Middlebury College (founded 1800) is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the US. Such colleges have a relatively small student body (below 3,000), therefore they can offer smaller classes and closer association with professors than large universities. The campuses of liberal arts colleges are often located in the countryside (in this case, in rural Vermont), in a beautiful natural environment, which is meant both to enhance the effectiveness of learning and isolate students from „corrupting influences” of a large city.