Midd when suddenly, BOOM, cousin call for an emergency meeting =.= (my college was part of the topic), and after a heated debate, I lost.</p>

<p>I love Midd. Getting accepted to me was an honor. But it saddens me that I can't seem to win when they started comparing UK unis to US college. In fact apparently, they think it would be a better investment for me to go and spend 40k + per year in UK than to attend an "UNHEARD-OF" college like MIDD (yes, even with ironically almost 40K fin-aid, they say they contacted ppl in the US and NO ONE knows bout MIDD =.=!). Their claims: liberal arts education isn't worth i; it's too general (unlike finance or business studies at one of the universities of london, LSE, Imperial college, UCL w/e), you don't get a job; i'm an international so they say I'll even be more discriminated, the argument goes on! The worst part, they have a very good point and I know they really care about my future.</p>

<p>Yet, I feel insulted. I finally assured myself that I'll be happy attending MIDD, and tell myself, who cares of the rural scene, and meeting few ignorant wasps, whatever the bad point was, I will still be content, MIDD is a great place . . . But then, I really can't prove to them that I WILL have any future with a MIDD BA degree, I can't even compare MIDD's prestige to a typically decent UK uni like Kings college london. In the end, I can't be irrational or illogical to my family, especially about education.</p>

<p>-------------------> TLDR: Question: What future does a typical international student at MIDD have? Is job recruitment (anywhere, not just in the US) strong for MIDD? Alumni association, does it extend to MIDD international? Can I go to work at a company doing finance, accounting or even go work at stock exchange (anything business-related) with a MIDD BA in Econ (or whatever major they offer)? How good is Econ dept at MIDD?</p>

<p>Please HELP, Anything is appreciated (bad or good) and I really appreciate everyone's opionion!</p>

<p>Note: I intend on using the replies as evidence so please (feel free to) back any unclear claims up with evidence and link. :D thank you so much!
:D</p>

2

<p>My daughter spent a year at King’s. Her home institution is Barnard, comparable to Midd (a great liberal arts college.) I know some here will say Midd’s education is far superior, but with one at Williams, I found Barnard and Williams to be comparable.</p>

<p>Well, that’s a digression and besides the point. I meant to say that the education at Barnard was superior to King’s in every way. The classes were much smaller, more rigorous, more rigorously graded and more was expected in terms of work.</p>

<p>Further, every Thursday was pub night and people drank a lot. Even more than in rural, American LAC’s. </p>

<p>All of her flat mates were British because she did not go with an American program and many haven’t finished school as she has. They drift in and out of university, and do eventually finish but on a more leisurely schedule.</p>

<p>I can’t argue with your relatives about vocational training vs. liberal arts. It’s true that the British system is much more vocationally oriented but it also locks folks in more. One of the close friends my D met was in finance (he’s a bit older.) He desperately wants to go into law but he can’t because he doesn’t have the basic education to allow it and would have to start from the beginning. All his education was vocationally oriented. He feels he has to spent his life doing something he doesn’t want to do.</p>

<p>He is probably exaggerating, but the point is, that with a basic US Liberal Arts education he could easily go to law school after this preparation, even after working in the financial industry.</p>

<p>As for Midd being totally unheard of, that’s just not true, but I doubt you’ll be able to convince them of it.</p>

<p>Do they control the purse strings? It sounds as if they do. If so, that you may not hold any cards here.</p>

3

<p>Wow thanks for the reply, Yeah ofc, the controll the finance. The thing is that if I can prove to them that my degree is worth it, worth vs UK’s degree (as an international student), then I’m sure they will not object either. After all, they also say, that it is ultimately cheaper to attend MIDD.</p>

4

<p>You have mis-informed relatives.
My husband attended MIT(is that unheard of in the UK, too?) and is a professor of economics at another top 50 LAC. Our sons both attend Midd, even tho they could have attended his institution for free. So we are spending $200,000 on their education, and note he is an ECONOMIST.
He feels that the value of the education and the ALUMNI network are priceless. At MIT, your initial classes are huge and no one really cares. You have to “scramble yourself into some education”(Jane Austin paraphrase). I am a physician, and my liberal arts education at Bates got me into 7 prestigious US med schools.
In business, grad school, and life increasingly it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know. Midd will get you that access, PLUS an excellent education.
Liberal arts degrees at prestigious colleges have been proven to be worth the extra money in terms of future earnings. Can’t put my finger on the exact reference, but it was in the NYT and other American publications last year.
Econ dept is a well-known feeder to highly rated grad programs, plus wall street. I would think a UK firm might feel an American education would make you BETTER prepared for world financial markets.
As for “ignorant wasps”, they’re at less challenging schools. Wasps, yes, but substitute well-connected and intellectually interested and you’ll be closer to the mark.</p>

<p>Good Luck! My oldest son is an Econ major-offered some PAID internships in DC this summer without even looking much for them thru his Midd connections…</p>

5

<p>Farkula,
Son is an international student studied in an UK system international school in Asia, he chose to apply few LACs in the State over UK universities because we believe he will get better education and better job opportunities with a top LAC degree. </p>

<p>He is very lucky to get in and he can not wait to go to Middlebury this fall.</p>

6

<p>Google “linkedin Middlebury banking” and you will see a slew of Middlebury alum in the financial services industry; I counted a dozen in the United Kingdom alone and that was within the first three pages of results!</p>

<p>I don’t know how things work in Kings College, London, but would a university of 23,000 students have anything like the career counseling resources typical of an American liberal arts college? I have a hard time seeing it. I just googled them, and while they sound like a fine institution (4th oldest university in England), it does look as if most of their accomplishments lie in the scientific field, not in the world of economics or finance.</p>

<p>At any rate, now is a little late to start marshaling these kinds of arguments. I wish you good luck.</p>

<p>P.S. Mythmom raises an important point. In England (and Europe in general) the only way to change careers or to take your career in a different direction is to, essentially, collect another baccalaureate. That can be a lot more expensive over the long run than the cost of any American liberal arts college.</p>

7

<p>wow, lol congratz to your son. That helped! That shows that opportunities with the alumni association is abundant. Now the last question I guess is, is this open to international as well? </p>

<p>Any1? Please reply anything you feel relevant, the longer this thread, the more evidence. :smiley: thz! :D</p>

8

<p>ok now my post looks so foolish, i was suppose to reply to OldbatesieDoc. but ok cool, going to check LinkedIN now! :smiley: damn, this si really interesting. thz</p>

9

<p>If you like lists, Kiplinger Magazine lists Midd 17th in the US of private colleges that are a good value-<a href=“Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts; also are the USNews and World report stats where Midd floats in the top 10 in many categories…</p>

10

<p>It’s hard to put a price tag on the depth and breadth of a liberal arts education, but it will make you a “richer” person in the long term in that you will have had a chance to determine which discipline(s) suit you best.
And don’t forget the astronomical cost of living in London!</p>