Middlebury College Top Questions

Midd has a very personal academic environment, with extremely high expectations

Professors know everyone's name, even in lectures. But this isn't so hard, since "lectures" here are usually around forty to fifty students, although some intro courses can reach 100. Class sizes are generally closer to twenty-five, and they get smaller the higher the level. Participation is common, although this is often because grades depend on it, and the comments that ensure are sometimes less than worthy. There are usually some people who talk a lot, some who talk occasionally, and some who you forget are there. Middlebury professors are by and large very intelligent people with a lot to teach. Although there are plenty of mediocre ones to avoid, few actually have the reputation of being bad, and there are many who you'll hear "You just HAVE to take a class with _____!!!!" about. Professors are usually quite friendly, and close bonds sometimes form between professors and students, but only if the student makes an effort. But many do, and there are plenty of people who have babysat for their teachers or whatever. You don't even have to be in a class with a professor to make this happen -- I've gotten on great terms with two whose classes I couldn't get into but who I went to visit during office hours anyway. Middlebury students study way too much. I mean, they study as much as they have to. Which is a ton, the workload here is really insane. The immense amount of work makes it hard to actually learn, because in order to do all the reading, you've got to skim and rush through it all. "Stressed" is everyone's default state during the week. Adding to all this is the fact that B's are common, but professors are miserly with their A-'s and especially A's. The golden GPA's we all got in high school are a thing of the past. Grades aren't a talking point though, and students are very collaborative, rather than competitive. Middlebury has an honor code that we all take very seriously (I hope), which really fosters a comfortable academic environment. Middlebury has a fair amount of distribution requirements, but they're very flexible -- you even get to pick one subject you don't have to take a class in if you don't want to, as long as you fill the other requirements. The requirements can be pesky if you worry about them, but most seem to fill them just by taking courses that seem interesting to them. The education at Middlebury is geared towards learning for its own sake -- only Econ majors seem to talk a lot about jobs. That is, until senior year when everyone starts freaking out about how useless a liberal arts education is in the job market. Can't wait! Intellectual conversations are not common, last night and this weekend are more important to many. Some people have intellectual conversations frequently, but this is an elusive group. Find them. Go to Weybridge for dinner.

Complaining about how much work one has is in vogue with some, but even though the workload can be sizable it is ALWAYS doable. Professors here are exceptional: brilliant, interested in the lives of their students, and helpful (on average). Our reputation as arguably the best school in the country for foreign languages is completely deserved. I've taken courses in Spanish and German, and plan on adding more.

The academics here at Middlebury are top notch but the workload can be crushing. I have not experienced any academic competitiveness. Most people cut their teeth in the fall and spring academically, and live for J Term (The one class term in January) because it is much more laid back. I have liked every teacher thus far and each one was enthusiastic and passionate about his/her field of study. If you are ready to work your tail off, you will do fine.

Academics are challenging but rewarding. My major (English) is well-designed and the professors are great. Class participation is common- people love to do the reading and show off what they learned or are thinking about.

Professors will (usually) know your name really soon. Classes are great, and kids very frequently continue their class discussions throughout the day, outside the classroom. Kids do a TON of work. It's relatively hard to escape. There is always some work you can be doing, catching up on, or if you even can, get ahead. Students aren't terribly competitive- mostly with themselves. Kids here strive to do well for themselves, not to beat one another at anything.

Professors are great about knowing names. My favorite class ever was Anthropological Theory, required for the major. I was dreading it, but Prof. Sheridan is amazingly personable and highly intelligent. He's great at applying theory to life, and like many of the Anthro teachers, he insists you call him Mike. Students are competitive with themselves, unless you're in the econ dept. (I sort of dated an econ guy for a while and have some econ major friends if you're wondering where I get my information) These kids are highly stressed out because they're all interning for Goldman or Lehman or someone. as for everyone else: the lack of competition is something i absolutely love about middlebury.

Students and professors can have as close of a relationship as you. Studying is quite variable...for most students, it comes in spurts. Very intense spurts. But some take it a little seriously and spend all day in the library. Intellectual conversations come up, depending on the crowd. Sometimes its a little intense. Competition is pretty rare, but then again I'm not in a very competitive major. Philosophy is good, at times. Some of it is pretty grating. But the good stuff makes it worthwhile. Middlebury's academic requirements are pretty easy to fulfill. They're not rally a problem.

Classes at Middlebury are generally a lot of work. And it often pays off. In my experience, I have found that I only have time to get really involved in a one or two of my classes per semester and I learn from my other classes, but I don't have the time to get everything I would have wanted out of them. Also, it is very important to plan your schedule carefully: don't take all reading intensive classes, don't take all Lab classes. The Professors are universally nice people and are approachable. They are at a school like Middlebury to teach and interact with you, not to do research. Also academics at Middlebury offer you freedom. If you want you can chose to be very career oriented, or you can learn for the sake of learning. It's really up to you.

I feel like all of my professors learned my name very quickly; however I do feel that advising is not has helpful as it might be- navigating majors and steps you need to take early in college is daunting for a new freshman and I wish I had more support.