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.