Beginning this academic year, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am already a senior. It feels as though my time at Middlebury College has flown by. This fall, I continued my coursework in Mathematics and Computer Science, taking courses covering a range of topics such as Bayesian statistics, quantum computing, and linear algebra for computer graphics. I found this semester extremely rewarding as I enjoyed my coursework across each of these topics. Additionally, this fall semester I finished the requirements for my Computer Science major, and only await completion of my senior thesis to finish my Mathematics major. Reaching the end of each of my majors, I have reflected on how lucky I have felt for the academic experience Middlebury College has provided me. I feel as though I am graduating having forged deeper and more meaningful connections with both my professors and classmates than I ever imagined. Further, this fall I had the opportunity to serve as a captain of the Cross Country team here at Middlebury College. While competing in my senior season felt a bit bittersweet, I was very satisfied with this season. Competing at nationals was an awesome way to end cross country, and both my teammates and the sport itself continued to play a major role in my enjoyment of my college experience. As I reach the end of college, I could not be more happy with the past four years! Middlebury College has provided me with amazing friendships, as well as great experiences in academics and athletics. I feel that I have taken advantage of the opportunities both the school and its location have provided me, and I am beyond grateful to MVYouth for helping to make this all possible!
Peter Burke - Middlebury College
This past year has been a busy one! After spending the past summer doing computer science research in Bozeman, Montana, I returned to campus this fall excited for another semester at Middlebury. I continued both of my math and computer science majors, taking a range of courses I enjoyed covering topics such as probability theory, computational linear algebra, machine learning, and web design. Each of these courses presented its own unique challenges, and together they allowed me to both deepen my understanding of topics I had already been exposed to in addition to presenting new content which expanded my overall abilities in each subject. Further, being at Middlebury has meant that I am constantly surrounded by peers and professors who challenge and inspire me to be my best as well as offering a collaborative work environment which facilitates working at a high level. Ever since I began my time at Middlebury, I have consistently been met with the smartest, most caring, and handworking professors and peers, and this semester has been no exception.
Beyond my academic experience of this past semester, this fall has felt like my first time on campus truly post pandemic. With the end of daily Covid mandates, I have been able to experience Middlebury to its fullest extent. Between finding time to ski and further explore Vermont, competing at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships, and the end of masked classes and office hours over zoom, this semester has been packed with fun opportunities. Being able to ski and hike has been such a special part of going to college in Vermont, and I continue to enjoy these experiences more and more each year. Additionally, competing on the track and cross country teams at Middlebury has been a lot of fun as well as leading to meeting some of my closest friends. I will always be thankful for MVYouth helping to provide me with these opportunities!
Peter Burke - Middlebury College
This fall semester has been quite a different experience from last year as we return to some sense of normalcy after a year in pandemic. The transition to all in person classes has been a welcome change, and I no longer take for granted the opportunities it provides for a collaborative work environment and building relationships with professors. In the past semester, I declared both math and computer science majors, while taking courses in both subjects that presented a new level of interesting challenge. Taking these classes, I enjoyed the intersection of their content, as you could see on a daily basis how the theory of one class could be applied to another. Following this fall, I look forward to continuing this academic track in the spring semester.
This fall also gave me the opportunity to compete on the cross country team for the first time here at Middlebury. While we were able to practice last year during the pandemic, there was still a change in intensity and excitement being in a real season, and I look forward to competing on the track this winter and spring. In addition to competing for the first time, this fall I was given the opportunity to work as a research assistant with one of my academic advisors on a data science project which uses R (a data science coding language) to perform text sentiment analysis. I look forward to working more on this project next semester and further exploring what Middlebury has to offer without the obstacles presented by Covid. I am forever grateful for the generosity of MVYouth and the opportunity it has provided to continue my studies.
Peter Burke - Middlebury College
Despite all of the obstacles Coronavirus has brought, my first semester at Middlebury has provided assurance that my decision to commit early decision was unquestionably correct. In addition to excellent professors and compelling course options, the community I have found among the student body, town, and my cross country team has been optimal. The culture there encourages hard work and collaboration while also enjoying the attractions of Vermont. It felt ike I achieved a great balance between focusing on studies, running plenty, and enjoying my time there. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the professor's willingness to host office hours and provide advice or help. This helped me get the most out of all aspects of the beginning of my time at Middlebury. Coronavirus presented some challenges, as many classes were partially or totally online and interactions with peers were somewhat limited, but all things considered this semester went smoothly. Two of my four classes were completely in person, and I came away with all positive experiences, including online learning. Academically, it was definitely more challenging and independent than in high school, but I was proud of the work I did and how it paid off. Classes such as Linear Algebra and Macroeconomics presented some conceptually difficult topics with interesting connections to the real world. I really appreciated how the professors in all of my classes would highlight these connections to take learning beyond the classroom. On top of academics I was a member of both the men’s cross country and track teams. That has been a great experience as both teams have excellent team culture and the upperclassmen make everyone feel comfortable transitioning to college. Continuing to pursue academics and athletics at Middlebury has left me with all positive takeaways from my first semester. I am looking forward to going back in February to pick up where I left off.