Middlebury College Top Questions

middlebury is building itself as a name in the field of liberal arts education. the current administration has a five-year plan to expand the college into an all-encompassing educational experience. this means that they are borrowing against the current students with promises of greatness in 5,10,15 years. there's a lot of distance between the students and the administration and the students often get left behind, even on relatively small points to which one would hope a college would be committed. there's a very strong desire, on the college's part, to have us subscribe to their philosophy and vision. should you not, it has become increasingly difficult to just to find spaces and people who are outside of it. in a sense, middlebury has forgotten about the atypical student and only caters to those that fit in its plan. the practical effects of which involve attempts to control college social life leading to an increasingly cliquey and divided campus as well as a general centralization process that has taken control out of the hands of many student-run organization and made it so that everything must be approved by governing bodies (wrmc, the radio station, has always been committed to bringing small, up-and-coming acts to campus for cheap, but this past year that was lost to a new larger concert committee to which wrmc sends delegates to, but has lost control of its funding.)

I came to Middlebury to get a small liberal arts education, and I wouldn't sacrifice that for anything. At times, though, the school gets a little claustrophobic and you feel like you know everybody on campus. Of course this isn't true, but I think lots of people wish Middlebury were at least a little bit larger at times. It's nearly impossible to be anonymous here.

Middlebury has lots of money. It seeps into everything; we have beautiful facilities, great food and more technology than one could shake a stick at, but all this luxury means a heavy-handed administration. First years are infantilized, seniors are frustrated. That said, the abundance of funds means Middlebury students can do almost anything they want - need a plane ticket to Ireland? Apply to the special flex fund! In my four years here, I've seen the campus grow and the college's name rise higher and higher in the rankings. I've also seen much of what attracted me to Middlebury be methodically swept under the rug as the majority of students settle into the many comforts of the Middlebury lifestyle while falling short of perhaps reaching their full academic and extra-cirricular potential. But I love this place. I've found a group of people I'm incredibly fond of and have had some of the best times of my life here.

Middlebury needs to get rid of the Commons system. It makes a small college even smaller. Athletic facilities are incredible, and the food is better than most. Social scene is lacking some sparkle. If you like the outdoors, Vermont is friggin beautiful, and cold. Skiing is fun. Liebowitz Day, the day we celebrate our esteemed president of the college is a hilarious tradition started two years ago.

Overall, despite how many different kinds of intelligent people go to Middlebury, there was always a sense of a smaller community within that of active and interested people. People always wonder how I got all the way across the country to a small school in Vermont. Either they've heard of it and are properly impressed or they are completely clueless and think I'm crazy for moving away from Football U. Middlebury students are driven, but despite the myriad of things people could choose to be up in arms and active about these days, it was always crazy to me how impassioned students got about the littlest things. "Stop the Lockdown" had people angry. How DARE they lock doors during the day and keep us safe? And "Save Proctor." Now I love Proctor dining hall as much as the next guy, but I think pouring your energy into keeping an old, dirty, but amazing dining hall open, is extremist in the way only Midd kids tend to be. What is immediately important, right in front of my face, affecting my day to day life? That, I'll fight tooth and nail for. Anyone who remembers the New Logo debaucle summer of '08 will see it. It's that stupidly strange power, that we hope will later be harnesed for good in the world, that makes Middlebury unpredictable.

It's hard to get bored at Middlebury. There's always a plethora of activities each weekend sponsored by MCAB (Middlebury College Activities Board), and parties to go around. The school itself isn't very big, and at times it can feel like you know everyone on campus, which can be a problem over the weekends when there isn't an abundant city life. The town of Middlebury is very much a college town, but not in the regular sense. The community and school are very involved in projects (Relay for Life comes to mind) but the town itself does not lend itself to a 'party' life. There are only two bars within walking distance.

I think Middlebury is the right size, the professor are excellent, the students are sometimes very irritating but overall there are much more interesting people here than at my high school. I wouldn't think about transferring. Almost everybody complains about the social scene, even if they are two completely different people they will still complain, but I think its alright. The town is tiny and there is not many places to go, but when is the next time that you will be surrounded by so many other people of the same age? The administration seem a little conservative and obsessed with raising money but not more so than other colleges.

Middlebury's beautiful Vermont location help to set an amazing environment for the school. The natural surroundings are gorgeous and provide a lot of things to do that are not necessarily apparent. No there's no mall, and yes the movie theatre downtown sucks--but that's not what this school is about. If you are someone who is creative, enjoys doing things off the beaten path (often quite literally), and don't need every minute of your "social time" to be planned out for you with the usual dances, movie nights, and whatnot (all of which Middlebury has as well), then you will do well here. Middlebury is well respected and becoming more so all the time. It has a reputation for excellent language programs (although they are far from the best departments) and its connection with the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and School of English are strong and help bring a lot of interesting speakers and professors to campus. The people here are phenomenal, the teachers are (on the whole) engaging and highly highly intelligent, and the quality of life is off the charts.

the best thing about middlebury is the campus. the campus is a beautiful place to spend 4 years, but if i could change anything i would make the winters shorter. unfortunately, that's not possible. for me, the school is just the right size. people's first reaction when I say I go to middlebury tends to be, "where is that?" I spend most of my time on campus in friends' rooms or my room. i go into town very rarely, maybe twice a month tops, and that's really only if i need to do something extremely important like get a haircut. there's a pretty good amount of school pride, and nothing is really unusual about middlebury. students often complain about the workload and the weather.

Middlebury is a small academic community of hyper-motivated entitled individuals. Town is dreary.

Good food, good people, great professors, bad weather.

