Interview with Peter Jenkins, Middlebury College

Interview with Peter Jenkins, Middlebury College

Interviewer: Thanks so much for agreeing to join.

Peter: No worries.

Interviewer: So, I’m super excited, and again, second interview ever for Campus Overload, so the big thing is just getting to know you and learning about how you ended up at Middlebury College. We really want to learn about why you and other students choose the colleges that they end up at because there are so many good options and I know you’re kind of coming from growing up in New England so, my first question is really just…

…how’d you end up at Middlebury? How did you go about making the decision to go there? Obviously it’s a great school and we would all love to hear your story.

Peter: So, I think first and foremost, I went to a small liberal arts high school in Massachusetts and that was a really, really good fit for me. I went to public school all the way up until high school and making the transition to a smaller, more individual-focused atmosphere was a really good choice for me, so I was looking for a college or university that kind of mimicked that, I think. It was just a situation where I saw myself thriving, and really enjoying the place I was at, which naturally kind of led me to a NESCAC. For those who don’t know, NESCAC’s are a small strong band of schools in New England, and in my case they are close to home. The key about Middlebury for me was really that they hold community at their core. I think that’s something that I really value, you know it’s an institution that prioritizes undergraduate studies, small class sizes, extracurriculars things like that which were all really important to me. I also enjoy, you know, the natural side of things here. We’re near the mountains, lots of skiing, beautiful golf courses, so in considering attending the school, Middlebury had a lot to offer. And then one last thing I would say about it is just even kind of from an eye test, you know, Middlebury was a place that everybody I mentioned it to had something nice to say about it. I think there are a lot of schools that that’s true for but you know, I really wanted to be in a place that I felt like exuded a positive energy and that people really felt good about.

Interviewer: That’s awesome. I’m very partial as you know, I grew up in Vermont and went to Middlebury football games growing up, so it was super easy for me to understand why someone would want to go to school there. It’s like a very specific feel and so I’m really curious…

…did you have a plan B? Were you really focused on New England or were there other top options that you were looking at?

Peter: It’s a great question. So, Middlebury was my first choice. I did apply here early decision but I I was really kind of between a lot of options. I never really narrowed it down to more than a top five, and I just ended up kind of going with the gut feeling when it came time for early decision. I felt like I wanted to use it because it was my best chance to get into Middlebury, and I was really interested in it, and early decision was really by best chance of getting into any of the top schools I was looking at. But I looked, I looked at a lot of NESCAC schools. Bowdoin was another school I was really excited about. Boston College… Boston College is definitely a lot closer to home for me, which I wasn’t sure whether that was something I wanted or not. But I think Middlebury to me felt like it had the most balance of all the schools I was looking at and that was really what I was looking for because I felt like that kind of mirrored myself. I’m somebody that enjoys a lot of different things and takes part in a lot of different things, and I felt like Middlebury was a good place for me to continue that.

Interviewer: That’s such a great breakdown of the process. I know the process can be a ton of work just trying to apply. I know some students apply to dozens of schools which is like a full-time job.

So around what time did early decision get decided for Middlebury?

Peter: Middlebury is actually very early, so I remember I found out around December 15th which, a lot of my friends had not even submitted their applications yet, so that that was pretty accelerated, which definitely called for some planning. I had started working on applications for a number of other schools before then, which I just never ended up submitting, and I applied to UVM as well, and I was thinking I was probably going to do early decision to Bowdoin if I didn’t get into Middlebury, so I guess that that was hopefully a backup plan if that had materialized.

Interviewer: Oh, that’s interesting, yeah. I did early decision too when I applied, but I didn’t think about the extra early timing of Middlebury. You could even do another early decision to another school, so that’s great. So you get into Middlebury in this great scenario where it’s your number one choice and now you want to make the most of it. You get in not everyone gets that opportunity where they go into their first choice…

What, what does that look like kind of getting to campus and what’d you kind of sign up for initially? Of course, you have to organize class schedules and prepare for a challenging academic environment, but what are the things you’re involved with on campus? Anything just for fun? Student organizations?

Peter: So, there’s two student organizations that I’m pretty involved with. One is the Student Investment Committee. It’s completely student-run, but, but it’s really, really well done. It has a very professional atmosphere, there’s a lot of networking opportunities, it’s very career-oriented. But it also is low-stakes, you know they recognize that we’re young people and have a long time ahead of us before joining the workforce, so it’s a really good environment. I feel like I’ve learned an incredible amount in a little more than one semester and I didn’t know the first thing about finance before coming to Middlebury and now it’s what I want to do professionally so that’s been a really positive opportunity. And the other thing is club soccer. I played soccer all the way through high school. And I didn’t get recruited to play in college, but I really wanted to continue it. And the club soccer here at Middlebury is incredible. It’s so much fun. It’s a great group of guys, with a really strong social scene outside of the field and there’s a whole bunch of ways to get involved, which is, honestly, the best part. We have weekly pickup, but then we have formal games. I play in a Monday night rec league, which I mentioned last time I saw you, in Shelburne, which is an absolute blast. So that’s been a really, really positive experience as well.

