There is your answer! Congrats!!! Don’t look back and second guess yourself, and have a fabulous 4 years!
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Sure, I was young and idealistic once too.
No, it isn’t. Lots of folks buy vacation homes in Vermont–especially if they are active snow boarders/skiers.
Full pay for an LAC is borderline ridiculous when one has an opportunity to attend a major National University at less than half the cost.
FWIW I am an LAC graduate. The smallness & lack of social & academic options was not for me. I got through it by studying abroad as frequently as permitted.
Invest the $200,000 wisely & you will never have any regrets. Due to the rapid advances in AI, the job you see today,may not be there tomorrow.
P.S. Please understand that the most vocal LAC supporters on this thread had kids who attended an LAC for free or at a substantial discount. Unless you come from significant family wealth, full-pay for an LAC is not advised. (I was full pay at an LAC, but then COA at any college was really just a checkbook affair without a second thought. Today’s environment is quite different. Invest wisely & cautiously.)
Broadly speaking , the happiest kids at an LAC are athletes and those who enjoy cliques (athletic or otherwise).
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I think you can rest easy. The college is not in decline, at all. Really, we mean it 
Edit: @Publisher Respectfully, I will disagree. Several people on this thread were full pay at LACs. I can’t speak for everyone, but my family feels it was worth it. I also disagree 100% that kids who enjoy LACs are athletes or in cliques. My kid was not in either of those groups.
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Thanks for the different perspective, I really appreciate it. What you said makes sense. From my perspective, I just really don’t want to major in business and prefer to have a more general education with more academic freedom. On the other hand, aren’t “practical” majors like business, finance, accounting etc more easily replaced by AI? Liberal arts, while less practical, seem to be more timeless, and it’s not like I’m majoring in gender studies or anything. If AI is that big of a disruption, index funds also might no longer be a safe investment, and the best I can do to future proof myself, other than having 200k in savings, is to equip myself with the best general education and become a more well rounded person. Maybe this is just my mental gymnastics to justify my decision lol. I might also be glorifying LACs a bit, but I truly believe I fit in with both aspects of Middlebury, the outdoorsy/preppy crowd, and the more intellectual and academic culture.
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You have many that want pre professional degrees - like business.
Then you have others that want you to learn to read, write and think critically. That can happen at an PAC or state school - which all have Colleges of A&S. Business will be more “doing” and less theory. Which is better depends on the desire of the student.
You seem to prefer the latter. Btw the I Banks seem to choose various majors and not just economics. Classics, Art History and more also seem to get hired.
Your logic was sound to begin with. Midd is still Midd, whatever that meant to you.
OP - it seems to me that you’ve already made your choice and have committed to Midd, and just wanted some reassurance the school is not in decline. Rest assured that Midd is super well respected and going strong. Your parents obviously are fine paying for your education.
Big state schools aren’t for everyone and you know yourself better than anyone here!
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Cost for UT: $38K/year
Cost for Midd: $98k/year
paying sticker price for both
I definitely get what you’re saying, however if we’re purely talking about career placement, Middlebury has a much higher per capita placement rate into high finance roles, especially on the East Coast. However I do understand that many at Midd are nepo or athlete so it might not be as great as the numbers say, but I don’t think it’ll hold me down at all compared to UT McCombs, which based on what I’ve heard, is significantly more sweaty. I can’t post links but I read the article on College Transitions on Wall Street Placement based on LinkedIn data. UT might have a higher ROI but I don’t think career outcomes will be better at UT if you already know you want to do finance when matriculating
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It seems OP must need assurance that Middlebury is not in decline mode, which it is solved soundly. Also OP did not mention UT Austin admission.
It seems the admission work from Northeastern is working.
I may still be puzzled by how Northeastern becomes super selective. It may be the only school showed about 38% admission rate from our high school and has a 5% rate nation wide. I did not see another super selective school behaves like this.
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Midd is currently aboot $95k - there will be inflation. Most there pay full - a lot of wealth.
