<p>Visited Middlebury, people were falling asleep in class, library, everywhere. Seems like a lack of stimulation. If your campus values are exhibited by the architecture, pretty boring place. students were nice, well that typical everywhere. I guess my question is what is going on there besides academics and hockey and how for example it differs from Amherst or Dartmouth. Broad question I know, better than "chance me"</p>
<p>When did you visit? People were probably falling asleep because they were working so damn hard. Were you there during mid-term exams? </p>
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If your campus values are exhibited by the architecture, pretty boring place.
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<p>What kind of a statement is that? Middlebury is widely regarded as having one of the most attractive campuses in America. You sound like a pretty negative person. Perhaps you should focus your college search elsewhere (like Amherst and Dartmouth).</p>
<p>Your right Amherst is more stimulating and attractive, differences in taste don't reflect negativity my friend</p>
<p>How funny. I love the town of Amherst, and I adore the college, but I don't think the campus is particularly pretty at all. I find Middlebury and Williams far more beautiful. However, I didn't apply to Middlebury, and I ultimately chose Amherst over Williams. I guess a beautiful campus just wasn't top on my list of concerns.</p>
<p>I don't like Amherst College campus much. Middlebury's was like a dream... so beautiful! Not just the architecture, which I loved, but also the layout...</p>
<p>then why don't you marry it</p>
<p>Amherst's layout is great. It's just much quieter and simpler, architecturally.</p>
<p>Um, I think the topic here is the fact that there was allegedly a great ratio of dozing students. "They were working so hard;" Well, who doesn't. That's not a good excuse. I'm a high school student who studies 14 solid hours a day, but I manage to never fall asleep in class. If Midd seems to relatively pacted with students sleeping in class, well, that's certainly going to change my expectations about the academic atmosphere of the school.</p>
<p>And IMHO, the debate over the beauty of campus is just plain dumb. College is a place to study, not to play(well, in some occasion, yes, but that's not the main thing). I say let's not waste our energy.</p>
<p>Interesting observation. My son and I visited Middlebury, and he loved it, but I was struck by the lack of liveliness, for want of a better word. He was going to apply ED, but didn't, and I was relieved. We found other schools much more alive, but everyone wants something different in a college, and I know MANY kids who love Middlebury. I also know some kids who hate it, but again - I think they picked for the prestige and not the fit, and that is why they are unhappy. Not the fault of the college.</p>
<p>Architecture does have meaning. A communities values are reflected in the choices of design, size of buildings etc. In small communities in Europe for example what is the most significant structure? The church. In our country, banks dominate the skyline. Just an observation. Amherst for example combines classic with contemporary, Bowdoin as well. Landscape is unique. Middlebury, no judgement, is sparse and not very well defined, traditional. It is a great school with bright diverse students. But architecture is language and it does speak about the values of an institution. I receive more info observing a campus than listening to the tour guide</p>
<p>Yes, Middlebury's campus is spread out over a rolling hillside. To each his own--I prefer lots of space between buildings, as opposed to buildings being tightly clumped together. Here's an interesting walking tour of Middlebury's campus that you might find interesting:
A</a> Walking History of Middlebury / The College</p>
<p>Nobody's willing to discuss the sleeping problem?</p>
<p>Depends on when the TC visited, for how long, and which parts of campus. There are 2400 students at Midd, I find it difficult to believe that even most of them are just sleeping after classes end. When I visited I saw students hanging out everywhere, going to the gym, etc. I visited the rock wall in the middle of the day and there were students climbing there. </p>
<p>And the campus is absolutely gorgeous. The space is so freeing, I loved it.</p>
<p>I think what makes the Middlebury campus beautiful is its location among the Vermont Green Mountains, and subsequently, the quaint little valley Midd is in. Essentially, it is Midd's geography that makes it gorgeous.</p>
<p>To be honest, when I visited last spring, it was a dreary, rainy, cold, and cloudy day. There was construction going on on campus. And I was there during spring break, so not many students were around. It indeed felt quite dead, and the EXTERIORS of campus buildings were mixed. Some looked spectacular (bicentennial hall, anyone?) while others looked less exciting. One thing that struck me, however, was the cleanliness and beauty of the INTERIORS of buildings. Not only that, but Midd's indoor facilities (be they dorms, science labs, dining halls, student center) were some of the best I've seen at any college campus. </p>
<p>Regardless of when I visited, I feel that Midd likely does have a vibrant student body.</p>
<p>TC, given the fact you're posting in late Nov and assuming you recently visited, it is likely that students at Midd were sleeping because they were tired from finals, extensive intellectual classes, or whatever. Yeah, a college may be prestigious and excellent, but the people who go there are human beings. People get tired. People sleep. But I can assure you that if they're going to Middlebury, then they are bright. </p>
<p>Middlebury wouldn't be as nationally renowned as it is if its students just slept all the time.</p>
<p>What bothered us when we visited Middlebury was the info. session. The facilitator went on and on about the fact that VT doesn't have any billboards.</p>
<p>S didn't like the "VT cult", as he called it, thing, and he didn't apply.</p>
<p>I don't know why he chose Williams, which he now attends. He likes the town right "on" campus, and he likes that a major thoroughfare runs through it. He doesn't get a claustrophobic experience on campus. However, I think the people won him over.</p>
<p>He passed on UChicago even though the architecture is gorgeous.</p>
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VT doesn't have any billboards
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<p>What do you mean by this? Can you explain?</p>
<p>Well, I don't know if it's true, but what's to explain?</p>
<p>This was probably only a reaction to the guy leading the info. session. My mother grew up in Bennington, VT, and we are very proud of our VT heritage. Actually, Williams is only a five minute drive from the VT border; my mom thinks DS has gone back to her old stomping ground. Bennington is about a 20 minute drive from Williams.</p>
<p>In answer to the question below about billboards, the state of Vermont outlawed billboards about 40 years ago and, as a result, Vermont no longer has the billboards that dot the roads and highways in other states.</p>
<p>I'm not American, so I'm not familiar with what you mean... What is a billboard and what does it have to do with the college?</p>