Is Middlebury or Georgetown better for political science?

The biggest practical tradeoff is academic style versus location-driven access. Middlebury gives you a smaller liberal arts setting with very close faculty attention and strong undergraduate focus, while Georgetown puts you in Washington, DC, where politics is happening every day and internships are woven much more naturally into the experience. For political science specifically, both are respected, but they offer very different versions of the major.

Middlebury is especially appealing if you want seminar-style classes, a tight campus community, and professors who are highly engaged with undergraduates rather than graduate programs. Its political science department is well regarded within the liberal arts world, and the college is known for strong writing, discussion-based learning, and language study, which can pair really well with politics, international studies, and policy interests. Learning beyond the classroom there often happens through research with professors, off-campus study, and a more intimate academic environment.

Georgetown has a major advantage in opportunities tied directly to politics and government. Being in DC means easier access to internships on Capitol Hill, at think tanks, nonprofits, embassies, advocacy groups, and federal agencies during the school year, not just over the summer. If by “learn beyond the classroom” you mean constant exposure to public affairs, guest speakers, policy networks, and real-time political institutions, Georgetown stands out in a way very few schools can match.

Another difference is the campus culture around the subject. At Georgetown, politics is a big part of the atmosphere, so you may find more students deeply tuned into policy, international affairs, and public service. At Middlebury, political science can still be excellent, but it sits within a broader liberal arts culture rather than a place so closely identified with government and global affairs.

For political science alone, Georgetown has the stronger edge because the location and surrounding ecosystem create unusually rich opportunities beyond coursework. Middlebury is the better option only if you know you want the smaller liberal arts experience enough that you would trade some of that built-in DC access for closer classroom engagement and a more traditional residential college setting.