<p>So I took interesteddad's advice and did some of my own research.... Currently, my personal "Tier 1" is:</p>
<p>Reed
Swarthmore
Wesleyan
Grinnell
Chicago</p>
<p>As far as Pomona goes, I'd probably feel at home just because I've lived in Southern CA my whole life; however, the objective is to get <em>out</em> of CA. Also, Pomona (the town) isn't so hot. Blecch. Because of that, Pomona and Pitzer are nearly even. They still made my Tier 2, though. :)</p>
<p>I will have to check out L&C and Tufts later.</p>
<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>
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I'd have to say that your impression of a preppy, white, jocky campus is mistaken.
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<p>Maybe.</p>
<p>The statistics speak otherwise. Low percentage of financial aid students. Low percentage of minority students. Fourth highest athletic budget in Div III, second only to Williams among selective schools. 826 varsity team members (652 unduplicated) is fifth most in Div III, behind four schools with 5000 to 10,000 students. Williams is sixth with 825 varsity team members (601 unduplicated).</p>
<p>I do think the Vermont location attracts a particular type of student and the ambience would not be the same kind of stereotypical "prep" that you would get at, say, Duke or Washington & Lee.</p>
<p>
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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."
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</p>
<p>I think it's a big mistake to not consider the "stereotypes", because they usually have an element of truth. For example, you would have to be nuts to go to Swarthmore believing that it really isn't academically challenging. Or to UChicago believing that it's really a "party school".</p>
<p>Pomona and Pitzer are in Claremont, CA. Claremont is far from rough, but there isn't much for a college student to do; I felt at home. But if you want to get out of California then they probably won't be at the top of your list. I live in Oregon and you should consider Reed + Lewis and Clark, both are awesome and "crunchy."</p>
<p>I think there are those currently at Middlebury posting on the Middlebury board who have tried to provide you with more current information. There have been big changes at the school with regard to diversity and recruitment of low income students.</p>
<p>In terms of ambience, what I'm trying to convey is that there is an emphasis on the arts and on environmental consciousness/responsibility. I know of at least a dozen would-be environmental studies students who were having a hard time deciding between Oberlin and Middlebury. I doubt you'd describe Oberlin as white and preppy and these kids definitely don't fit the profile you're suggesting. It's just not the sort of homogeneous white "prep" environment you are suggesting. I have no agenda in putting this out there except that I don't want people to be deterred from the place without looking at it themselves. I was pretty amazed by it, actually.</p>
<p>My point about the stereotypes is that they do have or once had an element of truth to them but that they stick even when the truth behind them is exaggerated or long gone. Would you consider Swarthmore a place where people study and compete to the exclusion of all else? We're not talking about its level of academic challenge. Academically challenging is quite different from from what I've heard described as a misery culture. Pomona is academically challenging but I've never heard anyone call it an intense place where students spend all their free time in the library. In fact that school goes out of its way to promote the engagement and balance of its student body. So does Haverford. I'd hate for someone to be put off simply because that description was casually tossed about. It's the same with UChicago. It's a far extreme from thinking it a party school to think of it as a humorless haven for nerds.</p>
<p>There's another option for learning languages -- language houses. Some liberal arts colleges have them. The people who live in them are all interested in the language and they are committed to speaking it as much as possible. For example, Macalester College has Chinese House, French House, German House, Japan House, Russian House, and Spanish House. (And those are actual houses <a href="http://www.macalester.edu/reslife/halls/Langhousepics.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.macalester.edu/reslife/halls/Langhousepics.htm</a>, not a floor or section of a dorm.)</p>
<p>It doesn't get any more current than the Fall 2006 enrollments:</p>
<p>Middlebury:</p>
<p>African American 2.9%
Asian American 8.9%
Latino/a 6.2%
International 9.8%
white (and unknown) 71.5%</p>
<p>These diversity numbers not at a horrible extreme, but they are significantly lower than many northeast selective colleges and universities.</p>
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In terms of ambience, what I'm trying to convey is that there is an emphasis on the arts and on environmental consciousness/responsibility.
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</p>
<p>That's Vermont. The official state footwear is the Birkenstock. And the LLBean catalog is mandatory reading in the public schools!</p>
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Would you consider Swarthmore a place where people study and compete to the exclusion of all else?
