What led you to choose Middlebury over other LACs (Bowdoin, Amherst, Williams, etc)?

<p>Right now Midd is my #1 choice, but Amherst and Bowdoin really interest me as well!</p>

<p>You may not have gotten a response because there are probably numerous Midd vs. Bowdoin vs. Amherst threads in the Search forum. However, even though I’m a parent and not a student, I’ll mention a few things. Midd has 600 more students than Bowdoin and Amherst and the campus is a little more spread out, so it is and feels bigger. However, Amherst has the consortium which adds course options. You just have to investigate how easy it is to really use that option. UMass is very close but the other schools may be 45 minutes away. Also J term is great for adding variety to the academic year…one month when you can focus on one thing and have various options available that aren’t offered in the regular semesters. Williams also has it but I can’t remember if Bowdoin and Amherst do----check on that. I think very highly of Midd’s President. Amherst has someone new and I don’t know about Bowdoin. Amherst students seem to complain about the one dining hall. Midd has 3 beautiful ones and a meal program that doesn’t involve a daily points system----just go when you want. Probably most often mentioned----the language departments at Midd are great. Midd’s environmental studies program may be the best of the 3. Oh and, if you care, having your own ski mountain.</p>

<p>Ross…Are you applying ED?</p>

<p>They’re all great schools, and honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them. If your decision is not based on any one particular program at these schools (art history at Williams, Environmental or International Studies at Middlebury, etc.), then it will really come down to the feel. It’s hard to find better facilities than at Midd. Williams may compete, but neither Amherst nor Bowdoin has invested in facilities the way Middlebury did before the economic downturn. You’ll find very similar students at all the schools. Which school FEELS best?</p>

<p>S attended Williams, and I would definitely call Midd a peer institution. Midd is just beautiful. I would also say Williams for music, math and physics, Midd for languages and maybe bio in addition and the specialties listed above.</p>

<p>Don’t look at ratings. Choose on your own.</p>

<p>Amherst and Bowdoin are wonderful schools, but they are smaller which may mean limited faculty in small departments. With that consideration. Midd is bigger than Williams which might be a consideration. Of course Amherst has the consortium.</p>

<p>Most likely, but I’m not a senior yet</p>

<p>^that was directed to CrewDad</p>

<p>RossJM,</p>

<p>As a high school senior, I knew that, as a college student, I didn’t want to be the anomaly, that student who reads too much or writes too much or thinks too much. After many conversations with professors, alumni, and current students during my visits junior and senior year, I thought of Middlebury as a place where I could do all of those things and still feel right at home—surrounded by people who love and laud the life of the mind. The school is teeming with independent thinkers. It is like some sort of fist-in-the-air anthem at Middlebury, and what the school, philosophically, stands for. Brilliant, kind, and multi-faceted, I was won over; Middlebury students fit the mold of students I wanted to study with. </p>

<p>Today, after my first semester there, I am thrilled by my choice. Urbanity is near, but perfectly far away. (Burlington is an ideal weekend escape from coursework.) There are endless opportunities for outdoor recreation and adventures. Midd kids are wildly busy, but wouldn’t have it any other way. There is this colossal sense of community, and of being a scholar and a pioneer.</p>

<p>What will ultimately “lead you to choose” a college is a function of which will offer you admission, especially if you’re applying RD most places. No one, nowadays, really has more than a 50% chance of admission with any of these top-tier LACs, even with the most competitive of stats and/or hooks. I applied to all of the colleges you listed plus a few comparables, was offered admission at a few, then accepted the offer that fit my academic and social profile best. </p>

<p>Cast your net wide, visit the schools you get into, kick the tires, ask nosy questions – then have your pick. Good luck.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>Lovinlife118 – Awesome answer and I think very true of my S as well… he loves to dump his academic woes on me about late nights, over-full plates etc, but when he arrived home last night he talked incessantly about the classes he took, the awesome professors, the mutual (AND disparate) interests of fellow students etc. While I am glad our Midd tuition paying days are almost over, I am forever thrilled with the education, mentoring and friendships my son has made in his four years there!</p>

<p>Wow Modadunn, I can’t believe how time flies!</p>

<p>Urban - I know. Shocking, ain’t it? Kids are almost completely grown and I feel like it was barely yesterday that they were born!</p>

<p>Hey Ross, you might want to ask the same question on the other schools forums as well to get a more diverse set of views. But on the other hand if you really are more tuned into Middlebury but want to have validation for your feelings, sticking to the Midd forum is perfect. Most important is to go yourself and get a feel. Talk to the students and professors.</p>

<p>^^^He has.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/bowdoin-college/1401881-what-led-you-choose-bowdoin-over-other-lacs-middlebury-amherst-williams-etc.html#post14945201[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/bowdoin-college/1401881-what-led-you-choose-bowdoin-over-other-lacs-middlebury-amherst-williams-etc.html#post14945201&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/williams-college/1428372-williams-swat-midd.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/williams-college/1428372-williams-swat-midd.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/swarthmore/1428373-swat-midd-williams.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/swarthmore/1428373-swat-midd-williams.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Williams vs Swat vs Midd - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>Williams vs Swat vs Midd - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums;

<p>Arcadia, sorry if I’m getting on your nerves…I’m just curious but I’ll try to tone it down a bit.</p>

<p>Oops, sorry. I based it on looking at Bowdoin.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Not getting on my nerves at all! I think it’s smart to post the same questions in different forums–it will lead to a more balanced view. I was just responding to GvaMom’s comment.</p>

<p>Oh ok haha</p>

<p>Arcadia–
What do you think?</p>

<p>What sets Middlebury apart from the other schools you’re considering? Its size, internationalism, environment, and brand. More than ten percent of students at Middlebury come from other countries, and the school operates 38 study abroad programs in 17 countries. Add to that the recent acquisition of the Monterrey Institute of International Studies in California as a graduate school and you have international studies and foreign language offerings that cannot be matched by any other liberal arts college on the planet. </p>

<p>Middlebury is at the forefront of environmental pedagogy, and there is a very strong commitment from the college to encourage sustainability and graduate students who are conscientious about the world we live in. Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary concept that benefits from strong programs in the hard sciences, economics, politics, sociology, international studies, religion, and the arts. If you’re interested in ES, then Middlebury should be on your radar.</p>

<p>Middlebury’s commons system makes it unique as well. At 2,500 students, Midd is larger than the other schools mentioned, but the commons system breaks down a larger student body into more intimate groups. Midd is large enough that you’ll continuously meet new people, but small enough that you’ll feel like an integral part of college fabric. </p>

<p>It’s location in Vermont is a plus and a minus. It’s cold in the winter, and Vermont is one of the least diverse states, but Midd makes an effort to bring culture to campus. It’s also a paradise for lovers of the great outdoors.</p>

<p>Middlebury kids love their school. In fact, most are quite passionate about it. Alumni stay loyal as well. Midd alums donate to the college in numbers that only a handful of top colleges see.</p>

<p>There are unique things about all of the schools you’re considering–but these things I’ve just listed make Midd unique IMHO.</p>