Middlebury College
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Middlebury College - Comments and Student Experiences | |||||||||||||||||||
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The administration and CCAL (Center for Campus Activities and leadership) are slowly suppressing the last vestiges of a once vibrant Middlebury social scene. If you are at a small party, 60 people in a large house, public safety (some really nice people but largely made up of dissatisfied townspeople) will harass everyone they see, repeatedly demanding identification of everyone even if they know you are 21. If you respectfully criticize their methods in any way you run a solid risk of being put on probation through a very opaque judicial policy where the dean of the college can and will throw you under the bus.
If you are in a club or student organization CCAL will closely supervise and restrict you. Even if you have an approved budget they will interfere if you step out of line of their wishes. The worst part of this is the way they do it. They will smile to your face and say you are doing a great job while trying to cut your budget and digging around in your files to get you on probation. If that fails public safety will be told to keep a close eye on you as an individual and the organization as a whole.
In addition much of the econ department are ineffective teachers. The school, to its credit, is trying to force them out but as they have tenure they linger on in their inefficiency.
Quality of life, from food to student services has declined steadily in my three years here and in the past decade from everything I have heard. It has gotten to the point where I and many of my friends would transfer were it not difficult to do as a junior.
In a recently released poll taken by the college, satisfaction with social life was ranked a 2.5 out of 5 overall. I believe it to be even lower this year.
For those thinking about coming to Middlebury, I encourage you to still apply because it is still a beautiful place with a great reputation and a lot of opportunities. As a whole the professors are really helpful. Just know you will not have much fun and will face an administration, made up of very few middlebury graduates, that pursues its own agenda regardless of students needs and desires.As I am still a student and fear reprisal I am not going to give my contact email, hope you understand.
The pluses are clear: you did - and do - have the ability to start things, get things done and to go as far as you imagination and hard work will take you, in an environment that was super supportive. Where else could I have started a club team before classes started freshman year and finished writing at 50,000 word thesis on an arcane international relations topic?
You'll also appreciate the impact of the distribution requirements when you realise that you actually have a degree in after dinner conversations, because you will be much more broadly educated than your European peers.
The people are also genuinely great - and you really realise this after you leave; Midds are gregarious, bright, interesting and committed to the place in a way here in London that is commented on with a hint of jealousy by our friends from Williams, Amherst and the Ivys.
The negatives: it's in the middle of nowhere, and irrespective of how much you like snow, you'll be sick of it in mid-Feb. It's tiny and whilst this can be great, it can also be the loneliest place on earth at times. And unless you really want to work hard, you'll probably grow to loath it.But work hard, play hard, enjoy J-Term and four years will fly by: and it's great preparation for what comes next - work, grad school or whatever. Good luck and enjoy!
Middlebury's also really international- lots of kids from overseas, a curriculum that makes you take classes in each region of the world, strong languages and language schools, schools abroad, etc.
Gorgeous surroundings, friend of the Environment. Lots of buildings are made from recycled materials and Environmental Science is one of the most popular majors (interdisciplinary). Midd is in-between the Adirondack and Green Mountain ranges so there are a bunch of awesome outdoors opportunities- hiking, kayaking, ice climbing, etc. Midd also owns its own ski mountain so it's so cheap to go all winter long. Brand new lodge, separate cross country ski center and miles of trails.
People are great writers here. Doesn't matter if it is English or Science-based writing.
And contrary to what this site says, people are happy. Everyone I know would never be anywhere else.
Just take a visit. Regardless of what you think now, it will change your opinion for the better. You can't even understand Midd without seeing it first hand.
You can also take off a semester and start in February. Some of my friends did this and I kind of wish I did. You can travel, take classes, etc. before starting in Feb with your own orientation etc etc.
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