<p>pointoforder–
Your point is well taken. And I understand that you’re simply offering your own assessment of each college’s comparative strengths and weaknesses. I disagree with your opinion, however, that Middlebury is in a different tier. In fact, you’re more likely to hear Middlebury grouped with Amherst, Williams, and Swarthmore than you are Haverford. By nearly all metrics, Middlebury’s student body is as qualified as Haverford’s. Metrics don’t tell the whole story, but they are the only standardized empirical qualifiers that we have.</p>
<p>Nearly all published rankings place Middlebury ahead of Haverford (sometimes by a comfortable margin). Haverford does beat Middlebury when it comes to the percentage of graduates who go on to get PhDs. But it’s worthwhile noting that just as many Middlebury grads get doctorates as Haverford grads, the main difference being that Middlebury is more than twice the size of Haverford.</p>
<p>We do agree on at least one thing–that the schools mentioned are among the best in the world.</p>