Grinnell vs. Middlebury

M_s_Mom
Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:24:45 +0000

We visited both schools, and both are terrific, but in different ways.

I loved the town of Middlebury, Vt. - your picture perfect New England college town - tiny and jewel-like. I haven’t seen it in the fall, but I’m sure it’s gorgeous. And if you are a serious hiker or skier then Vermont has a lot more to offer than Iowa. Academically both schools are excellent, and both have great facilities overall.

However, to engage in some broad stereotyping, the cultures are different. Middlebury has a strong preppy constituency as well as a significant sports culture - a ‘smart jock’ orientation. (Our very non-preppy neighbor’s son at Middlebury notes that, despite his love of skiing, he is part of the minority.) There is a distinct ‘east coast feel’ as well: It’s evident in the slicker packaging, some very wealthy kids (it’s called ‘Club Midd’ for a reason), and because of competition from Amherst, Dartmouth and Williams, I suspect the admin can’t afford to be modest or low key. The typical Midd student has been described to us as a bit more conventional, pre-professional and less politically liberal (relatively speaking) than the students at Grinnell. For example, you’d see many more students at Middlebury looking for a Wall Street job than at Grinnell.

As described elsewhere, Grinnell is more ‘Midwestern.’ It’s unpretentious, understated, painfully modest even. They don’t particularly tout their amazing facilities, small classes compared to other LACs even for intro courses, exceptionally generous financial aid and the huge endowment that makes this and so many other little benefits (like free campus events) possible. From what we hear, the students are very laid back, friendly and supportive.

Grinnell is also a bit smaller and more close-knit than Middlebury - that has positives and negatives, which you can work out. Finally, I believe Middlebury is even more remote from urban life than Grinnell. Burlington and Albany are the two closest cities and they are both a considerable distance away on winding roads. Iowa City is about an hour from Grinnell - a straight shot on the freeway. Not that you will want to leave either campus - they both have too much going on.

These impressions are of course, highly subjective and you can’t really go wrong. But I would indeed take a close look at the cultures of the two, and pick what feels right to you.