Wesleyan v. Middlebury (again)

<p>Good morning all,</p>

<p>I know that many people asked the same question, but I prefer having my own answers. Hope that's fine !</p>

<p>I am a French student, and my school allows us to spend one year abroad. Now, that I have picked Wesleyan and Middlebury, I don't know which one to choose.</p>

<p>I want to study Economics, politics, philosophy, languages; eventually, I plan to apply to the Ivy League or Oxbridge as a grad student. So my question is easy: which one should I choose ? Having said that, I have a slightly better chance to go to Midd if I apply to it than going to Wesleyan if I choose it.</p>

<p>It seems that both are academically very strong, and their campus are nice (is one nicer than the other btw ?). However, I can't make my mind; can you help me ?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot, and have great day,
Al</p>

<p>I always tell international students that they’ll get a better cross-section of American life in Middletown than they would in a more typical college town. But, i’m confused as to what your status would be. If you’re not going to receive your baccalaureate degree from Wesleyan, it sounds more as if you would be an exchange student than a transfer. Not sure what the admission requirements would be.</p>

<p>I’ll have a exchange student status. So I don’t have any requirements, except the ones from my own university. ;)</p>

<p>Ok, I have some more precise questions:

  • how are the campuses ?
  • how is Midd reputation for government and economics, especially to apply to a graduate school ?</p>

<p>Thanks guys. =)</p>

<p>Let’s start with academics. I’d say, that all things being equal, your chances of getting into graduate school would be the same. I think Wesleyan probably has a stronger program in Government and Economics, but, that’s because they’re probably slightly larger and because I seldom hear of anyone mentioning anything other than language programs or sometimes Environmentalism, when discussing Middlebury.</p>

<p>Middlebury’s campus is probably more idyllic. It reminds me of Disneyland:<a href=“http://www.kugelmeier.de/home/disneyweb/disneyland_Park021.jpg[/url]”>http://www.kugelmeier.de/home/disneyweb/disneyland_Park021.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://1800recycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Middlebury_College.jpg[/url]”>http://1800recycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Middlebury_College.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Wesleyan is more like, if you took Amherst:
<a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Amherst_College_College_Row.jpg[/url]”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Amherst_College_College_Row.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
And, mashed it up with Columbia:
<a href=“http://www.mrc-cpe.cam.ac.uk/~dpteufel/NYp53conference/IMG_3163.JPG[/url]”>http://www.mrc-cpe.cam.ac.uk/~dpteufel/NYp53conference/IMG_3163.JPG&lt;/a&gt;
You’d get this:
<a href=“http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1029_college_costs/image/wesleyan.jpg[/url]”>http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1029_college_costs/image/wesleyan.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Of course, the other thing you have to worry about is weather. At the moment, Middlebury, Vermont is about 10 degrees colder than Middletown, Connecticut.</p>

<p>[Weather</a> Forecast - Middletown, CT - Local & Long Range | Wunderground](<a href=“Local Weather Forecast, News and Conditions | Weather Underground”>Local Weather Forecast, News and Conditions | Weather Underground)
[Weather</a> Forecast - Middlebury, VT - Local & Long Range | Wunderground](<a href=“Local Weather Forecast, News and Conditions | Weather Underground”>Local Weather Forecast, News and Conditions | Weather Underground)</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for your help ! So it seems that both campuses seem really great.</p>

<p>I have a last question to ask you: do you think that going to Midd or Wesleyan is a valuable help to be accepted in a top graduate school ? Compared to a very good “national university” ?</p>

<p>I hope I don’t bother you too much with my silly questions!</p>

<p>I think grades and board scores are probably the biggest predictor of admission to an Ivy-quality grad program. That being understood, there does seem to be a high degree correlation between a top liberal arts college baccalaureate and admission to such grad programs. For example 7 of the top thirty American undergraduate programs with the highest GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) scores are small liberal arts colleges like, Wesleyan and Middlebury, including 4 of the top twenty:
[Which</a> College Scores Best on the GMAT? - BusinessWeek](<a href=“Businessweek - Bloomberg”>Businessweek - Bloomberg)</p>

<p>Considering there are <200 authentic, small liberal arts colleges (LACs) left in America, that’s quite a showing.</p>

<p>Also, there’s this:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1208149-top-feeder-schools-yale-law.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1208149-top-feeder-schools-yale-law.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;