Apart from the one bar downtown and a few nice places to eat, there is not a whole lot going on off the campus. this is unless you like to ski/snowboard, in which case there is access to probably some of the best conditions in the east. Campus safety is a total bitch, unless you realize they effectively have no control over the student body, in which case you can happily go about your late night revelry with next to no worries. Assuming you do not a)start a fight or b)vandalize property or c)engage in public displays of fornication or d) habitually smoke crack rocks you will have no problems. citations are given out infrequently and on a wholly arbitrary basis. your room will never be searched for contraband. citations, when they are given out, do not really result in any severe punishments, unless you are afraid of mama finding out back home (in which case you must given three citations before a letter is sent home). The dubie j is smoked in abundance, though not to the extent that it is a novelty for those who choose to abstain. Other drugs are noticeably absent.

Best thing: strong academics and the vast opportunities available for students. The reputation of the college. The feeling of community because of the small student body. I feel like I know many people and am comfortable around school. The town is not too exciting so most activities happen on campus. Most teachers are up to what I had imagined they would be while there are some teachers that do not make the cut in my opinion. There is a wide variety of the type of teachers as well. I think that there is not as much of a strong teacher-student relationship as the school says there is. School pride is definitely a strong presence just because we are such a small campus. The most complaints are about housing, food and tuition. The tuition seems to be getting more and more while the students don't see where any of that money is going and how it is benefitting them. We have a lack of housing because of all the students we accept.

The best thing about Middlebury is the people though they often pigeon hole themselves. The people are smart and interesting to talk to once they get over their group identity. People often don't know what Middlebury is or they react with an "oh...thats a good school." The place is so high stress though and I think it is self perpetuating in that professors and kids alike think that if they are not constantly doing something than they aren't fulfilling their college experience. This leads profs. to load on preposterous amounts of work and leads kids to really not be very good people, just cause they're so busy. People tend to fall by the wayside and you end up not treating your friends as well as you'd like.

The Administration is evil. In my mind they really enjoy this stereotype and are continuing to cultivate students and frames of mind that are white collar. They put all of their funding, improvements and efforts into majors that have economic returns to the school. They literally don't care about the Studio Art Department and many of the other small artsy/odd majors. Furthermore, by keeping tuition so high they are discriminating against lower incomes. They believe that once you have money it will be easier to make more and in turn donate back to the school. Middlebury administration pretends to love diversity but in reality they don't. They would rather have us all be prep-school kids then artists.

I think Middlebury is about the right size, but I think it is growing and I think that is a bad thing. When I tell people I go to Middlebury, the reaction varies. I'm from Atlanta, and down there, people often say, "Where's that?" I spend most of my time on campus. However, Public Safety seems to be playing an increasing role around campus, and I think off campus parties are becoming more common. I think the administration as Middlebury is too focused on rankings. I don't like the way they manage the budget. Some spending seems so frivolous, but at the same time, they cannot seem to afford to buy juice for dinner.

The best thing about Midd is how smart they professors are and how they balance that with accessibility. They are almost all brilliant (whether the class is enjoyable or not) and the vast majority of them are incredibly approachable. The one thing I would change is this whole thing where we're trying to become an Ivy League school by spending exorbitant amounts of money of relatively useless things and making it incredibly difficult. I also don't like how they raise tuition in order to make changes that the current students will never EVER get to see until after they've graduated. For me, the size is just right (I came from a really small high school). Most people say, "Middlebury? Where's that?" And some say, "MIDDLEBURY! Wow, where's that again?" Spend most of my time in Bi-Hall (the science building). There is a small town, but it is NOT a college town...just a nice little town. Administration is kind of annoying because it seems as if they're only changing things that I'm already happy with. Nick Garza disappearing is the biggest controversy here. The whole "J-Term" idea is pretty unique (where you take one course intensively throughout January) and the "Feb" system is unusual (where you enter school in February after spending a few months doing what you want (those few months were probably the most important in my life). My first party is something I'll always remember...epic night of great people being really welcoming and friendly. The most common complaint is DEFINITELY workload without question.

Middlebury's school size is just right. Everyday you will see someone out and about that you know and someone that you don't know. You know people but everyone doesn't know you. The Middlebury community makes a great and safe environment for all the students that come to college here. They want to be a part of the college and help out in many ways. Fall is the best time of year here. Late spring is the next best. But coming right out of winter (aka mud season) is not so great. Luckily it's not that long.

Middlebury is in Vermont which is the primary reason I love it. Its small, its a close community, its in a small town. I spend most of my time in Proctor where the radio station and my favorite dining are. When I tell people I go to Middlebury they are surprised, because they think its pretty preppy and conservative. There has been a freshman missing since February and no one has been able to find him. I'd say thats pretty controversial. I will always remember when I threw water balloons off the indoor balcony of the science building.

Middlebury is a great sized school. Everywhere you go, you will know someone, but it is totally possible to dip your toes in a lot of different social circles. You can also go for weeks without running into someone. The weather here, unless you're a skiier, is not fun at all. But the cold really makes indoor get-togethers inviting, and doesn't really prevent you from getting anywhere you need to be. However, it does suck to walk to early classes during snowstorms. When the weather is nice at Midd, though, everyone frolics outside in their pretty bright clothing. We really appreciate warm sunniness. People all of a sudden get way more attractive. The best thing about Middlebury is it's student body. I've made friendships that I know will last well out of college. The language and theatre programs here are well-reputed, challenging and amazing. No language program in the country can compare to Midd's summer school. It's also a beautiful campus. Even when your teeth are chattering, at least your surroundings are picturesque. The disappearance of Nicholas Garza this winter has caused a lot of unrest on campus. The fact that we still know nothing about what happened to him is frightening. But I truly believe that every student on campus still feels safe. It's important, on any campus, to remember to look out for yourself and others. Safety in numbers.