My Experiences at Middlebury - Mike Williams, USMC Retired

I’ll start by saying that it really is fully immersive. You take a Language Pledge and literally they’re transitioning into full immersion after the first week of classes.

They do a verbal assessment of your language ability on day two. My assessment was easy, I walked in with no prior language knowledge. When the professor was talking to me in Spanish, I just smiled.  I hadn’t taken a class, listened to podcasts or songs, conversed with a Spanish speaker, nothing. I was, of course, placed in the very beginning level, Level 1.

The levels go up…1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and then Graduate level. Even at my nascent level most of the cohort had some basic language skills. I was really an outlier. Most had either taken a class or two, had family that spoke, or had done some personal training and development. 

It was initially hard for me to keep up, but I was diligent in doing the daily homework (~ 2 or 3 hours of studying outside of class daily) and really started getting accustomed to standard phrases. For example, everyone is always saying things like good morning, what’s your name, where are you from, where do you work, are you going to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, pass the salt or pepper, are you going to the gym, class, dorms, etc. The good thing is that when I was totally lost on what was being said my peers would play word association games until I figured it out.

Most days after class I would hit the gym for a couple of hours, clean up, study for a few hours, and then head over to my Extra Curricular Activity (ECAs).  There are a ton of ECAs and I did nearly all of them, dance classes, board games, movie nights, pronunciation practice, etc.  I wanted to really be fully immersed, so I wasn’t going to go sit in the dorms every afternoon. Now, I did stay away from the sports teams but again I went to the gym and lifted daily.  I lost 20 pounds while I was there because we walked everywhere, my fitness routine was consistent, and there were a lot of healthy food choices. Funny that I left Middlebury at the same weight that I carried when I first enlisted. Since returning home, I’ve kept that fitness mindset and feel really good about myself.

I’m returning for the next level in 2027. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t make it work for 2026 due to previous professional obligations. I now know what to expect and have been continuing to sharpen my skills. I’m on day 132 of my streak spending at least an hour studying a Spanish lesson. 

My recommendation to anyone is to ensure they don’t put you in a higher level than you’re ready for.  You want to focus on the grammar fundamentals and not feel like you’re always behind. I know as a returning student, they’ll want me to do level 2.0, but nope,1.5 is where I’m at. I want to learn comfortably and enjoy the whole experience.  

The summer session only eats away at 2 months of your VA benefits, so I have the remaining benefits that would allow me to return for four more summers and I’m not in a rush just to say I’m at a higher level. I want to be clear on the fundamentals. Now, side note, you do end up paying about $800 out of pocket, but well worth it to me. I also know that the school has some scholarships, so I’d ask about those if the $800 is a real issue.

I’ll also mention that the professors are awesome and always available. I felt like they were on the team with us, and by us, I mean your class cohort. We really bonded together.   

Before you arrive, know that the dorms are not all air conditioned. It wasn’t an issue for me because I hate being cold.In fact, most of the fellas in my cohort had no a/c and were fine with floor fans. Oh, and the rooms do not have bathrooms in them. I had to get used to the days of walking down the hall to use the shower and facilities. And, oh my goodness, one day I forgot my soap in my room, so I figured I’d sneak down the three doors over with just my towel covering my bottom area. Well, of course that’s the one day one of my female professors, who also lived in my dorm, was walking down the hall. Awkward…but she just laughed and said Hola Miguel….good thing I’d been going to the gym.

The surrounding town is small and quaint, but the people are nice. I live in the DC region and can’t understand how people live without Walmart’s and other convenience options, but I got used to it and enjoyed walking about with my friends. We mostly stayed on campus during the week but went out on the weekends for food. The campus food is similar to most military dining facilities, but they have many more vegan options. That was a new experience for me.

Other than that - I think that if you go, you’ll love it. Hope to see you there in 2027! 

Middlebury Language Schools enrolls over 50 veterans each summer in our immersion and graduate programs. Please see more details about the application process and completing your VA Enrollment Certification Requests.