Middlebury is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Middlebury is known for its programs in environmental studies, language, and global studies. About 2,500 undergraduate students attend the school and average class size is around 16 students per class. The acceptance rate was 15.7% for the class of 2025.
Another surprise, Middlebury doesn’t have a supplement! But last year, almost 12,000 students applied and Middlebury’s test-optional policy will still be in play until 2023. This means that it’s highly likely that even more students will apply to Middlebury this application cycle, so if you’re serious about becoming a member of the class of 2026, you need to reach out to the school directly and explain why it’s a perfect fit.
Since there’s no supplement, you’re going to write them an email. You’re probably familiar with the traditional “Why Us” question that most colleges ask. It’s essentially a research assignment that asks you to flesh out what you have in common with X school, which is exactly what you’re going to do. Let’s go through the information that you should include:
An introduction. Include your name and tell them that you’re writing because there was no formal space for you to explain why you want to go to Middlebury.
Write about what you want to major in and include a short story that explains how that interest came to be. For example, “I want to major in Economics because I’ve taken several online classes about Microeconomics and recently had an internship at a bank.” Whatever your story is, share it. You don’t need to have every single detail figured out, but you should include clues and evidence that your interest in X major isn’t random. Think about connecting the dots.
Next, look into the courses on the homepage of the major that you plan to pursue at Middlebury. Here’s the link to the Economics courses that we’re using as an example. You’ll want to find one or two upper-level courses that pique your interest and align well with something from your past. So, if one of the Economics courses you took online was related to game theory, you might want to take Econ 0208: Game Theory. Or, if you’re an avid reader of the regional section of The Economist and you like to learn about economic trends in other countries, you might write about how you’d like to take Econ 0344: International Economics. If you’re struggling to find links to the courses, keep looking. You’re much better off finding strong links than just picking classes that sound fancy because then you’ll show Middlebury that you’re ready to contribute to in-class discussions. Prove that you’re already engaging with your academic interests!
Then, find a professor whom you’d like to do research with and pitch yourself as their research assistant. Read through all of their biographies and never underestimate the power of a Google stalking session! Don’t creep them out by writing that you too have a golden retriever, but definitely familiarize yourself with their research and academic niches. Explain why you believe that you’d be a strong addition to their research team.
You should also include one student organization or group that aligns well with what you’ve done in the past. When they read your email, everything should make perfect sense. So, if you started the environmental club at your high school, you might want to join an environmentally focused organization at Middlebury. If you get in, you can join whatever club you want but for the purposes of this email, focus on something that is an extension of what you did in high school.
If you noticed, the above list is about what you should include. It’s not, however, exactly how you should write the email. Your job is to turn the information that you found about Middlebury into a story with details about your life. If you do a straight-up copy and paste job, your email is going to read like a brochure. Not the move! Instead, weave details about Middlebury into a story about yourself that explains why Middlebury is the best place for you to further your education. Maybe you’re in the midst of a summer research project and Middlebury’s courses will help you finish it, or your independent project aligns perfectly with the expertise of a professor. Whatever your details are, match them up with Middlebury’s offerings and provide information that fleshes out the links.
We recommend capping your emails around 350 words, which means that you’re going to have to do a fair amount of editing. Don’t get discouraged and try to cut content, instead remove repeated language and unnecessary clauses of sentences until you get down to word count. As for sending it, your email should go to the admissions office and we suggest following up with a phone call to ensure that there’s nowhere else it should be sent. As always, be professional and kind.
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