Middlebury College Reviews

"Students learn to choose their professors with care after their first summer. The acceptance rate is high, driving less able students into courses with less rigorous instructors and less than worthwhile instruction. Avoid instructors who simply want to kick ideas around. They may act out inappropriately with students who take their courses more seriously than they themselves do, and who thus pose a threat to their summer sinecures. Creative writing classes are, generally speaking, not worth the tuition. Creative writing course instructors may have little to no classroom experience beyond Bread Loaf and are ill prepared address the vagaries in student work made public by the nature of their courses. Students can attend the Oxford campus for four of their five required summers and are, inexplicably, required to take one rather than the two courses each summer as is required in Vermont. The Vermont campus is isolated and late in the summer, it is not uncommon to encounter someone sheddding tears in the dining hall. Good things can be said about Vermont's summer theater, kitchen staff, groundskeepers, maintenance, and front desk staffers, but the administrative faculty is ineffectual when it comes to fairly distributing financial aid, housing assignments, or when dealing with students who threaten other students. If you are able to afford the air fare, take your courses at the Oxford campus."

"The Middlebury College School in Paris is one of the best investments one can make if a career in teaching or translation is sought. The intensive preparatory summer program on the Vermont Campus is excellent. Your grammar and conversational skills will increase and you will perfect your pronunciation. The experience in Paris is a full immersion. The opportunities to take courses at a variety of French institutions gives you an insider's perspective on the culture. Middlebury also opens doors for you. When seeking employment or admission to a PhD program recruiters and admissions officials understand what a Middlebury education means. It is simply the best language training program in the country."

"I learned a great deal from my time at Midd. I especially would like to shout out the Education department, it is small but mighty. There are professors in that department that believe that ALL students deserve access to strong, inclusive education, and that was aligned with my vision of what education could and should be. It also provided me with the space to think about how to best approach my career as a an educator. I got to grapple with concepts like inclusivity, disability, race, and class.. and think about how these would play out within my own future little classroom community. What would I do to make all students feel seen and heard? What would I do to provide all students with thoughtful ways of engaging with one another no matter where they were coming from perspective-wise? This time to think through what my classroom would feel like philosophically was greatly useful when I approached the classroom on my own."

"I really wanted to like Middlebury's master's program in Spanish, but all in all, it was an absolute trainwreck. The Spanish department was totally unorganized and I had to send dozens of emails and call multiple times just to receive basic information (course scheduling, visa process, etc). While the professors were great, it was hard to get to know them during a short summer session and overall, everything just felt very crammed in these sessions (not really good for those who want to go on to get a PhD or further degrees). The academics were solid for the most part, though there is no master's thesis requirement, so it did not seem as intense as one might expect a master's program to be. Finally, this may have been a reflection on the particular group of students with whom I studied rather than Middlebury, but the program was extremely cliqueish and snooty. I went to a public university for undergrad and it seemed that others looked down on me for not attending a private university. I really felt like the master's program was far too expensive for how chaotic and unorganized the program was. Moreover, I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to go on to get a PhD, as there are limited opportunities to form a close relationship with professors and the courses are not writing intensive."

"Middlebury is an amazing school with excellent professors and extracurricular activities. I think the career services could be better and I would have greatly appreciated some financial classes earlier on that would have better prepared me to pay back my loans."

"I attended and graduated from Middlebury College. I was there many years ago and I've gone on to a productive and successful career as an actor and most particularly as a film producer (I'm still active, currently producing a documentary directed by a 2-time Oscar winner). Middlebury was and is an excellent institution and it has certain strengths - language studies and the summertime Breadloaf School - that are among the finest anywhere. However, for undergraduates with my interests - film, theatre, entertainment - the curriculum is underdeveloped. The teaching staff may have improved but the courses are still limited and there is little interaction with professional filmmakers. I hope that the school will develop a program utilizing their graduates who are in the film business and draw more professional participation into the curriculum. Middlebury is rather isolated in Vermont and it's a bastion of liberal and progressive social ideals. This was suitable for me since I am of the same bent, however, if you are more conservative in your political views you might consider other schools where ideological diversity is prevalent. The most outstanding aspects of my experience there were the people. Both teachers and students were warm and genuine, I formed long-lasting friendships with both teachers and students. There is a sense of community at the college tat proceeds partly because it's isolated from any major cities but also because it's small enough so that every student feels they have a special place there. In conclusion, I'd say that students interested in language studies and the humanities are well advised to seek a place at Middlebury College, while students of film, screenwriting and entertainment in general might want to look elsewhere."

