<p>Basically I'm weighing the pros and cons of BC and Middlebury- my top 2 schools. I know there isn't a city nearby Middlebury like how BC has Boston, so what do students do for fun? Do a lot of big name entertainers perform on campus? Is there a mall or shopping center anywhere near Middlebury? Hows the party scene? Thanks so much in advance</p>
<p>Some of this is discussed in a recent thread called “middle of nowhere pros and cons”. Burlington is a great college city with a pedestrian mall for a downtown 3 blocks from the university. Some students say they go in once a year and others will say 3 times a year, so this is not something you would do a lot. If you are someone who will be involved in theater acapella groups, student government, newspaper, radio, environmental groups and causes and/or the activities board that plans concerts and activities for the campus, you will have plenty to do. But if you want to go to ethnic restaurants, concerts and museums a lot then, of course, Boston will be more suited to you. Boston College is so different that I don’t think it’s a common comparison to make. Medium sized catholic urban vs. small rural.</p>
<p>Hard to compare these schools for other reasons too. Midd is a good deal more selective than BC. Don’t get me wrong BC is a fine school, but Midd is going to be harder to get in. They’re not really comparable schools. Having said that, I was worried at first about Midd’s rural location, but there’s so much to do on campus that I was never bored and I rarely had time to leave campus.</p>
<p>Obviously, getting involved in ECs around campus helps.
The town takes care of most of your basic needs, but to be honest, the shopping is pretty unimpressive (by which I mean, a couple of dowdy stores). There’s better shopping in Burlington, but as Hitch said, almost no one goes more than a couple times a year.
The party scene is fun, but not what you’d find at other schools. Probably the best thing about it is that it’s not at all exclusive–any kid can walk into a party, which isn’t true at most schools. But to be honest, partying at the same places (mainly athletic houses, a few suites, and modular homes occupied by the teams) for four years gets kind of stale after a couple of years.
That said, Middlebury is quite a bit more selective than BC, and I do think the academics are superior. The small class sizes and lack of TAs make a huge difference.</p>
<p>I’m from Chicago and I was in the exact same situation. I was looking at BC, Brown, Dartmouth, University of Illinois (for engineering) and Middlebury. Actually, Middlebury was my last choice based on my initial visit to those campuses. I thought it was way too small (especially for a city girl!) and that I could never deal with the lack of shopping and urban life. </p>
<p>I’m now a freshman at Midd. I turned down BC, engineering at U of I, and Brown. I have to say that I think I’ve made the best choice of my life.</p>
<p>I went to a high school of roughly 4300 kids – making Middlebury a little more than half the size. I thought that I needed a big school – or at least one in a city – to provide an escape from the college life. Now that I’m here, though, I realized that Middlebury is an escape within itself. As I said earlier, I’m from Chicago so I’m used to skyscrapers, shopping and starbucks…none of which is available at Midd. The way that I look at things now is that I would never choose to live in Vermont or anywhere like Vermont…so why not spend four years in a gorgeous place with beautiful mountains, unbelievable people and free food!? (the dining halls are open pretty much all the time with no card-swiping system). </p>
<p>I think you would be surprised at how many people are also from cities at Midd. And I would have to disagree with the people who said that kids only go into town once a year. I’ve been to Burlington twice already and I’m only about a month and a half into the school year. In fact, I was at Dartmouth and UVM this past weekend for fall break. I thought going to Dartmouth was going to be horrible – considering I had applied ED and was deferred and waitlisted. However, within two hours of my arrival, my friends and I were talking about how much we missed Midd. </p>
<p>Regarding the parties, I can definitely say that I am never bored. My friends and I go out Thursdays through Saturdays and there is always a different kind of party to go to. Nobody dresses like prostitutes and when you walk into a party, you are pretty much guaranteed to know someone (which is really comforting). Although I cannot speak to the party scene as a junior or senior, I am normally at the same parties with those kids. A few of my best friends are seniors and they all say that the thought of leaving Middlebury this spring almost brings them to tears. I don’t think that the party scene gets old. </p>
<p>There is no place in the world like Middlebury. The people are unbelievably kind (because being mean would be totally irresponsible considering the size!) and the academics are superior to most other institutions (including BC).</p>
<p>I hope you make the right decision (for you). I couldn’t be happier with my choice.</p>
<p>CareOLine11- thanks so much for your info it was just what i was looking for! i loved everything about middlebury but i was in the same mindset, worrying about not having a mall or city- i live in an area with 3 malls nearby and im half an hour away from nyc. your insight has really reassured me that middlebury is as great as i previously believed despite the rather rural setting. thank you so much! i really cannot thank you enough :)</p>
<p>Anytime! </p>
<p>Feel free to message me with any other questions – I’d be more than happy to answer them.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>