Iulia Sprinceana

Middlebury College, VT

Class of 2007

When people around me ask me simply, ‘’Why Middlebury?” I sit back and think thoroughly, but I rarely come up with a satisfactory answer. I have been studying at Middlebury for three years* and I have come to realize that its campus and entire atmosphere are ineffable, in other words, one must be there, fully immersed in the Vermont scenery to comprehend that the climax of this experience overcomes any words. Middlebury is not just the typical liberal arts top college, engaged in challenging students’ way of thinking. In these years, as an international student, I have been involved in many activities, from the jobs in the library, the research assistantships, the peer tutoring, the summer internships, the cultural shows and events that the ISO (International Students’ Organization) or the COA (Christian Orthodox Association) organize, to my own J-term** workshop of glass icon painting, etc., that it is now that I finally grasp and cherish the extent of the Middlebury commitment with its students.

Perhaps the most rewarding experience has been my junior year abroad in Madrid: here I have had, once again, the opportunity to discover the liberty of spirit that Midd promotes by encouraging and supporting us to study at one of its campuses worldwide, and to take courses at a prestigious university, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, but also to rediscover myself, as a student and as a person.

Middlebury’s renown comes from its large international population, both in the student body as in the faculty; indeed, international students account for 8-10% of the entire student body. I am proud to say that Middlebury is a top school, considering its constant struggle and endeavor dedicated to its international kids and their ‘special needs’. Middlebury has thus become my ‘home sweet home’ away from home-and if Home is where your friends, fellow colleagues and much loved and admired professors are, then, for sure, I have gained a second Home. 

“We have always had such great students from Romania”,  professors and staff unanimously admit at Middlebury. I believe this is a splendid and unique gateway that prospective students must take advantage of: after all, why not choose to study at a school that is so open, that not only fosters students’ capacity to remain on campus and explore the great jobs, internships and fellowships available, but, moreover, allows them to open their wings at 180 degrees by sending them abroad, recognizing that the individual’s growth potential is encountered through diversity and multiculturalism.

I love this school. To paraphrase president John F. Kennedy, “ask not what Middlebury can do for you, but what you can do for Middlebury”, how you, as a student, can bring your own input and contribute to the shaping of this wonderful Vermont community.

*) I have spent my first two academic years (2003-2004, 2004-2005) in the Middlebury main campus in Middlebury, VT, and then I spent my junior year, 2005-2006 at a study abroad site in Madrid, Spain

**) J-term stands for “January Term”, a special term in which a student only registers for one course”