Studying in a small class size

Middlebury College is one of the top liberal arts institutions in the US. I was interested in their language program which has excellent ratings across the board. I am currently studying French here and the experience surpassed my expectations. Moreover, Middlebury College has a strong Economics department (Econ is now my major) and something that drew me to the College. Most importantly, the community here is small and tight knit, allowing for deeper conversations and friendly interactions with professors and other students which go a long way in building relationships and networks. The scenic setting of the College between the Adirondack and the Green Mountains of Vermont was another appeal for me and a factor that pushed me to try more outdoor recreational activities like hiking and skiing.

The course curriculum is rigorous but very rewarding. In a typical semester, students can take between 3-5 courses, each counts towards one credit hour. Each student needs a minimum of 36 credit hours to graduate. I have always tried to balance my semester course load with one writing/reading heavy course, one quant course, one new/fun course and one course related to my major. Each course is structured differently, some are focused on research using computational/statistical tools like R or STATA, others are more theoretical and have exams and regular assignments. Furthermore, there are interdepartmental courses which give students exposure to real world applications of finance, health and food systems. International students can also use CPT to do an actual internship in the US and get college credit for it.

My scores: New SAT 1480/1600; high school GPA: 4.00; IELTS: 8.5 (not required if you went to an English medium high school)

Financial services and consulting companies are the biggest employers of Midd grads. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Barclays visit Middlebury College every year for networking. The Career Center at the College helps students in finding jobs and internships in whatever area they are interest in. 65% of the students end up working right after graduation, 20% go to grad schools and around 15% actively look for opportunities after graduation. The median salary is $60,000.

I have not.

The College is invested in nurturing the social and athletic lives of the students. Middlebury is a Division 3 NESCAC school and the varsity sports teams (football, ice hockey, basketball etc) here compete with other NESCAC colleges like Williams and Amherst. There are also club sports like tennis and soccer which are low stakes and a great way to make friends and stay fit. The Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB) executes Middlebury’s beloved, timeless College-wide traditions like Dunmore Day, Harvest Fest, Winter Carnival, and Midd Mayhem and also organize concerts and social events throughout the semester. Middlebury College also has an amazing Consulting Group comprised of college students who help local businesses. Similarly the Middlebury Student Investment Committee (MiddSIC) is involved in investing the college's endowments. There are religious, political, and many cultural organizations for people of color and international students that are welcoming. There are two libraries on campus, one even has a Bloomberg terminal and they are both equipped with a high-speed wifi, computers, printers, scanners and large reading spaces with a great view. The main library also has Research and Technology Help Desk to assist students with technical challenges and guide towards resources for research and e-learning.

Annual tuition and fees amount to $ 68,000.

No I did not receive any scholarship.

The student-faculty ratio at Middlebury College is 8:1, and the school has 65.5% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Due to the small size of the college, there are many opportunities to ask questions in class and after class during office hours. Faculty members encourage new ideas, questions and are willing to offer academic and professional help. Professor Jessica Holmes was my Econ professor who did an incredible job of helping us apply what we learnt in our health economics course in a real life consulting project!

There are doubles, singles, suites and townhouses. In freshman year most students are in a double which they share with another student. All rooms have a bed, writing table, chair wardrobe, and shelves. Senior students can enter a senior housing draw to get a townhouse which is a small house with 8 rooms. Living expenses for 9 months amount to $1000.