Older buildings and furniture have been left standing around Middlebury’s campus to preserve the charming, antique feel, but they’ve been restored and modernized throughout the years to complement the new facilities that continue to be added. Middlebury’s athletic facilities are impeccable—the student center is cushy and beautiful, the Center for the Arts looks like a modern masterpiece, and a large library was completed just a few years ago. As if that weren’t enough, Bicentennial Hall (BiHall)—the science building—offers state-of-the-art laboratories and lecture halls for science majors, and the Axinn Center at Starr Library has tech-savvy classrooms, multiple media rooms, and a seniors-only study that eminates an Ivy-league feel—think intricate wood paneling, marble fireplaces, and overstuffed antique chairs. The Grille is the only food option besides the dining halls; the Juice Bar, the Grille, and Wilson Café are the only after-hours beverage options.
At first glance, Middlebury is overwhelming—not in size, but in the fact that there is so much to do; you’ll never get the time to take full advantage of it. While you have the opportunity to spend each day swimming in the pool, running on the pristine rubber track, checking out concerts on stage in the Juice Bar, and spending a lot of time in BiHall’s observatory, you’ll never have the time to do everything you want. However, if only in response to being surrounded by 2,500 other busybodies, you’ll fill your days with as many worthwhile activities as possible. There are plenty of options at Middlebury.