<p>I got into both of these schools and can't seem to decide between them. I know that I will be happy at both of them, I just don't know which I'll be HAPPIEST at. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>What are you majoring in? More lib-artsy or pre-prof? Midwest or northeast?
I’d choose WUSTL probably, but only because i don’t wanna go to a lib-arts school.</p>
<p>Both schools are awesome, Yellow. I know it won’t help you decide, but you’re sittin’ pretty right now. Enjoy it.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>have u visited both campuses? that might help you decide. my friend visited middlebury, and he said it was insanely cold but he loved it.
well, he’s from texas, so the insanely cold thing could be biased.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your responses!</p>
<p>I applied to both schools because I’m interested in majoring in language and science and WashU has an amazing science program (PNP sounds especially interesting) and Middlebury has an amazing language program. Furthermore, both of their campuses are beautiful, and from what I’ve heard, there seems to be a very strong bond between all members of the student body (both of which are very active as well). However, as large t-rex said, I also fear if WashU (since it is much larger) will be able to provide me with the individualized attention and close relationships Middlebury professors offer their students. This is definitely something that is really important, and although WashU has more opportunities, I would rather have individualized attention from professors. Does anyone know if this is true?</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of your responses!</p>
<p>Go and visit both schools. I think you will find the relationship eith the WashU profs to be very close and personal. But then again, your best source is to visit and talk to people in your potential major. Don’t depend on others to make the choice for you.</p>
<p>wait, when did you find out about Midd? Did you apply ED or did they have an EA program I hadn’t heard about?</p>
<p>They told me I wouldn’t hear from them until March 28 
</p>
<p>I applied to WUSTL and Middlebury, waitlisted at WUSTL, so I probably don’t have much of a chance for Midd, alas. Midd and WUSTl are kind of apples to oranges, though- it’ shard to compare a big university in an urban area with a small LAC in the middle of rural vermont without knowing your preferences. I visited both and loved them both in their own way. I was going to let the admissions decisions choose for me, being lazy :p</p>
<p>WUSTL is in Missouri(ew)…Take that into account. Sure the campus is beautiful, but I have to admit that the surrounding area isn’t quite as serene.</p>
<p>What, Clayton & Forest Park? - I don’t know where you will find two better areas. Either you don’t know the area or your standards are strange.</p>
<p>I meant STL as a whole. Sorry for the misunderstanding; of course there are some good aspects to attending WUSTL.</p>
<p>Both are very good, meaning it depends on your future plans. Since your interest is in language, Middlebury might be a better choice. As for the campus aesthetics, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better looking campus than Middlebury. </p>
<p>Quote - “What, Clayton & Forest Park? - I don’t know where you will find two better areas. Either you don’t know the area or your standards are strange.”</p>
<p>Well, Clayton and Forest Park are nice if you’re from the St. Louis area. </p>
<p>My 2 cents.</p>
<p>As far as St. Louis vs. Middlebury VT it is a silly discussion. How much different can two places be?? I am from St. Louis born and raised, and live in NE now. Both my kids looked at Middlebury so been there twice. It is gorgeous, but you better like being fairly isolated from what a typical city offers. And I mean that literally, not judgementally. It is ideal if you want the quintissential college town experience, while the area of St. Louis Wash U is in is very upscale old money and has easy access to the things a city offers, such as big time sports, more theater, more food choices (although the food at both schools is EXCELLENT!), etc etc. Just apples and oranges for sure, as I think someone said.</p>
<p>For my 2 cents worth, if you are serious about science then Wash U is the place, because while the language program at Middlebury is without equal, it is much easier for a school like Wash U that is strong in science to give you what you need in languages than it is for a school like Middlebury to give you what you need in science. I think you know what I mean. But if you can possibly spend a night and full day at both, do it. Sit in on classes and talk to students and profs. That is the best way for sure.</p>
<p>I know very little about Middlebury, so I can’t really tell you how that compares to WUSTL, but to respond to fallenchemist:
(according to my SpanishAP teacher) WUSTL has the best foreign language program in the country. My teacher then qualified that statement by saying it has “one of the best FL programs.”
Also- according to The Princeton Review, WUSTL has the #1 Quality of Life rating out of all the some 380 schools reviewed. I don’t know if WUSTL actually has a better Quality of Life than Rice or Princeton (#'s 2 & 3) but that it’s ranked highly should be the important fact.</p>
<p>Both the good Language dept. and high Quality of Life were influential in my decision to apply to WashU</p>
<p>Pseudonym - you and I are not really disagreeing. I can only tell you that being in NE (that’s New England, not Nebraska, lol) for some time now and knowing many people that chose Middlebury and having been there with 2 kids that both considered it (and both decided it wasn’t for them), and having both kids studying languages and cultures as a major (Russian and Chinese), I have looked into this a lot. Middlebury is quite famous for their language program and their foreign language dorms, where you speak only the language you are studying the minute you walk in the door, and their study abroad programs. I could not find, for example, where Wash U has the language dorms, but they might. I tried searching their site and didn’t see it, but you know how that goes. But Wash U is superb as well, it is not an issue really. Hence my comment about the science. Middlebury is a college, Wash U is a reasearch university and has a much broader offering.</p>
<p>As far as quality of life, rankings really don’t mean much. It is so individual. Yes, a school ranking high, since it is based on student feedback, probably tells you it doesn’t suck, and even that it is probably very good. But if you hate cold, then Middlebury could rank #1 and why would you care? Or if you love the big time sports, Wash U could rank #1 but you won’t get that out of it, better off at Michigan or UNC Chapel Hill. Or if you want an urban campus that is in the heart of everything, Columbia and some others would be better choices. You get the drift. I love St. Louis and think it is a great place to live and would go back for sure, and the Wash U campus is great, but that doesn’t mean it is for everyone.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all of your responses. I’m going to visit both schools sometime in April and will report back afterwards and tell you all what I school I end up choosing. I definitely agree with all of your comments and I have decided it really comes down to what I want to get out of the college experience (research university vs. liberal arts college). If anyone has any other insights, I would greatly appreciate them as well!</p>
<p>P.S. @tinuviel, I got an early letter from Middlebury.</p>
<p>Yellowavcable: A student at WashU has anywhere from 3-5 advisers. Individual attention is no problem.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist:</p>
<p>It’s really nice to see somebody (1) genuinely try to be helpful rather than just obliquely fluff his/her ego and (2) actually respond to others intelligently as opposed to engaging in an endless set of parallel monologues. Whoo!!</p>
<p>mypsudonym - tyvm! Very kind comment. I only diss others when dissed first, lol. But having been to college myself, and now 2 kids in the midst of it, I see no reason not to try and help where I think I can.</p>
<p>The bizarre thing about choosing where to go is that it is a decision that begs to be made based on experience, since the stakes are relatively high, and yet there are few who can possibly have any basis on which to rationally make the decision! And even then, there are sometimes choices that are impossible to make based on facts or comparisons; they are just too similar or, in other cases, quite dissimilar yet of equal weight. That is what my daughter is going through now. 2 excellent offers at two very good programs, and they are so opposite in some characteristics that it would be easy for some people, but she likes both situations. Well, somehow she will figure out a way to choose. Sure wish Wash U had offered her the same kind of money. That would have made it easy. I think.</p>
<p>I think you will be surprising impressed with Middlebury’s new science building and there research opportunities, amazing facilities. it really is about fit, they are very different atmospheres.</p>
<p>Both schools are amazing, and I think it’s pointless to judge which one of them is better. If you’re interested in foreign languages, then I’d choose Middlebury.</p>