Middlebury College Top Questions

I have found recently that the campus is becoming nerdier and nerdier, it seems that the President is focusing more and more on ranking among the other NESCAC schools. Middlebury used to have a reputation as the party school of the NESCACs, but not so much anymore. I wish we had more diversity. There are very few chocolate sprinkles in the vanilla milkshake that is Middlebury, although we do have a high contingency of internationals, but they keep to themselves. Lots of Northeasters, lots of athletes, leftist, clothing styles of all kinds, but predominantly hipster, preppy (bro), don't care, or european.

I had many days where I felt out of place at Middlebury. I think a lot of people did. There are so many different kinds of students, which means so many different ways that other people seem perfect. Most Midd kids had the good luck to be affluent, white and very priveleged. As disgusting as that sub-culture can be to me, I did everything I could to try to seem that, too. As priveleged and as well-educated. Enough money to stay hip. I would have left Middlebury in my first semester if it hadn't been for pride. I was unhappy and thought I didn't have friends. I missed the kind of people I'd gone to high school with. People whose worlds were suburbia, upper middle class, football, and boardgames. People at Midd were so different and I couldn't figure out how to connect. I know I would have left if I wouldn't have had to face my family and friends who I thought would judge me for quitting. My second semester was much better. I had friends and social events. Few people leave Middlebury, but I think more people feel out of place at one semester or another than would let on.

We're a small campus that wants to send a big message, so you'll obviously have the same press towards diversity as most other college campuses these days. Our diversity percentages are alright, but not phenomenal. A lot of our diversity is made up of international students studying abroad at Middlebury.

There is overall a very liberal but at the same time apathetic mood around campus. People hold lukewarm liberal views but I constantly hear people belittle other people's causes. Most Middlebury students are from the East coast or California, which is understandable, given its location and California's population. The international students often stick together regardless of which continent they are from. The dress is very, very casual, with most people wearing at various times a combination of sweats, fleece jackets, uggs, crocs, etc. Not that I'm complaining.

There are all kinds of kids here and lots of different social groups. That said, the majority of people are white, wealthy, slightly liberal, athletic, straight, from outside of Boston or New York, intelligent, active in the community, and good looking. Diversity of all kinds is on the rise but not where it should be. Socioeconomic diversity is also something that coul be mch better here. Students are, on the whole, not extremely politically aware or artistically inclined. Although there are many different kinds of people here, let's say a "diversity of personality", a lot of social groups intermingle and you get to know all kinds of people involved in all kinds of things.

i have interacted with many students of different race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status, and my experiences have been positive. there is very little hate on campus, and i think the only student who would be out of place would be closed-minded towards people who are different than he or she is. middlebury students are from all over the world: my freshman hall had 2 students from zimbabwe, 1 from lebanon, and the rest from all different states. students tend to be politically aware and, for the most part, socially and politically liberal. nobody talks about how much they will earn one day.

Upon first inspection, Middlebury's campus can seem extremely homogeneous, but the longer you're here, the more diversity you find.

Very active LGBT minority, to the complaint of some but the support of most. The majority of students probably come from an upper middle class lifestyle, though this is of course not universal, nor does it usually influence people's judgments of others (unless of course you fall into that whitebread, suburban prick who has had money stuffed into his pockets all his life and prefers to only socialize with students of like financial status, in which case there is a small clique for you too). Students are almost all left leaning, except for a small minority who have not yet realized the state the country is in after thirty years of dominantly Republican leadership. Diversity is small if you choose not to look for it, or is substantial if you choose to actively search it out. Those who stay in confined social molds wont find diversity, those who break out will.

The student body is not as diverse as it should be. Most students are white, from the east coast, especially new england and this creates a bit of tension between other students that are not from these places or part of that culture. There are definitely separate groups on campus that never mingle because they are so different. Most students are rich. Four tables of students would be 1. The Jock/Preppy Lacrosse players and their girlfriends 2. The more normal, students who are studious but also have fun 3. The nerds 4. The outdoor people/or more hippyish students.

Middlebury is getting more and more conservative (I don't know why) and there is a great deal of grouping that goes on. The stereotypes are prevalent but mostly harmless and people generally have the ability to transcend group divides. I feel bad for the gay community because it is so small....doesn't offer much variety really. Kids are fairly politically aware but generally apathetic. There is a small voice for action and awareness but it often gets shunned. Kids are too stressed out to add more strife to their lives and really just want to blow off steam by getting loaded instead of worrying about bigger issues.

Interesting, diverse people do exist, but we self segragate ourselves as a defensive mechanism against judgement and the administrations desire to squash us out.

