Middlebury College Top Questions

academics are for the most part really good work can be challenging depending on how much you put into it professors know your name chinese department is excellent there are intellectual conversations outside of class

The professors at Middlebury are great. The academics are demanding but manageable.

Chinese professors know my real name and my chinese name. Class participation is not only mandatory, it is mandatory.

Best thing academically: Ability to connect with professors outside of the academic context. At least this is true for Geography and Chinese depts. I see my professors often and know about their lives outside of the classroom.

academics are strong, but sometimes professors forget that students are human beings.

Just research the department you're interested. Seriously, don't choose a college, choose a department. I love Middlebury but the music program is really weak.

The work is tough and challenging, but the classes are usually small and the teachers are accessible. They definately care about their students and want to help them grow academically and intellectually, and in turn mentally.

Wonderful. Don't have a least favorite class. Profs are often personable, accessible, brilliant. Students are in general quite bright but not competitive. We don't know each other's grades nor do we care. My major is incredible because it is extremely interdepartmental and allows me a lot of independence. (Literary major.) I was looking for a liberal arts experience, a place to cultivate my mind, and I've definitely found it. There are some kids here who will graduate and make a lot of money. That is their goal. There are others who just love to learn. Others will try and save the world. In general, the underlying motives are mixed, but pretty much everyone is passionate about their education to some degree. I also appreciate the academic requirements--they have forced me to branch out in my interests.

i feel that many of the teachers here are not very welcoming. which is not to say that they won't put in time with you should you want, but rather it seems sometimes that they are doing their jobs and that's it. in my 3 years now, there are only 3 teachers with whom i still maintain a relationship. there was a fourth, but she was not granted tenure and since had to leave. most of the work that we are given seems more intended to keep us busy rather than to help inform us of any greater context. in fact, it is dealing with the greater context that middlebury seems weakest. many of the classes cram information in and then have you regurgitate it on papers and tests. there's very little self-reflection on the material until you get to higher courses (seminars or 300-level discussions). it feels at times like a very expensive high school.

The professors here are truly amazing! The work load is pretty rigorous. People work really hard here, but always manage to get their work finished and still have lots of fun on the weekends. I would like to think that all my conversations are intellectual outside the classroom. All of my friends are intelligent and we all feed off of each other. I like that.