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</p>
<p>No, of course not. But, I would say that is a place where the emphasis on academic engagement is unusually high and a student should not go to Swarthmore expecting otherwise. There are slackers and party people at Swarthmore; but, it's not the predominant scene.</p>
<p>Some of my impressions about Middlebury's jock scene come from recent Williams students and alumni, who seem to believe that Middlebury is even more sports oriented than Williams. Considering the source, it's difficult to not pay attention to such a characterization. Williams and Middlebury are locked in a battle to wire for this year's national Div III Sears cup. I think it's all going to come down to women's crew.</p>
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The statistics speak otherwise. Low percentage of financial aid students. Low percentage of minority students.
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</p>
<p>49% of freshmen at Swarthmore receive financial aid, compared to 45% at Middlebury. I guess you think that 4% difference really defines the school, eh?</p>
<p>And it's much more difficult getting minority students to matriculate at a college in rural Vermont (the nation's whitest state) than it is at a college in suburban Philadelphia. The college is making an effort to increase diversity, and it appears to be paying off. The number of applicants of domestic students of color rose this year. Combining African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American and Native American students, students of color consisted of 26 percent of matriculates for fall admission (for the class of 2011), representing 159 students. The result was a rise from the 122 students last year that made up 22 percent of the class of 2010.</p>
<p>Interesteddad--when's the last time you visited Middlebury? It's not the same place that it was when you were at Williams 2 decades ago.</p>
<p>"It's the same with UChicago. It's a far extreme from thinking it a party school to think of it as a humorless haven for nerds."</p>
<p>Humorless? Ow, that hurts. Especially considering that "Where Fun Comes to Die" is a slogan that we came up with (well, not "we," but a few blokes from Tufts House who decided to curse the school forever), and that Second City was founded by a bunch of U of C students.</p>
<p>Some people don't understand that our humor is in making fun of ourselves. If you don't believe me, check out Dean of Admissions Ted O'Neill's convocation speeches from the past few years... he goes so far as to call the school's song "Requiem for Fun"</p>
<p>Amy, I wasn't dissing UChicago, I promise! My only point was that students need to look further than the obvious stereotypes and that it's not in any of our interests to recycle old, tired often wrong (or greatly exaggerated) myths. I don't know where the OP will end up or what will catch his fancy but I'd hate for him to rule out a school like Middlebury because one parent arrived at an online forum and pronounced it white and preppy. There seemed to be a healthy contingent of crunchy, artsy, intellectuals around when we visited and the school seemed genuinely committed to bolstering enrollment across all classes, races, and ethnicities. </p>
<p>I have always enjoyed U Chicago's wry sense of humor and the kids I know who ended up going (one kicking and screaming) have loved their experiences.</p>
<p>Getting back to the OP's original question, if "crunchy" includes interest in environmental programs, check out this Pomona article "Extraordinary Student Leadership on Environmental Practices Celebrated at Pomona College Graduation", where Pomona students led several initiatives in local energy conservation efforts. </p>
<p>If you're interested in theater as well, you should definitely take a look at Drew. It has a very well respected theater program, and the NJ Shakespeare Theater is in residence. To answer your earlier question, Drew is located in Madison, NJ about 4o minutes west of Manhattan by train/bus. The area is very nice, and the campus is lovely. For more info, look up Drew in the alpha list.</p>
<p>Definitely consider Oberlin. It has a great pre-med program (a really high percentage of students get into med school) as well as offering a lot of Spanish/Hispanic studies courses and there are lots of study abroad opportunities. The student body is rather diverse for a LAC (Oberlin was the first college in the nation to admit African Americans). Also, there is a theater performance practically every weekend and there are a lot of opportunities to get involved. The conservatory offers great entertainment/cultural opportunities--more than your average LAC in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>The town is pretty and not very far from the Cleveland airport (there's a cheap 20 minute bus ride). Keep this in mind: if you live in SoCal, getting to Bates or Middlebury, for example, will take much longer since there are no nearby airports. </p>
<p>Jen, I agree. I didn't realize that Oberlin wasn't on the OP's list already. It's a wonderful, diverse, academic place and it's a great fit for a crunchy nerd! </p>