Middlebury College Top Questions

yes

I think for the most part they are. There are a lot of really rich, white, suburban kids and sometimes it doesn't feel like a very diverse school. In a lot of ways it seems like a very elitist institution and a lot of kids have complexes and feel like they're the best thing since sliced bread because they go to one of the top liberal arts schools in the country.

Well, Middlebury is a school full of white kids, yes. You can't deny that. Our skin is white, but that's no different than going to a school in the part of the country that is predominantly black and exclaiming, "Wow, how diverse this school is!" Vermont is a state that lends itself to historically "rich white people" activities: Golf, Skiing. The school isn't the problem, the problem is the stigma surrounding these activities. Another thing: how base is it to look at someone's skin color and make a judgement about them? How racist is that? If I have black skin what does that mean? I had a harder life? I'm poorer? I'm better at basketball? I like hip hop music? If I have white skin that means that I like classical music and live in a four story townhouse and love skiing. These are obvious exaggerations but the norms carefully surrounding the "Middlebury's a white school," stereotype that gets thrown around a lot. Without African American students, that must mean that no one knows anything about urban life, hip hop culture, parents who struggle to make ends meet, the outside world, etc etc. You know, you can ski, listen to hip hop and talk about the problems in Gaza all in the same day. Many students may appear white skinned but are from Europe, the midwest, the deep south, Canada, Mexico, Asia. They have lived and studied abroad. Middlebury students are profoundly diverse in terms of experiences and lives, even though their skin color and clothes may look the same. So, what I mean is, the sterotype is not accurate.

Yes. Almost everyone I've met overlaps into a minimum of 5 of the abovementioned categories. Minimum.

the campus is very homogenous- there is not a lot of diversity. but not everyone is as rich and preppy as I think the stereotype portrays.

Pretty much.

Yes

Yes, there are a lot of really well rounded and driven personalities. There are a lot of people from outside Boston and the New England area, but not all of 'em. I'm from Kentucky for instance. You don't see much Georgia though. There are "poor" kids who go to Midd. I'm Middle Class. Midd has a pretty solid financial aid package.

The truth is ? we have a really diverse student body with a diverse group of interests. Best of all, we all get along really well with each other.

there are definitely our share of preppy new englanders, but it's an incredibly diverse student body, i think -- especially for a liberal arts college. we do drink a lot. the town is small - but cute.