"Middlebury was the best possible place for me and I adored my time there. The school is environmentally conscious and I felt like everyone (professors, staff, administrators) cared about me as a person. I grew so much as both a student learner and as a person while I was there. There's a reason it's as highly ranked as it is, and I don't regret going there even though I left with a lot of debt."

"Amazingly beautiful college offers a rich learning experience. Small liberal arts college that is well known for its humanities programs, especially language and literature, but has a strong science department as well. Lots of on campus activities - there's something for everyone!"

"Middlebury College is renowned for its language schools and I confirm this to be true. The total immersion experience improved my confidence in speaking, writing and understanding French. As a totally blind student my necessary accommodations were fully supported by the admissions staff, faculty and students. My time at Middlebury is a treasured memory."

"I asked about a grant for LGBT and they don't have special scholarship assistance for this minority at this time. I was sad about that. The school is fantastic and I really wish that it was offered. I love their immersion, extracurricular activities and the Spanish M.A. program teaches more than just Spanish. It teaches culture, dancing, cooking. Everyone smiles because it is stimulating and educational! I heartily recommend the Vermont Spanish summer M.A. program."

"The Middlebury Graduate School in Italian was top-notch, in my opinion, in teaching the language and providing you with the best instructors. I got the opportunity to study abroad for the year in Florence, Italy. It really gives you the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the language and culture. Not to mention the great opportunity to take class at the local university and meet some of the top professors in academia.The staff were incredible helpful with any problems I encountered. The only con I felt was that, because we were in a major city, it was difficult to built that sense of camaraderie within the department. We didn't really see up other that often.I would have liked to have had conferences or meetings that give the graduate students a chance to mingle."

"It is the best in terms of learning to fluently speak a language. They really immerse you within the language and culture."

"Decent program, a lot of solid insight from leaders in their respective literary fields. Not very minority conscious. Campus life at Bread Loaf is very isolating. Not yet sure if the program will prove to have been a valuable investment, but am glad that I had the opportunity to attend this institution."

"Pros: Summer study for 6-7 week terms so I was able to work full-time as a teacher and earn graduate credits over the summer. Rigorous. Taught by renowned scholars. Beautiful campus. Unique facilities and access to Middlebury Campus. You have the option of studying at different colleges (Oxford and Santa Fe). Depending how you look at it, this could be a pro or con: Almost all students are teachers. Cons: Costly, but there are many scholarship opportunities. You must spend 3-5 years completing the program."

"The Middlebury Russian language graduate program has been by far the most intense educational experience of my life. The expectations are very high, as well as the stress levels to deal with the workload. However, the results are nothing short of miraculous when I compare my comprehension and language ability now, to what they were prior to the program. Anyone truly interested in Slavic languages and literatures should strongly consider at least one summer of study at the Middlebury program."

"The Bread Loaf School of English is an excellent program for teachers, as well as anyone who is generally interested in learning more about language and literature."

"The Middlebury Language School can seem a bit pricey, but it is well worth the cost considering how much is included. It is an intense immersion program that has you using the target language 24/7 inside and outside of the classroom with cultural events that allow you to keep learning and experiencing the language in many different ways. The faculty is great! The professors come from everywhere and many are published authors and accomplished musicians. The students are all ages and come from all walks of life (although most seem to be teachers like me). This makes for a very interesting mix of people and always leads to fantastic conversation. You give up six weeks out of your summer, but you come away with nine graduate credits and an experience that you just can't buy anywhere else. I LOVE it!"

"The French school's method of employing French-speaking professors from across the globe, housing French students together, and requiring the exclusive use of French transform the would-be provincial American rural setting into a cosmopolitan francophone experience. The rigor of the courses within three specializations is unrivaled, and the schools abroad require participants to operate like French university students. This is not a program designed and directed by American professors imagining the French university experience, but by Francophones who have lived it and know how to deliver it. This is the real thing!"