What differentiates Middlebury from other Liberal Arts Colleges? I know its strongest majors are international relations, sociology, and linguistics, but isn’t that a commonplace among LACs? Is there other aspects that can truly differentiate Middlebury from prestigious colleges like Amherst or Swarthmore?
Great environmental studies major with multiple concentrations available. Sciences are very good. Unique minor in Global Health offered. In general, a very globally oriented campus. With 2500 undergrads, larger than many of others in the NESCAC which are about 1800 u/g.
Check out the MiddCore program: http://middcore.middlebury.edu/ as a great example of one of the many ways Middlebury engages an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit throughout the curriculum and within the community.
I think many students are drawn to the location, or at least they are not put off by its isolation. Socially the vibe seems pretty laid back and outdoorsy even though Middlebury is academically rigorous. There seems to be something particularly deliberate about wanting a rural setting in a quaint NE town surrounded by mountains.
My daughter definitely had different impressions of both Amherst and Swarthmore. Her Amherst tour guide told the group that housing was determined by GPA (vs lottery). Not sure if that was true or not (if we misheard him) but if so that would certainly give grades another level of significance. Also, the banners have “A+” as the Amherst logo throughout the town. It felt more grade oriented than most of the other schools she visited.
When she asked her Swarthmore tour guide how intense the academics were, the guide responded that it was tough but manageable. “But”, she said, “at some point they sort of break you down here in order to rebuild you”. The tour guide meant it in a way that she thought “hitting the wall” (as she called it) was hard but helpful. There was a lot my D loved about Swarthmore, but she was not looking for that level of intensity.
Another day, another tour, who knows if she would have had different impressions!
College visit… every time I read posts about how amazing the tour was I really feel a lot of regrets about myself. I see that these guides do really provide details that are minute in some way but very crucial in deciding what kind of a college I truly desire to enroll. Thank you very much for the advice 
The A+ banners have nothing to do with Amherst College. 
The A+ refers to an award given by the town of Amherst ‘plus’ the surrounding towns.
Not true.
@Ir4550, sorry that you heard wrong at your Amherst tour regarding housing. It is not assigned by GPA, that would be ludicrous. Freshman fill out a form for likes and dislikes…I assume like most schools. after first year, there is a lottery of some sort, it has to do with seniority by year and requests for types of suites/rooms. But def NOT by GPA.
Ludicrous or not, at some colleges GPA is considered for room draw.
@crewdad, thanks for clarifying what the A+ banners are referring to- we wrongly assumed it referred to Amherst College- definitely jumped to that conclusion on our own.
@GA2012MOM, thanks for clarifying the housing system at Amherst. I didn’t mean she thought housing was determined freshman year by high school GPA, she was under the impression (from the tour guide) that GPA mattered for housing in subsequent years for sophomore, junior, senior year housing (along with seniority). We both must have misunderstood him when he was discussing how the housing system worked. Thanks for clearing that up and setting the record straight that grades have no influence on (upperclassman) housing!
Thanks for the clarification all of you
- Intense focus on languages. You can choose to participate in language housing, where you agree to only speak the given language to help encourage verbal communication. You have the possibility of attending language lunch tables Monday-Friday, there are an abundance of planned activities like a weekly coffee/tea hosted by every language house, film screenings, etc. And of course there are many international students, so you can actually participate in the language with actual native speakers. I can't remember how true this is to schools like Amherst/Swarthmore since it's been a few years since I went through the application process, but it's definitely something that none of my friends at Harvard or UChicago have.
- Infrastructure for study abroad. We have plenty of our own programs throughout the world, so it's incredibly easy in terms of transferring grades, transferring financial aid, and in general the study abroad programs are among the best. I am currently studying in Paris and it's really surprising for me to talk to other American students at other programs and see how much less integrated they are into the French system. About 60-70% of students at Middlebury study abroad, compared to ~30% at most other LACs. They highly encourage you to study abroad for the year and a lot of majors make it possible. In fact, I'm a Comp Lit major and I'm required to study abroad. I also have friends in STEM majors who have been able to make it happen, which I feel is difficult at some other schools.
- Offers a really unique opportunity in the Theatre department. Middlebury has a relationship with a theater company in NYC, PTP/NYC, which puts on 2 shows every summer, both of which are originally produced at Middlebury during the school year, and feature Middlebury students. Historically they've been quite well reviewed, and I know that at least in the past 2 years at least 2 have been featured as the NYT's top critics pics for the summer. So it's a really cool way for Middlebury students to get Off Broadway credits while they're in undergrad, and to work with high profile actors.
- Amazing beautiful wonderful campus. IMO Swat and Amherst do not compare, although Amherst's is quite lovely as well. Vermont is honestly a really wonderful place to spend your undergrad years, and I really enjoy how rural it is. But I generally don't like the suburbs. Burlington is also a really fun and vibrant small city with a very unique feel. We are also one of the 2 schools in the country with our own ski mountains, if you're into that.
- Compared to those two schools, I would say that Middlebury has a very different academic vibe. To me, Swat felt very nerdy (which was cute and appealing), and Amherst very cutthroat. Middlebury is clearly very serious about academics but it feels more relaxed.
- J-Term is some of the most fun I've had in my life. I know most other schools have some sort of optional winter term, but it's really quite a big part of Midd's culture. You just take one class, and it's usually very intense but it's only around 2 hours of your day (for most classes. Intro language / Organic Chemistry / EMT / the musical are much longer hours). People ski, chill, party, and just spend time with each other. Last year I did the musical where we basically had intense rehearsals all of January and then put on a sold out performance of Les Mis. Really fun and a really great memory. But you also have opportunities to leave campus and pursue monthlong internships that Middlebury puts you in contact with, with places ranging from Animal Planet to Penguin Random House.
I could probably go on, but those are the things that stand out the most to me. It’s really a very global school on a little Vermont campus. We have Language schools, the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and the Bread Loaf School of English (both very respected writing programs), the schools abroad, the school of the Environment, and the grad school at Monterey. I really love it and miss it while I am abroad, the quality of education is just not comparable right now haha.
Also, just as a little correction, I would say that the majors that Middlebury is most well known for are environmental studies, international studies, and literature.
That was really helpful! Especially the J-term seems very intriguing to me. Thanks
Yeah I couldn’t agree more about the nerdy side of Swat. There are two of my friends who got accepted to the Swarthmore in ED and they are all nerdy as hell.
Just returned from visits to Middlebury, Amherst, Williams, and Bowdoin. Middlebury was my favorite by far. Mainly, I was struck by the gorgeous facilities – the buildings and the sports facilities. They are second to no liberal arts college I’ve ever seen. Williams is well kept and quite handsome but not as beautiful. And its sports facilities are very good but cannot compare to Middlebury. Bowdoin looked a bit tired but is still attractive. Amherst is a great school, but, again, not as beautiful. Beyond the aesthetics, all four schools were remarkably similar. The people were great at all four. Amherst and Bowdoin have the best college towns.
So it really just depends on what you want. I’d encourage you to visit if possible.
SWIMDAD, I’m sure this is true. One important thing to note is that Middlebury was the only school amongst these top four that invested heavily in its infrastructure prior to the 2008 crash. After the crash the other schools simply couldn’t afford to keep up with the infrastructure arms race Middlebury had begun. Certainly the other three will eventually catch up, but right now Midd has the infrastructure lead.
Swim dad
Glad you enjoyed Midd
No question the athletic facilities are second to none
The new field house fits architecturally perfect with the pool and ice hockey arena
If you have any questions about the swim team please ask as my son will be one of the boys captains this year