They are including $1k for travel, $1k for books, and &1k for transport in those #s I’m guessing transport will be more can’t speak to the other two but you might be inclined to venture off campus with others (or not). But if you’re spending that much already, the rest are rounding errors.
And yes you will see annual hikes.
But your family is ok with this.so why aren’t you ?
Because the family has offered the difference (or at least $200,000) to her as a cash gift.
I saw that - but the OP addressed that earlier.
You may think they’re nuts - and i’m sort of in agreement but OP thinks it’s the right move and it’s OP’s life so….
There’s no right answer. If they decide they want IB and can somehow access it, they might make $500K+ a year and then they’re right.
On the flipside, academically, they can do the same majors at UT (forget the b school) - and save that dough.
But they’ve made a choice.
The schools are so counter to one another - it could simply be UT isn’t the right fit for them.
As they can afford MIdd and already committed to Midd, I think that has to be accepted by all of us.
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Middlebury has a strong alumni and it sounds like a great fit for you. But I know first hand that UT McCombs alumni network is a financial powerhouse not only in the pure finance world, but also general industry outside of finance.
Would I help a UT grad get a business job over someone else. 1000% I would - and I have, multiple times.
But good luck. Middlebury is a great school and Im sure you’ll be extremely happy. It definitely sounds like a much better fit, especially if you werent interested in Plan II or Canefield.
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Note that the link to this site was posted earlier in your topic here:
Please stop second-guessing the OP’s decision to attend Middlebury. No one asked that question, or for anyone’s opinion of that.
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I think your reasons for choosing Middlebury make good sense for you. Your AI logic might need a few more years of thought, however. AI will much more likely eliminate tasks within those roles, than the actual roles.
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Enjoy Middlebury! ( I am jealous. I lived in Vermont for several years. )
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I absolutely love what OP said here. Human critical thinking skills are never going to be fully replaced by AI (my optimistic belief) and this student wants to nurture that in college for logical reasons. It gives me hope that young people realize this. I agree with @heavyweightcollege .
Regarding the money difference, and forgive the unintentional snobbiness, but it’s common in elite college admissions for students to choose the most expensive full pay option, not because of the price tag, but because it will give them what they seek. OP has clearly thought this through. I say this as the parent of kids who took the most expensive and cheapest options. Both are thriving today. Luckily this student is able to afford the option they feel suits them best.
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Middlebury will be great for what you’ve expressed that you’re interested in - given your diverse intellectual curiosity, it’s probably a better fit than UT because classes will be easier to get. For a LAC, it’s rep is very strong and I wouldn’t worry much about rankings.
The truth is, you’ll probably do well at both places. It’s hard to beat the ROI of UT because it’s a great school and so much cheaper. McCombs will get you a Wall Street job - maybe with a bit more work and networking. I know a gal who didn’t get into her desired Ivies and went to Indiana-Kelley. She landed the same IB internship in NY as her friend who went to an Ivy because she worked diligently through Kelley’s workshops. But in 20 years it might not matter that much and it sounds like you’ll have a better experience at Middlebury.
Part of growing up is making choices - largely financial ones. I’ve had three kids make 3 different choices. Like your parents, I offered to pay my kids most of the difference between the state flagship and their way more expensive private options. My oldest chose the state flagship and he’s already started investing the difference and has way more money than a college student should have. S24 chose an Ivy for different reasons and has a lot less money than his brother but is very happy with his selection as it sets him up well for what he wants to do later. Like you, my youngest will be at a LAC in the fall because it best fits her personality. They had these options because, like your parents, I chose to start saving as soon as they were born in 529s and didn’t buy European cars or go on fancy vacations each year. My wife complains that I still wear shirts with holes in them. That’s ok because I grew up poor and paid my way through college and grad school at my state flagships to give myself financial flexibility. Personally, I think my oldest made the smartest decision but I don’t think any regret their decisions now or in 20 years. They all made informed choices after weighing the pros and cons. Make your choice and be happy with it.
Congrats!
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Agree.