What is the Purpose of Middlebury College?

In the past few years, the question “What is the purpose of higher education?” has cropped up on my news feed more than once. Each piece rephrases a similar argument: College serves the economic purpose of providing students access to more lucrative jobs as well as the social purpose of sorting us by financial status and, by extension, social status. While both are true, as a Middlebury College student, I feel compelled to know what my purpose in higher education is, what I am getting out of this elite institution and if it is really merits of $97,386 a year. 

Sociologists Fischman and Gardner identify four mental models students use to define their purpose of higher education: inertial (students go to college because it is expected), transactional (college is seen as a stepping stone to a job or graduate school), exploratory (college is a time to discover and test new interests) and finally transformational (college is seen as a time to challenge one’s worldview). In no way do I see these mental models as exclusive nor all-encompassing. But if we are looking at the purpose of college, which of these seem most valuable? Which of these mindsets is worth nearly $400,000 over four years?

When examining the purpose of college, Middlebury being a liberal arts school but economics being one of the top majors makes it a unique case study. Our mission statement claims the college “seeks to create a transformative learning experience for our students” and “inspire our undergraduates to grapple with challenging questions about themselves and the world.” The college’s statement reflects the exploratory and transformational models of Fischman and Gardner. In reality, I do not see these models prioritized in the student body. 

As I enter my third year at Middlebury having talked to and observed numerous students, I can say that most of my peers (and occasionally myself) see college through the transactional lens; Middlebury is a stepping stone for future aspirations. We take the required courses for our major, then fill the rest of our schedule with GPA boosters. Or we become overwhelmingly busy, filling every minute of our time with courses and extracurriculars relating to our future field to enhance our resume. Elite institutions are susceptible to a palpable culture of busyness,  as students compete for who can do the most in a given semester or garner the best summer internship. I am in no way shaming students for this mindset; I find myself in this group a majority of the time. The economic state of the U.S. necessitates an incredible amount of forethought if we want the “ideal” post-graduate job. It is also easy to fall into the busyness culture by virtue of seeing your peers with the same mindset. 

However, this deeply capitalistic mentality on the purpose of college negates what I believe to be integral to a liberal arts education. Throughout this short piece, I have been measuring the value of higher education against money — what is college worth? However, I do not think what is truly prized in higher education has a monetary value. 

Yes, higher education can act as a stepping stone to a job or graduate school; however, being at a school like Middlebury, we have a unique opportunity to challenge ourselves and expand our thinking. Educational philosopher Paulo Freire described education as a practice of freedom and liberation. It has the potential to enable us to think critically about ourselves and the world around us. This is what I really want out of my education, especially at Middlebury, where we are tasked with becoming well-rounded students through our liberal arts curriculum. I do not want to take classes because they are easy or because they will give me a resume boost. I wish to take classes because they excite me, force me to critically examine myself and our world and hopefully give me the skills to act on those examinations.

However, this clashes with the economic and transactional mindset I previously described. How can a student push themselves to challenge their thinking while still belonging to Middlebury’s hectic culture? I believe it comes down to a matter of values. Do you value the outcome of Middlebury or the process? Can these mindsets be simultaneously true? Thus, I again ask myself: What is the purpose of college? Which do I value more? In full honesty, I do not know. 

I know leaving the question unanswered is a relatively unsatisfying and unsavory ending to this piece. However, I do know that I hope to continue to challenge my thinking as I progress through these next two years. Is a love for learning enough to get me where I want to be after college? Only time will tell.