[Swede in CA]

I believe I already asked people here about that, unfortunately, I cannot find it. Is Middlebury worth the price?

[Lilybeans]

Depends what you're looking for.

[vter]

Middlebury is an excellent school, but as Lilybeans mentions above, what kind of education are you looking for?

[jackmccullough]

It very much depends on what you're interested in. My older son was accepted at Middlebury and UAlbany, and based on a tour of their theater programs he chose UAlbany because it had a lot more of what he wanted.

He's never regretted it. In May he graduated from Yale with an MFA in technical theater and now he's got a tenure-track teaching position.

The big concern I have about Middlebury is the cost. These days most people count on needing a graduate degree, which in my mind makes it harder to justify a really high-priced undergraduate program.

[Swede in CA]

this was a thought for my older kid undegrad, but she applied for mcGill and Penn, and Georgetown as her early decision choice.

[sundialstreet]

Is is comparable to those schools, depends on the major. I don't think a person who attends Middlebury is going to be worse off, however, I do think one needs to take a long view of what they want from their education. A place like Georgetown will provide a better opportunity for a student to both work in their field (via volunteering and internships) in a way that Middlebury probably won't. There is also is the question of what kind of student we're talking about. Some people really like academics in an intimate setting; others don't. If a person is thinking of going from undergrad straight to grad school, I'd probably go with Penn or McGill or possibly Middlebury. But if one wants to gain practical work experience before pursuing more education, it's gotta be G-town!

Also, DC is a pretty exciting place to be regardless of one's own political leanings.

Has she considered Hollis (in VA) or Randolph Macon? Based on the schools you've mentioned, those are others that are dynamic, but not necessarily the first ones people think about.

Sorry, I kind of do this for a living.

Basically, it all comes down to which environment is going to be the best fit for the student. People tend to do this backward. College is like a pair of pants. You make the pants FIT YOU and not other way around.

[Mercator Projection]

Originally Posted by jackmccullough

The big concern I have about Middlebury is the cost. These days most people count on needing a graduate degree, which in my mind makes it harder to justify a really high-priced undergraduate program.

A lot of truth to this. My advice would be to go to a quality public school and save the prestigious private school for your Masters, or law school, or whatever you end up wanting pursue. After you burn through $160k in undergrad tuition, another two or three more years in grad school is very intimidating, financially.

[MistyVT]

Middlebury is very "expensive"! I will always remember a quote I heard years ago..."it's not where you get the degree, it's how you use it". There's University of Vermont, Castleton State College, Saint Michael's College, College of St. Joseph's, Johnson State, Green Mountain College(also pricey)......depending on the degree you are seeking and the money you want to spend...there are many options

[Lilybeans]

I like the big universities with the big time athletic programs. Those football and basketbsll games are a blast. Big schools offer a lot of opportunities. Give me Big Ten, or SEC or Big 12 or Pac 10 any day.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by MistyVT

Middlebury is very "expensive"! I will always remember a quote I heard years ago..."it's not where you get the degree, it's how you use it". There's University of Vermont, Castleton State College, Saint Michael's College, College of St. Joseph's, Johnson State, Green Mountain College(also pricey)......depending on the degree you are seeking and the money you want to spend...there are many options

I don't know about the other ones, but UVM is definitely not worth the cost, especially if you're out of state.