Or perhaps that much easier?
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I think feeling like just a number is a common and potentially serious problem with attending a large public for undergrad, but I would again note that LSA Honors is expressly intended to help at least mostly offset that feeling, particularly in the first couple transition years.
So while the note is nice, I would again make sure your S24 is really thinking about the entire four-year experience, including accounting for LSA Honors and how that will affect the experience.
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One can make a large school small, but cannot make a small school large.
Your son is seeking ways to make the LAC larger through study abroad and taking a year off campus to study at Middlebury’s Monterey institute.
Unlikely that your son will have any dealings with the LAC admissions office as a student so the handwritten note, while charming & welcoming, is somewhat meaningless.
I attended an LAC several decades ago. It was not the right place for me as I was ready to grow well beyond the type of environment that I experienced in prep school. Like your son, I tried to expand the experience by studying abroad as frequently as was permitted (Soviet Union, China, Austria and Eastern Europe). Loved the study abroad experiences, but it didn’t enhance my time spent at the LAC. Too few courses of interest and too few professors.
Attending a major university as an honors student with honors and theme housing should allow your son to experience intimacy as well as challenging growth experiences. This is the best of both worlds.
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I attended law school at a large university. In my view, that was the ideal LAC experience as law schools are typically small colleges in a large school setting. The best time for an intimate, exciting “LAC experience” is during graduate or professional school at a large university. This allows one to focus on academic material of interest to the student in a small, intense college while enjoying the benefits of a large university with respect to diversity, facilities, and social/intellectual options. My LAC experience was too limiting and suffocating (enrollment of about 2,200 to 2,400 undergrads in a rural setting).
As an aside: FWIW Middlebury College is my favorite LAC based on its size, location, and academic offerings so I do understand your son’s dilemma. I think that your son is approaching his decision in a wise & realistic manner. No wrong option/both are great options.
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I think that Middlebury’s massive strength in languages – I am under the impression that Midd is top-of-the-pile in their study – and enviro science/studies means that it is a great academic fit for your son.
To me, this all comes down to whether he can find enough stimulation at Midd during the two years he would spend on campus.
But academically, there probably could not be a better fit.
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I think this is right, but I also think Michigan is as good or better of a fit.
For IR in particular, I think this Foreign Policy survey-based ranking of undergrad (and Masters) programs is really the best resource for getting an idea of how IR professionals see these programs:
For undergrad programs, Michigan was ranked #14, Middlebury #28. Those are both quite good, but again if anything Michigan is a bit better regarded.
I note for IR Masters programs, Michigan was tied for #18, Middlebury (Monterey) #33. Both again good, but this sort of thing is why I am concerned about placing too much weight on the possibility of doing a Masters at Monterey, when there are so many other options.
I don’t have a similarly useful source for professional views on Environmental Science undergrad programs. But Michigan is in the Top 30 of the QS global rankings:
The QS rankings do not include LACs, but I still think this supports the thesis that an IR person with an interest in ES would rationally be very interested in Michigan as one possible choice.
But again, if someone actually preferred a small LAC in a rural location, Middlebury would be very competitive too. I would just be hesitant to conclude Middlebury would actually be a better academic fit than Michigan, given Michigan’s recognized strengths in both IR and ES.
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Middlebury students are required to live on the VT campus for their first and senior years (with the rare exception noted below). I copied this from their Handbook:
“b. Residency . First-year students must be enrolled in a Middlebury course during their first winter term at the College. This includes both September and February matriculates. Residency in Middlebury, VT, for the fall and spring semesters of the student’s senior year is required for all students unless excused by the Administration Committee.”
It appears to be possible for your student to study away from the VT campus for 2 years if at least one of those years is at a different Middlebury campus, i.e., Monterey and Midd’s study abroad programs. That said, I think that only being on the VT campus for first and last years would be socially isolating.
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S24 did a deep dive on the curricula of both Midd and UMich today and found Midd’s course offerings and study abroad to be slightly more aligned with his interests than UMich’s IR program. There were few courses at Middlebury that he didn’t want to take. He loves Midd’s International and Global Studies Major as well as its joint major for Environmental Studies (Natural Science focus) & Earth and Climate Science Major. It’s like it was tailor-made for him.
