your IMPRESSION on Middlebury

College Search & Selection
1

<p>well, maybe somebody,(actually lots of ppl) claim that willaims and amherst are on a higher tier compared to Middlebury. Yet amongst all LAC, Middlebury seems the most friendly to Chinese stud.(btw, i am chinese) Amherst once openly said they had bad experience with Chinese studs. i dont know what exactly it meant,but i do know that Amherst does not like Chinese kids that much as Middlebury does. and about Williams, it is a paradise for stud from Singapore. Check out the acceptance number of Singaporean in Williams. </p>

<p>On the usnews or some other similar ranking, williams and Amerst are also highter than middlebury. but who would all depand on those ranking when chooseing a coll/uni to attend? This month i had an interview with the AO from University of Rochester. And he interestingly told me sth about rank of UR on USNEWS. He said he was too busy to deal with those questionare Usnews ranking sent him and he did not have enought info to answer those questions fully. Thus he could only judge from his experience and GUESSING about his school. I dont know whether this scenario is also true with other uni. but at least i know ranking does not mean anything.</p>

<p>I also saw somebody's post on comparison between Middlebury and Amherst, Williams. yeah, they may find actual statistics to support their theory on Graduates from A/W got a better later life than Middlebury. Yet NOBODY would deny that even in Yale and Harvard, there are also buckets of ******* studs. Where someone graduate from does not grantee his/her later life. It is his/her personal ability and chacater that counts when he/she decide to make a difference after graduation. I doubt that ppl here would know somebody called Yanhong Lee, who found the Baidu, the most popular and the biggest Chinese searching engine website. He got his undergraduate diploma in SUNY. I hardly would say SUNY is a top tier uni in America.</p>

<p>so, plz, anyone, I open this new thread to listen to your sincere and honest voice about Middlebury. I do wanna know more about this college. I dont know why I am so obsessed with it. Concering its surroundings, Vermont? maybe a bit too cold in winter. Location? small town! not even my type. I prefer suburban or metropolitans. Ratio of Male to Female? Girls monoply this school. (I guess if i were a boy i would have some sort of advantage when applying.) Yet, when i received Middlebury's viewbook, i was attracted. I mean that kind of feeling i do not have when i viewed those from other uni/college. Wierd, huh? sounds like FALL IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. And it is just as hard to explain as love. I never visited Middlebury and even did not attend its info session or have interview with its AO. I dont know whethere there is one in China this year. Anyway, I submit my application of ED to Middlebury. I am waiting for my big news!!!!!!</p>

2

<p>Two summers ago we took my youngest son on a tour of 10 different colleges. Of all the schools we visited, my impression was that if I were going to go to college again, it would be at Middlebury. I loved the campus. It is a beautiful school in a very lovely setting. It is a great place to go if you are interested in languages and they also have excellent science programs. Many of the facilities are new and the older ones are very well maintained. </p>

<p>That being said, Middlebury is very isolated. It is difficult to get to. The closest airport is small and is about 40 miles away. The closest large city is Montreal, Canada and is about a 2-3 hour drive. Middlebury students seem to be very interested in athletics. Many students participate in sports either being on the school sponsored teams or participating in intramurals or club sports. </p>

<p>As for rankings, you are correct about the fact that they are not terribly accurate. You can be rest assured that Middlebury is an excellent school where you will be able to get a top notch education. The quality of the differences between Middlebury and Swarthmore or Amherst are not significant. Each school has different things to offer but I certainly wouldn't consider one superior to the other. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Middlebury is indeed a rural school, located in a quaint Vermont shire town with a population of 8,000. The town has most everything you'll need (grocery stores, restaurants, bars, fast food, movie theater, etc.). </p>

<p>Burlington, the closest city, is about 45 minutes from campus. Burlington has an airport with daily direct flights to New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, and several other U.S. cities.</p>

<p>The campus is truely spectacular, with modern facilities and great views. </p>

<p>It does get cold, though. The winters are long, but most students take advantage of the snow by participating in winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, broom hockey, snowshoeing, etc.</p>

