My Thoughts on the Middlebury Experience

I was going to wait until I actually left campus to type this up, but today we filled out instructor and course evaluations, and I feel like I should get my passive-aggressive internet evaluation out of the way today too.


In a strange twist and despite my hatred of the last seven weeks, I would in fact recommend this program to anybody interested in learning a new language (though I can only speak for German) or improving on their current language skills. Hell, I might even consider coming back at some point in the future - though certainly not next year. There is nothing inherently wrong with the way this program is run except, of course, for a heinous placement process.

That being said, I still nevertheless had a very bad experience, and most of my problems I can contribute to one thing: I was in the wrong class. The placement exam was nightmarish, and I am positive that my performance on that exam and in the subsequent interview were the result of nerves and not indicative of how much German I knew coming in. Honestly, for as well structured the classes were, the placement exam was HORRIBLE - with no prior knowledge of how the exam was structured or given, I came in ready to throw up and my brain had shut down from fear before I could write a word. The interview was intimidating with a Blonde German Giantess administering rapid-fire questions, and I subsequently failed miserably.

(I can understand they wanted to put students in the most basic level possible, but at the same time, THIS IS NOT A GOOD INTRODUCTION TO YOUR PROGRAM.)

I was placed in the first level (of five possible levels), and spent the next several weeks essentially taking German 1 again. Of the seven weeks I was here and had classes, I would say only one week contained new information, the other six being rote review of concepts I already knew, but am admittedly not perfectly proficient in.

Still, I aced the tests and papers without great effort. I spent two hours on the last paper, the night after a play and when I was emotionally exhausted, and without proofreading or editing I managed a 95 on our final paper - I'm not saying this to brag yes you are, but rather to show that this wasn't the challenging academic experience I was promised. As a result, I grew to resent the professors and the students around me who were forcing me to stay and repeat the same mechanical exercises. And I will still proclaim that any instructor who relies on group/partner exercises for the majority of their class is lazy, and needs to rethink their teaching method.

Furthermore, I was the youngest in my class by several years (the average being 6-7). The bulk of Level 1 was composed of grad students who needed to pick up German for their masters or PhDs (Good Lord, so many art historians), or people who were moving to Germany for a jobs. As a result, I shared no interests with the people I saw on a daily basis, because I had no car, couldn't drink, and didn't smoke. However, the next level up had more college undergrads, ie., people in my peer group, who I never got to know due to the fact they keep classes separate from one another. I could have theoretically been able to make friends, but will never know.

As to my roommate, I can't and won't badmouth her, and our lack of interaction came mostly through a lack of shared interests. She wasn't my Batcave roommate, but thank Christ she wasn't my Writing Camp roommate. Luck of the draw. Extracurricular activities were divided between a fuckton of sports, or groups which required a much higher comprehension of the language - even the theater group I was in would have gone better if I knew more German. 

(Fuckwittery with the actors in that group was, again, just my bad luck. I can't condemn the program just because an asshole told me I made him physically uncomfortable)

In short, I should have fought harder to get myself put in a higher level, and I would have been much happier. My experience, however, is mine alone, and my problems with it are, I would say, rather unique among everyone who attended. Anybody who is interested in languages should really consider doing one of these Language Schools if they have the money to burn and time to kill.

As for me, I am much more interested in going to Cambridge and Otacon next summer.

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