What others say:
“You will find the Marlboro adventure far more intense and intellectually demanding than Harvard, any other Ivy or Ivy clone. There is simply no comparison.”
Loren Pope in "Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools that Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges."
The Princeton Review 2007 edition of The Best Northeastern Colleges gives Marlboro its highest Academic rating, along with Swarthmore, Williams, Middlebury, Haverford, Wellesley and the Olin School of Engineering.
"The faculty and students become colleagues and peers during the process, with rapport similar to the best graduate programs […] Marlboro tends to appeal to more mature students, who know what they want.”
Donald Asher "Cool Colleges: for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-directed, Late Blooming, and the Just Plain Different."
"Interdisciplinary work is ... central to Marlboro College, where most classes are small seminars, seniors take individual tutorials rather than classes, and college policies are decided in New England-style town meetings that include students as well as faculty and administrators ... In a society that increasingly questions the value of a liberal arts education (Marlboro has) hewed to the liberal arts model, but in highly original ways."
The New York Times
"Marlboro College, where democracy and education go hand in hand."
The Los Angeles Times
"Educators who wish to return to the essence of a liberal arts educational institution, focused on the development of the whole individual and stripped of non-essentials, should visit Marlboro College. They will be returning to the center -- to the soul -- of what liberal arts education should be.... The visit will reaffirm just how powerful and effective liberal arts education can be for any individual."
The New England Association of Schools and College
"Marlboro College provides a classical liberal arts education in distinctive but time-tested ways ... students enjoy the advantages of one-to-one tutorials, very small classes, and a close relationship between students and faculty members. As part of the school's internationalized curriculum, an increasing number of Marlboro students spend a minimum of six months on working internships throughout the world ... In the selection [of the six colleges for the grants], major consideration was given to a college's commitment to the liberal arts and sciences; its history of innovative practices; its record of sharing lessons learned; and the promise and capability of its leadership, particularly by the president."
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
"The use of external examiners is Marlboro's answer to a question that is being increasingly raised: How do you guarantee the quality of undergraduate education? ... In the spring of their senior year, [Marlboro students] are examined by two faculty sponsors and an outside expert ... Marlboro's system is a throwback to the way colleges operated in the 19th century .. While it seems unlikely that most schools will use outside examiners, the push for accountability is sure to continue. As it does, it may be helpful to remember that faculty members of at least one tiny college still have the courage to put their teaching results on the line."
Edward B. Fiske in the New York Times Education section
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""[Marlboro] “is dedicated to including all individuals who crave academic rigor and who have felt disillusioned with mainstream society – drama kids, band kids, science geeks, literature nerds, creative writers and, of course, queers.”Shane L. Windmeyer in the The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students.
"Marlboro College is a unique learning community, in keeping with the spirit of Vermont, where individuality counts. It has sustained itself over the years by fulfilling its specific mission: providing students with the opportunity to think, to question, and the explore ideas in an interdisciplinary way. That is rare in academia, but an almost daily occurrence at Marlboro."
Madeline Kunin, former Governor of Vermont and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education,
"A mere sapling in the groves of academe ... [Marlboro has emerged] among the most highly recommended small colleges in almost every guidebook."
The Associated Press