<p>One thing that sets Middlebury apart from many of its peers is the international composition of the student body. Approximately 11% of Midd students come from foreign countries, and yes, China is well represented. The international studies program is strong, and has been made stronger with Middlebury's recent affiliation with the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California (<a href="http://www.miis.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.miis.edu&lt;/a&gt;), which is near San Francisco. New joint programs are in the works that will allow Midd students to study for a semester or a year at MIIS. </p>

<p>If you have any specific questions about Middlebury, feel free to ask...</p>

4

<p>"This month i had an interview with the AO from University of Rochester. And he interestingly told me sth about rank of UR on USNEWS. He said he was too busy to deal with those questionare Usnews ranking sent him and he did not have enought info to answer those questions fully. Thus he could only judge from his experience and GUESSING about his school."</p>

<p>wow...</p>

<p>Middlebury is an amazing school, all around, it sounds like you like it alot, i'd say go, don't worry about its comparisons with the other liberal arts colleges, even if ranking matters they are all top five, so pick which one you like best, which obviously sounds like mid</p>

5

<p>thx all guys for all your info.
i love middlebury. i was worried about if there are enough facilities in such a small town where Middlebury is located. But your info relieved me.</p>

6

<p>Middlebury is a great school. Don't worry about how it compares to other schools - the second most important thing (after finding academics that you find acceptable) is how much you would actually enjoy being there. Great foreign languages.</p>

7

<p>My oldest D had her ED app in hand when she went for her second visit, on campus interview and overnight at Middlebury. Suffice it to say at the end of the visit, we persuaded her not to apply ED. THe on campus interviewer she had was in my husband's words "the coldest human being he had encountered" - coming from a sympathetic introvert. The girl she was supposed to be spending the night with was missing in action; the second girl who volunteered to let her stay in her room was puking in the bathroom from excessive drinking. A friend of the family took her in and was quite nice to her and she slept on his floor. D was able to intellectualize that if she went there she would select different friends, but the series of events left such a bad taste in our mouths, we really did not want her to apply ED. Now our second D is interested and we are trying to be neutral but we were left with concerns. I hope we were wrong. Maybe it was just a series of unfortunate events. D1 is very happy in a more urban small research university environment so it all worked out. Every student is different. There are no generalizations to be drawn from this; just our experience.</p>

8

<p>"THe on campus interviewer she had was in my husband's words "the coldest human being he had encountered" - coming from a sympathetic introvert."</p>

<p>hahaha</p>

<p>by the way, there are kids puking in the bathrooms at every school, especially the better ones ie: ivy league, northwestern (where i go to school), and the best liberal arts schools</p>

9

<p>its the best school in the world if u are looking at learning foreign languages</p>

<p>and
my uncle works at amherst</p>

<p>Head of the philosophy dept</p>

10

<p>How can any place be best at learning foreign languages? The best place to learn a foreign language is in that foreign country, and I don't think it takes a world class university program to teach somebody what every elementary school in any country can.</p>

11

<p>I kind of wonder the same whenever I see statements like Middlebury is renowned as a place for languages. What makes it better for learning languages (all languages?) than Bowdoin or Colby? I could see someone saying Dartmouth is well known for languages because of its unique Rassias learning method, but otherwise I don't get it.</p>

12

<p>The summer language program at Middlebury is highly regarded.</p>

<p>From the Middlebury College Website</p>

<p>Complete List of Language School Programs
Every summer for the past 92 years, Middlebury has created a unique linguistic environment, one that provides students with unlimited opportunities to speak their target language. Students in Middlebury's summer Language Schools use their target language exclusively—Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish—in classes, dining halls, dormitories, and co-curricular activities. </p>

<p>Middlebury's summer programs are the international standard for excellence in language instruction. Most students gain a year or more of college-level language learning in one intensive summer session. Five of our summer schools—French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish—also offer graduate programs, six weeks in length, leading to the Master of Arts or to Middlebury's unique Doctor of Modern Languages.</p>

13

<p>besides Midd's impressive language program, how about its economic major and psychology one?i am really eager to know</p>