<p>I am a student at Marlboro College in Vermont, and I can't picture going to school anywhere else. Here's some of the reasons why...</p>
<p>Size: Marlboro is very small, with around 300 students. This means that classes usually have 8 students or less - with one-on-one tutorials with professors in junior/senior years. Because of this, you really get a lot of individual attention.</p>
<p>Interdisciplinary Studies: The point of academics at Marlboro is to study broadly and draw parallels between different subjects. Each student completes a final intensive senior project, which is usually very interdisciplinary. So studying in different areas of study is strongly encouraged.</p>
<p>Art: About 40% of Marlboro students incorporate the fine arts into their studies. Many of them decided to come here instead of art school because they wanted an interdisciplinary program that incorporated the arts. Included in our art facilities are a darkroom and a ceramics studio, among other things.</p>
<p>Study Abroad: We have a very active World Studies Department, which does a few different things. 1) They run a program which gives you a second major in international studies, and incorporates a 6-8 month internship abroad. 2) They help create faculty-led trips abroad during breaks and the summer. 3) They help you find study-abroad programs to study abroad on your own. I went on a faculty-led trip to China for 7 weeks in summer 2011 for a language intensive program. Now, I'm getting help applying to a program in Belize where I hope to study for a semester.</p>
<p>Self-Governing Community: Every three weeks, our school community sits down to a "Town Meeting", where we discuss everything from the budget to marketing. Town Meeting is run by an elected Selectboard consisting of mostly students alongside a few faculty/staff. There are also 20+ committees with elected representatives. In this way, students have a huge say in how the school is run, and even help with things like hiring new professors.</p>
<p>The thing that I love about Marlboro College is that each student's curriculum is self-designed. This means you can really study broadly and take classes that really interest you. By the time you get to junior year, many classes take the form of tutorials, which allow you to investigate a topic of your choice in-depth with a professor. This system means that there isn't much limitation when it comes to studying something that interests you, because you can study something not normally offered at the school.</p>
<p>If any of this sounds neat to you, you should check out the website. You can also get a campus tour or attend a class to get a feel for how things work here.</p>
<p>Good luck with the college search!</p>