I think students are pretty open minded, but that's also probably because those that aren't keep quiet because the general atmosphere condemns those who disagree. I think students are very driven to work here which is strange because I don't feel as though job pressure is as intense here as at many comparable schools. I think there are three groups that many students fall into: Hippies, Preppies, Jocks/Partiers. However, students intermingle and the boundaries are less clear cut. Perhaps because there are so few people, kids find it pretty easy to branch out without feeling social pressure to remain confined to one social group.

everyone gets along very well except for a select few groups who are too cool for everyone else. There are not many African-Americans here, and I mean that literally. I think there are more Africans than African-Americans. Most wear whatever is comfortable, some dress to impress (not Africans, students). Different types of students ABSOLUTELY interact. Some of my best friends are from Zimbabwe, Senegal, Poland, Afghanistan...and even WISCONSIN. One is the all accepting really nice, cool people. One might be the not-really-exclusive, but very intimidating sports team. One would be the people who need to eat really quickly so they can leave and do work and the other would be what we here like to call "The Desperate Housewives" - those girls who only go out with athletes, always where pearls and sweaters and are always made up (but even they are friendly once you get to know them). The real thing is you can't judge people by their cover. Middlebury doesn't generally let in jackasses, so take the time to get to know someone before you conclude that it's not worth it. The vast majority of students are from "just outside of Boston" which pretty much includes all or New England. Students are very politically aware and very politically LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT. I talk all the time about how I plan on making $10-15 my first few years out of school so I can travel.

The people here are varied and are very active in the things they love, making it a very cohesive and productive campus.

Most students talk about facebook and getting wasted and call each other "gay". Some people talk about cars. The majority of Middlebury college students are from right outside of Boston. There is a crew of international students who are pretty cool. Alot of them smoke cigarettes and American students are more or less repulsed by this. There are some politically active kids, but most of them focus on environmental activism. Students talk about money and how much they will earn, but I don't talk to those kids so I'm not really sure.

Most students are white, upper-middle class, so-so religious, and wear pretty nondescript clothing. I'm not a fan of nondescript clothing choices. I am not white, or upper-middle class, religious at all, and wear crazy things to class. I don't feel out of place at all. There are lots of different people on campus, a wonderful population of international students, and a general interest in diversity on campus. Obviously, there are cliques, but they're not set in stone. The school is too small to really close yourself off completely from people who are unlike you. And it would be so so boring if that happened. I wouldn't say there is any hostility between cliques, but it's impossible to be friends with everybody, so people either work off the conveniency factor, or are just selective.

Non-preppy kids might feel out of place. Most kids wear khakis, polos, rugby shirts, pearl earings, abercrombie basically. Different types of students interact but minimally. Four tables - preppy kids, internationals, outdoorsy kids, trendy. Most students are from the East Coast, and many are very well off. Most kids are probably center or moderate democrats or not politically active. Students definitely talk about how much money they want to make in the future.

There are many different vocal groups that sometimes get in your face. The LGBT community is one of them. There's always something being brought up that concerns them. I fully support what they are doing, but sometimes how vocal they are over shadows some of the other groups. Or maybe other groups just need to be louder. Who knows. There's two "camps" of what students wear to class. There are the casual kids who wear whatever- jeans, tshirts, sweatpants, pajamas - and then there are those who wear the real preppy looking style - polos, popped collars, that kind of shit. Most students are from the northeast (Just outside of Boston!) and come from a family that is well off. A lot went to private/boarding schools. Some students do talk about how much they will earn in the future. Students are at least politically aware and many are "active." Someone who would feel out of place is someone who maybe went to a poorer public school, dresses and thinks differently...that kind of thing.

It seems like all the international students are quite wealthy. Which is disturbing.

It's a very career oriented student body. Everyone seems to want to make as much money as possible instead of making money. It makes sense that the school would be that way considering how competitive it is to get in. Kids spent all there time in high school doing things in order to get into middlebury and therefore had no time to find out who they were or what their true interests or passions were. As an aftershock of such a competitive school, you get an enormous student body of incredibly motivated and bright individuals, who couldn't care less about anything besides good grades and partying.

