Can I be a Midd Kid?

FreeFree113
Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:10:45 +0000

I think “better” might be a poor choice of words. There are certainly some LACs that are more selective than Middlebury, but not many - Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Pomona are really the only four. While the USNWR rankings are fickle and quite reductionist, there are reasons why Middlebury was ranked #5 this year. These more selective LAC’s (and by more selective than Middlebury I’m not talking about a difference in selectivity say, between Princeton and George Washington University, but more like Princeton and Dartmouth), will not offer a higher quality in education-- once you are applying to LACs these selective, they are all very good at what they do. I think “fit” is the most important factor at this level.

At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I think I had a very good chance of admission at Swarthmore- I was a recruited athlete with a 2210 SAT, but I opted for Middlebury (applied ED) simply because I knew I would be happier there.

Also, if your passionate about languages, Middlebury is absolutely one of the best. Again, you have a great rank, solid scores, and decent ECs- I think you have a good shot, and you should definitely check out some other LACs- maybe some of the ones I already mentioned, and definitely Bowdoin. Middlebury will be much more difficult to get into next year, as it’s yield rate has skyrocketed. I’d say expect an admissions rate around around 20%, maybe even under, compared to this year’s 23%.