Middlebury College Top Questions

Middlebury has extermely good academic programs. THe professors are all very willing to help and to get to know their students, and that's helped by the small community. The requirements assure that everyone gets a good liberal arts education while still having a lot of control over what you study. People are generally genuinely interested in what they are studying although there are those students who complain about the amount of work they have to do.

Classes are small. Usually 15-30 kids, but Intro Psych has like 50 or 60 and seminars can have less than 10. Professors are usually easy to talk to and they'll know your name if you talk in class. The amount that people study is completely personal. I went to a public IB high school and feel like I have way way less work. Other people show up from an easy high school and freak out. Work is usually a bunch of reading every night and a couple of big tests and or papers per semester. If you obsessively read everything assigned you will live in the library and get A's. If you skim the readings and pay attention in class you may do an hour a day and get B's. But it all depends on what you are good at. Middlebury students consider grades to be very private and do not compare or compete. I have no idea what kind of grades my best friends get, which is preferable, I think to the cutthroat environment of my high school or shudder..... Williams.

Great professors, interesting subjects, motivated students, not exactly leading to a job or specialty but hey its liberal arts

All of my professors know my name. My favorite class was my freshmen seminar "The Art and Life of Winslow Homer," because the class and professor bonded incredibly well. The students from that class have expanded it into a 500-level project to design and execute an art exhibit of Civil War art and imagery. Class participation is very common. Most Middlebury students have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students are not competitive with each other, but hold themselves to high standards. The Winslow Homer class was my most unique, because of what it has transformed into. I am a Geography major, and I find that every professor and student in this department has a different and fascinating way of looking at and thinking about the world. I have lunch with the Geography professors once a week, and stop by my history teacher's office all the time. Middlebury's academic requirements are reasonable and not difficult to fulfill. Education here is geared towards learning for its own sake.

The profs are mostly great. The academics are fun because of the liberty we can take with the assignments. Most professors allow free thought and bolster ideas instead of brainwashing students. Students are very competitive and that's a good (i won't say great) aspect of classes. Learning does not only occur from reading and discussion but also from the presentations we do and with the great media resources of the college and the smart classrooms there is a lot one can do. For example last j-term. i know it was a j-term course but it still counts. i was in a class which received a lot of money to buy contemporary video and photography. and we went to galleries and learned how things worked and researched contemporary artists. and by the end of it i had real world experience in photography and video art and received a history of contemporary art at the same time.

TALK TO YOUR PROFESSORS outside of class, the teachers here are amazing and they waiting for you to barge in their office and shoot the breeze. Mostly everybody here loves their classes, even though this place is small it has a department and a professor for whatever you are interest in (ie Geography). But everybody does talk about school a little but much. Be prepared to work, classes are challenging.

Middlebury is also an environment where I have never been put off or overwhelmed by a sense of animosity stemming from academic competition. Students are willing to help each other and enjoy the class room experience, enjoy being challenged critically, and expect thoughtful classroom interaction with their peers. Basic fact recitation tests that were standard procedure in High schools are almost scoffed at as students expect more from their teachers, as well. Students are also very aware of the cost of the school, which makes the student body even less lenient towards sub par teachers. I am also on a first name basis with the majority of my teachers. A situation so foreign to me that I am sometimes corrected when I revert and address a few as "professor __." I frequently attend my teacher's office hours where many, especially my current Chinese teacher, have taken hours out of their day to discuss my personal life and other matters none related to class. There is a fair amount of learning for its own sake on this campus. That learning environment is only available to the student, not imposed upon the student by stringent academic requirements. A student is free to explore as abstract an applied science as the student chooses, but one can also ground their learning in core classes.

Dont even start. I live in the library. Is it like that for everyone or just me? Students should have the option to do just independent studies, or like two classes and two independent studies. I have to say though - some of the professors are exceptional, both in and outside the classroom

Academics are great. If you put enough effort and study a lot, you learn a lot. Because of the rogorous academic calender and ridiculous deadlines, students are forced to do this. Students are very competitive and strive for the best grades, because they are future-oriented. There is a mix between learning for its own sake (classes outside your major) and preparation for a job (major, stress on internships etc.). Most professors are very eager to teach you something and to share knowledge beyond the classroom

Professors always know your name. Even if you suck. My favorite class was a Shakespeare class taught by Timothy Billings. He speeds through is interesting lectures, takes a break halfway through because he knows we need energy, and signs his emails "Cheers! Timothy." My major is theatre and it's fabulous. We call them by their first names, they'd give us an hour of their time for monologue work or anything at any time of the day or week. They come in at 11 pm to watch a directing rehearsal, they party with us, we all love each other. And it's smart theatre. I'm so glad I didn't go to a conservatory. Because the quality of productions here is better and more intellectual. Middlebury can be used to get a great job, and many econ majors go that route. But many people are just in it for learning's sake. It depends on the student.