The campus leans mostly to the left, though there is also a strong presence of Northeasterners (many recruits) that come from old money and conservative values. For the most part however, the largely liberal population, though usually white and privileged, is tolerant and even worldly. As an Asian attending Middlebury, I don't ever feel particularly singled out. Moreover, the international population is strong and tightly-knit, which provides what may normally be a "marginalized" population a community to bond around. However, the matter of the fact is, you will find assholes and bigots wherever you go, and Middlebury is no exception. I have heard the occasional juvenile racist or gay joke, but that is not to say that students are actually racist or homophobic. Truthfully, I find the majority of students very accepting and likable. Though not without its cliques, Middlebury seems to have a degree of social fluidity I have not seen at my high school. For example, I would call my hall floor - the Dungeon - a prime example of such diversity. We are the most ragtag, unlikely group of friends, including an obsessively-clean perfectionist, a juvenile delinquent, a Jewish New Yorker, a Chinese international, a Texan, an outdoorsy skier, a country-club-type lacrosse recruit, a worldly diplomat’s child, and a Vermont local. Middlebury's student body, though boasting a small politically active and dedicated population, on a whole can be characterized as politically apathetic. That is not to say, however, that the students are ignorant - on the contrary, most are well-informed, but as they are stuck in the idyllic Vermont bubble, they are simply unaffected by any of these issues.

A great variation at Midd. Recently, we have had more and more students coming from abroad, and they definitely tend to stick together. There are also a ton of kids that LOVE the outdoors and spend more time outside than inside. On the other hand, these are extremes, and there are a lot of upper middle class, run of the mill students who, again, 'work hard party hard'...Sorry, out of time...

Predominately left but not very politically active at all. Definitely groupings but not strict "cliques" in my experience. People are pretty laid-back and balanced overall.

no experiences, but middlebury is pretty accepting. It seems like everyone is rich, from a prep school. Mostly students from Mass, Conn., NY (Westchester county)

I never heard any Middlebury students worry about how much money they might make in the future. Middlebury can be a little clique-y, but not that bad. Like anywhere else, groups of like minded people form, and networks of friends develop. Interactions between these groups is pretty sociable. In general, Midd Kids are to the left of center, politically knowledgeable (but not overly active), and environmentally responsible.

Yes, there are many many preppy white rich kids. However, there is a large number of international students. And not all the white kids are preppy. There's an increasing population of arts-interested students--musicians, artists, actors--who bring culture to campus. Also, interest in outdoor activities transcends all stereotypes. If you go to Middlebury, odds are you like to hike, ski, camp or at least take long carrides into the sunset. Middlebury is expensive. You need money to go there. But it's evident mostly in students' hobbies, travels and vacation homes. People are mostly laid back, casual. It's hard to look cute when it's wicked cold out. I always surrounded myself with the artsy, funky types who loved theme parties and dressing up. Also, so many people have such a variety of interests, that groups frequently overlap.

There have been some homophobic incidents in the last year, but it is getting better. Next year there will even be a "Queer Studies House." In general, it's a very supportive community. Students are always friendly, although often very focused on their own work and nothing else, but generally they are very eager to help out. Many politicaly passive, but no different from our generation in general. Many focused on making lots of money in the future, but then again, many aren't, those who are are simply more vocal about it.

Who feels out of place at Middlebury? 1. People who wanted to go to the University of Virginia and have a big cookouts at football games and go to frat parties and pledge and live a life that Will Farrell would be proud of. 2. Anybody who grew up in an urban environment may have a tough time. Especially if you hate the outdoors. Movies are one hour away. World-class dining is an hour away, so we have more, hiking, meditating, writing, reading, cooking, thinking type of people. I also know urban dwellers who love Middlebury because it is at last a place with trees and none of that crap you get in many big cities. THere are four groups of students in the dining hall: 1. The tan girls who wish they went to Clemson. 2. Athletes who are great, white bread American kids who balance practice and academics perfectly, and are generally pretty boring. 3. Artsy kids: These are generally the richest kids in school and take the most time off to go to Brazil or South AMerica or China and do interpretive dance. They throw the best parties ever. 4. The rest of us: we wear hoodies, do activities, and have a breadth of friends in all groups. We are the clear majority.

Man, sometimes I feel so dumb for only having white friends. But they are all great people. I have conflicting feelings about groups that specifically aim to promote community amongst minorities, because that's exactly what they do. There aren't cliques, per se, but the same sorts of people do group together, and it's hard for someone who doesn't pertain to that minority group to overlap socially with them. Or maybe I'm just not trying hard enough. Okay, so four tables at Proctor, my favorite dining hall: 1) Girls. All have highlights, pearl earrings, cabled sweaters, but maybe sweatpants since they just came back from going to the gym together. They aren't necessarily prim and proper, but they are all really, really pretty and you recognize them from the matching Halloween costumes that they all wore together this fall. All twelve of them. 2) Nordic and/or alpine ski team/ski patrol. Mostly guys, a couple girls, dressed in fleece and Middlbury blue. They eat togther, train together, do homework together, date the same people. They are rugged, probably very charismatic, and definately having a good time. 3) Proctor Lounge. I will consider this as a table to itself, because it's actually divided up into booths and couches...wait, what am I saying, there is no more Proctor Lounge after this week. Nonetheless, the band of hippie/bohemian/activist/vintage-wearing/artsy-fartsy people have to migrate somewhere. Who knows where they'll end up. 4) Mixed bag. People sit together at tables. They run into people they know from class or someone they haven't seen in a while and they'll join them. There are people who eat fast, and people who stay for hours. There are even people who bring homework to the table. I saw, for the first time in years, a kid sitting by himself last night. But then a group of eight sat down and monopolized the table. I think he kept his iPod on.

