Middlebury College Top Questions

For a large portion of the school, yes. Unfortuneately the other half of the school does not fit this criteria and are labeled accordingly.

I think it is way preppier than I would have guessed before coming here.

There are a lot of "bros" There are some snoody rich people, but they don't dominate at all. You just avoid them and enjoy the company of all the incredibly friendly people from around the world. Not at all true. They just got Bi-Hall, the new science building and they have some of the most amazing, extravagant (I'm not sure if I spelled that right) equipment and awesome professors to go along with it (and an awesome observatory which is great up in VT where there are no real outside light sources). It is sooooo hard. There's so much work it's nuts.

No, not at all.

Yes.

Yes and no. Some kids work hard, some play hard, a lot do both. Not everyone is outdoorsy, but there is a large contingent of patagonia-donned granola-eating forest people. Midd kids are generally the kinds of people that like to be good at everything they do, so there is a lot of competition; like who can get the best grades while participating in extra-curriculars, while partying hearty, while working out every day, while still appearing totally relaxed. There are a lot of "preps" at Middlebury, but also a camel-smoking, mismatched-vintage clothed hipster counter culture. It's actually a pretty diverse school in a lot of ways.

yes

I think so. I personally don't fit the rich preppy white kids one. I do care about the environment, but I'm not an environmentalist. Who knows if I'll stick with my "beliefs" after college.

There's a reason they exist, but it's not overwhelming.

for the most part.

To a degree. Actual, complete MiddKids do not make up a very major portion of the student body. MiddKid should be considered more of an adjective, as opposed to a noun; that is, most students possess a few MiddKid qualities, or engage in some MiddKid activities.

For a huge amount of students, yes. I'm continually shocked and resentful at the kinds of kids Middlebury accepts into its ranks. I'm always thinking, How the hell did you get in here? Are your parents connected? Do they donate tens of thousands of dollars? Are you a secret genius, hiding beneath your Polo shirts and spring break tan? I keep thinking, This whole application process is a fucking hoax. It's not a meritocracy.

(see above)

To some extent, though not overwhelmingly or to the extent that it's annoying

yes, recruits get help in admissions

yes

Yes and no -- Middlebury IS filled with rich, white kids, but tons of interesting others as well. In the end, nearly everyone is smart and well-intentioned. That's what matters, right?

see above

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.

Honestly, yes for a large part of the student body.

yes

I think for the most part they are. There are a lot of really rich, white, suburban kids and sometimes it doesn't feel like a very diverse school. In a lot of ways it seems like a very elitist institution and a lot of kids have complexes and feel like they're the best thing since sliced bread because they go to one of the top liberal arts schools in the country.

Well, Middlebury is a school full of white kids, yes. You can't deny that. Our skin is white, but that's no different than going to a school in the part of the country that is predominantly black and exclaiming, "Wow, how diverse this school is!" Vermont is a state that lends itself to historically "rich white people" activities: Golf, Skiing. The school isn't the problem, the problem is the stigma surrounding these activities. Another thing: how base is it to look at someone's skin color and make a judgement about them? How racist is that? If I have black skin what does that mean? I had a harder life? I'm poorer? I'm better at basketball? I like hip hop music? If I have white skin that means that I like classical music and live in a four story townhouse and love skiing. These are obvious exaggerations but the norms carefully surrounding the "Middlebury's a white school," stereotype that gets thrown around a lot. Without African American students, that must mean that no one knows anything about urban life, hip hop culture, parents who struggle to make ends meet, the outside world, etc etc. You know, you can ski, listen to hip hop and talk about the problems in Gaza all in the same day. Many students may appear white skinned but are from Europe, the midwest, the deep south, Canada, Mexico, Asia. They have lived and studied abroad. Middlebury students are profoundly diverse in terms of experiences and lives, even though their skin color and clothes may look the same. So, what I mean is, the sterotype is not accurate.

Yes. Almost everyone I've met overlaps into a minimum of 5 of the abovementioned categories. Minimum.

the campus is very homogenous- there is not a lot of diversity. but not everyone is as rich and preppy as I think the stereotype portrays.

Pretty much.

Yes

Yes, there are a lot of really well rounded and driven personalities. There are a lot of people from outside Boston and the New England area, but not all of 'em. I'm from Kentucky for instance. You don't see much Georgia though. There are "poor" kids who go to Midd. I'm Middle Class. Midd has a pretty solid financial aid package.

The truth is ? we have a really diverse student body with a diverse group of interests. Best of all, we all get along really well with each other.

there are definitely our share of preppy new englanders, but it's an incredibly diverse student body, i think -- especially for a liberal arts college. we do drink a lot. the town is small - but cute.

It depends upon the person.

I think the international diversity at Middlebury is impressive. Basically ? the school is split in half between the jock contingent and the hippie contingent, but most people can be found somewhere in between. This makes for a seemingly homogenous student body at first glance. Though, like most schools, a closer look does reveal a variety of people with unique interests, upbringings, political views, etc?

Semi. All my funky friends may not have gone to boarding school or regularly shop at J. Crew, but they are for the most part white and rich etc.