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I didn’t intend to impugn Michigan – it is strong across the board, as far as anyone can know.
OP (and son) can’t make a wrong choice here if they do so according to personal preferences.
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My S attended Middlebury’s summer immersion language program between his freshman and sophomore years of college and was extremely thankful for that rich critical language instruction.
However, while the language instruction was superb, he remarked that he would not have been content attending such a small and remote school/town for 4 years.
But he continues to hold Middlebury summer program in highest esteem.
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We attended a UMich admitted students meet and greet in Chicago this weekend and will be registering for the Middlebury Preview Day for April 15th. S24 truly cannot determine which school to choose because they’re both so well suited to him. We’re hoping the Midd ASD will help resolve the question. He recently learned that one of his friends from a State Dept fellowship is a current sophomore at Middlebury, so he’s offered to talk to my S24 about his experience as a freshman at Midd. At the UMich meet and greet, one of the alumni mentioned how instrumental the UMich reputation has been in his legal career insofar as opening doors to professional opportunities from UMich alumni and how many umich undergrads are accepted at T10 law schools. This was highly persuasive for us as parents, but our son is so enchanted by the Middlebury curriculum that it didn’t really move the dial for him.
Honestly, I think that Middlebury’s reputation would be equally advantageous here. The most important thing for law school acceptance is academic record (grades and LSATs), but insofar as undergrad school reputation helps, I think there would be no appreciable difference between Michigan and Middlebury. Also, aside from formal alumni networks, there is a sort of informal network of grads of elite LACs that tends to function in the same way, providing professional connections and networking.
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Thanks again for all the valuable insights. After much consideration, S24 will Go Blue. It came down to social opportunities. He has an unusually strong network of friends from all over the world. He works hard to keep these connections strong. The fact that he was perusing the Middlebury website and happened to see one of his friends is currently attending Midd underscores the breadth of his friendship circles. S24 had a long talk with his friend at Midd and while it sounded amazing, S24 realized he wants to attend a school where the possibilities of meeting new people are virtually endless. It’s the reason why he wants to study IR and why he thrived during his many diplomacy and cultural exchange programs in high school. UMich, with its enthusiastic and vast alumni network, is perfect for a kid who loves to meet people everywhere he goes.
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Sounds like he put a lot of thought into this and that in the end, Michigan is the right place for him. Congrats on an excellent outcome for your son!
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Your son seems mature and reasonable in his approach to this decision.
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Seconded. I actually think it can be a struggle sometimes for kids to recognize that a school can seem perfect for them academically and yet not be a great fit in other ways.
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Thank you! S24 had a great college application season because he stayed focused not on prestige or “brand” but more on fit and curriculum. He was thrilled with every outcome. He even saw the waitlists as a positive rather than a negative. The only mild disappointment was with the WL at Georgetown’s SFS, as he attended a Jesuit high school and had a load of national honors and awards based on diplomacy and service. He quickly pivoted after SFS disappointment and actually considers it a blessing that GU didn’t work out. It’s true what all the CC folks say-students ultimately find where they’re meant to be. It’s not a convenient rationalization, it’s the natural consequence of a thoughtful approach to college applications.
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Translate that to Latin and we could make it the CC motto!
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After all the agonizing work to decide between UMich and Middlebury, our S24 received a call from UChicago at the end of April offering him a spot in the Class of 2028. He happily accepted the offer. UChicago was the first school he ever wanted to visit. He is the quintessential UChicago student. While he’s not quirky, he’s all in on the hyper-intellectualism and rigorous coursework that UChicago students tend to thrive on. He loves the idea of the Chicago Core as it reminds him of his classical Jesuit education. And UChicago‘s study abroad program was his favorite by far. He visited the UChicago campus twice more this past weekend and his excitement is beyond anything he’s even shown for other schools he toured. What a thrilling and inspiring process this has been. We ended up right where we started.
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Thanks so much for the follow-up. Congratulations to your S on the wonderfully happy college outcome. Wishing him an amazing four years at UChicago!
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