notes from the desk Middlebury's future - too bright?

Author: Sonja Pedersen-Green

A lot has changed in my four years at Middlebury. In four years, I have had two presidents, two admissions directors, the death or suspension of two social houses and, perhaps more important to a college student, are the two disparate liquor inspectors, however, the changes that have occurred in my four years are more than just superficial. There have been noticeable changes in all facets of life at Middlebury.

As long as I have been cognizant of Middlebury, the school has attracted bright, well-rounded students, and the admissions office has worked hard to recruit them. But lately, there seems to be a trend to attract more, what you might call pointy students, or those that specialize in academics and perhaps not much else. While high test scores and GPAs are important for the U.S. News rankings that are scoured by top students worldwide, one of the reasons I chose Middlebury almost exactly four years ago is because it was more than that.

My visit four years ago as a prospective student made it apparent to me that there was nowhere else in the world I would rather be than Middlebury. The students were, of course, brilliant, but they also had a certain je ne sais quoi, that made it stand apart from every other NESCAC school, and every other top school I visited. Seeing and meeting with prospective students over the past few weeks has made me concerned for the future of Middlebury. While I'm certain their test scores and GPAs are higher than mine ever were, they seem to lack the indescribable characteristic that makes a Middlebury student a Middlebury student. Perhaps they are just shy and awkward, as I was when I was 18, and perhaps Middlebury will mold them from a high school student into a "Middkid," but my sincerest hope is that this new crop of students will not mold Middlebury into something it's not.

Sonja Pedersen-Green is a senior

and Associate Editor from Plymouth, Minn.