Mostly cool with a few d-bags thrown in the mix for good measure.

Most kids are fairly liberal. There are a lot of Jewish people. A lot of Gay people. Some Black people. Some Asians. a fair amount of Indians. a large serving of white people. a fair amount of Africans. anybody who has a rougher way about them might feel out of place. The student body as a whole is incredibly diplomatic, sometimes to an annoying degree. there's an occasional date rape mystery an occasional mysterious epithet scrawled in the corner of a hallway. But the school is sure to mount a week long symposium about tolerance as a reaction. don't worry, these events are definitely optional.

Different students interact all the time -- especially internationals. we have an amazingly diverse international population.

There is diversity here, but it's not always easy to see. Most students are from New England, but like any school, there are tons of people from all over the world. Most people are from the upper class, but then again, one never truly knows here, which is really nice.

Most Middlebury students are upper-middle class. I'm on a lot of financial aid, and I've definitely felt weird at times dealing with money issues with my friends. But rich kids don’t ever flaunt their cash. Generally, you won’t be able to notice the inordinately wealthy students. Politically, I'd say 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are super liberal, 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are moderate, and the other 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are (semi-secretly) conservative. For the most part, students are tolerant of other students’ beliefs and political leanings. Racially, there are lots of international students, but not many African American students. I think African American students from larger cities tend to feel a bit out of place at Middlebury, despite the college's best efforts. The gay community, too, is a bit divided at Middlebury. MOQA, the most visible gay group on campus, isn't as prominent as some might like it to be - and a lot of gay students seem to shun MOQA for various reasons. On top of that, there's still rampant homophobia on campus. Most students are extremely tolerant, but a stupid minority will, without fail, knock over and rip apart any MOQA displays each year. That’s always really disappointing.

What are your experiences with different racial, cultural, LGBT, religious, socio- economic, international, etc. groups on campus? I’m gay, but never really participated in MOQA (Midd Open Queer Alliance). There were kind of two factions of gay kids on campus – the hipster, Mill-member, radio station gay kids, and the MOQA gay kids. I was a member of the former contingent. I did go to one MOQA meeting like the first week of Freshman year…but I never went back. Anyway, the gay community at Midd is weird. MOQA throws a drag ball that is sort of well attended, but if there were a Mill party the same night, I’d probably go there. MOQA also builds a closet every year for coming out week; every year it’s destroyed anonymously. Then the cycle repeats. It’s lame. There are more gay men than women on campus. I had a girlfriend for most of college; she never went to MOQA, either. How would you describe a typical [College] student? The stereotypes are kind of accurate when it comes to describing the majority of Midd kids. My friends are artistic, motivated, creative, smart, alternative, open-minded, funky, nerdy-cool, etc…but also predominantly white, rich-ish, and from the east or west coast. What kind of student would feel out of place? I mean, I felt kind of out of place – not because I felt excluded or lonely exactly; I had lots of friends and a great time, but…well, I’m a heavily tattooed Jewish lesbian from NYC, surrounded for the most part by preppy athletes from CT or “just outside of Boston.” If I wanted to “fit in,” I should have gone somewhere else. What do most students wear to class? It ranges from pastel and pearls to pajamas...I’d say the majority appear “neat” and “put-together,” but save the serious dressing up for weekends. Describe a typical conversation overheard on your campus. Is there a significant minority community at [College]? Eh, sort of. The Posse program is definitely visible and vocal, and there are a lot of international students. Do different types of students interact? Again, sort of. In class, definitely. Outside of class, it’s cliquey, but I think there’s a cool sort of overlapping between various “minority” groups – like, anyone who isn’t the typical J. Crew Midd kid, regardless of whether “minority” status is because of race or style of dress or whatever. [Which is of course not to render race and style of dress equivalent; it’s just a comment on the Midd community.] There are four tables of students in the cafeteria. Describe them. Really there are three cafeterias. Proctor is for alternative kids. Ross is for jocks and preps. Atwater is for the outdoorsy types. Where are most [College] students from? Right outside of Boston. What financial backgrounds are most prevalent? $$$$$. Are students active in campus politics? Not particularly. It’s sort of the same students over and over again. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a huge number of students gather for much of anything when it comes to politics. Where do most [College] students land on the political spectrum? Liberal, ish. But far from radical.