<p>Idad, having just visited Middlebury, I'd have to say that your impression of a preppy, white, jocky campus is mistaken. Maybe the school did a phenomenal snow job on us during our time there and maybe the kids we know who are attending are anomalies, but we were taken with the artsiness and non-jocky flavor of the place. I will say that there is a definite feeling of lifestyle at Middlebury that we didn't see at other places. The kids seem very committed to an outdoor lifestyle and are engaged in hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, even organic gardening. I had the same impression of Middlebury as you before I visited but I was very pleasantly surprised by the reality. The more we look, the more interesting it seems, especially for someone looking for a good Spanish department.</p>
<p>I have a feeling that there are these shorthand myths that get tagged to certain campuses and are hard to shake. People still wonder about Swarthmore's intensity and "misery culture", UChicago is still called the place "where fun goes to die."</p>