Interviewer: That’s cool. Did you guys win that game? I forget if I asked that.

Peter: We did, we did. We have been absolutely just playing fantastic lately. We haven’t lost a game. We’ve been winning by a lot our last two games. I think we won by an average of like 14 goals.

Interview: That is an insane score for soccer.

Peter: I know, that being said, that is not the standard. When we’ve played a couple of teams like UVM it’s definitely been a lot more competitive. Yeah.

Interviewer: Some of the club teams out there are no joke. It’s like, you’ve got some teams that could play in college.

Peter: Exactly. So yeah, it’s really good competition.

Interviewer: Yeah. Officially a soccer state right? With UVM being the national champs.

Peter: I know, I know, which is awesome. Everybody at Middlebury was rooting for UVM. So, I watched the game from home over winter break.

Interviewer: Yeah. That was so fun. Yeah. Another testament to Vermont’s culture. But yeah, so I think we kind of confirmed you’re in your first year and so you’re just kind of getting your feet wet and diving into certain things at Middlebury. Still plenty of time to take advantage of more opportunities and that kind of thing, but…

…just on those two notes, the investment committee, and then club soccer, for new students or students that maybe they don’t commit to that stuff right away in their first year. Let’s start with the investment committee. Is that kind of a situation where you show interest and then you just join a meeting or do you have to apply?

Peter: Yeah, so at Middlebury, and I think this is a function of the fact that, you know, it’s a small school, once you’re on campus, a lot of kind of barriers to entry for things are, are pretty low. It’s really an atmosphere that encourages reaching out for more. So we had a club fair at Middlebury my first week during orientation. And there were literally like 200 booths set up on the main lawn. And you could literally just walk around, talk to all the club leaders, get information and sign up. So, for me, it was as simple as writing my email down and getting on a mailing list. That being said, there are ways to get further involved. For example, in the investment committee, it’s actually run basically like a small hedge fund. There’s a whole different hierarchy of levels of responsibility within the club and there are opportunities to move up and down within that. Like, I recently just got promoted from analyst to senior analyst, which is the highest you can do as a freshman. You have to be a sophomore to apply for some of the other positions, but joining in the first place, the same with club soccer, is really as simple as reaching out and showing that you’re interested. But then within that, there’s a whole slew of things you can do to gain more responsibility if that’s what you want.

Interviewer: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And then just from like a building community standpoint and again, kind of living in New England, growing up in New England a bit, you’re familiar with the culture. Obviously, it changes in different pockets a bit.

But would you say those have been your two best commitments for meeting students in your class and others that are sophomores, juniors, and seniors? So, you can kind of branch out from your class as a first year?

Peter: Yeah, I actually would. Definitely the investment committee. One thing that’s unique about it is really how big of a range of students there are. You know, even within some of my kind of smaller industry groups, we have freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and everybody’s working collaboratively. There’s also a really, really strong culture of mentorship in that club. You know, I’ve had seniors, some of who have already graduated since I’ve been here and faculty as well that took me under their wing and given me their phone numbers like the first time meeting them, saying, ‘Please reach out if you need anything.’ So, I think that’s also a testament to the people at Middlebury. I think, like I said, I think it goes back to the emphasis on community. People are really here for the people and they’re doing everything they can to empower each other here. So, and club soccer has been similar. You know, it’s definitely a more informal setting, but you know, everybody’s treated as just one of the guys on the team, so I’ve had a great time meeting a bunch of kids older than me.

Interviewer: That’s awesome. I think you offer a great description of just the structure of leadership, even within the student body where, like you just said, immediately, it’s like, here’s my cell number, check in if you need anything. And exactly. It makes it feel like home right away, which is great. So another common thing on all these exciting things that you, and other students are involved in, I think students and families and parents that are worried about sending their kids off to college for the first time, it’s like…

…how do you manage all that? So that’s my next question is, yeah, you have all these things you’re doing, but how do you personally structure it where it doesn’t get overwhelming from a time management standpoint or a workload standpoint? Do you have a system to organize all that?

Peter: Yeah, I think planning, as you mentioned, is really important. And in full transparency, that was something I struggled with in high school. I struggled a lot with procrastination or doing a poor job of prioritizing certain tasks. So, I think when I came here, I really sought out to change that. I think a key to college life in general is really maximizing efficiency. I think whatever you do, it’s in your best interest to do it to the best of your ability and as quickly as possible. And that’s not even just pertinent to work. I think, you know, the less time you spend doing work, the more time you get to enjoy the social side of college. I think it’s important to have balance and good planning provides for kind of preserving that balance and not letting things that come up here and there really erode your ability to enjoy all the parts of college. I also think taking care of yourself is really important. People forget that. And, you know, if you’re not taking care of yourself, everything becomes exponentially harder. So, I think it’s very easy, especially at a school with rigorous academics, to kind of take the prioritizing academics and run with that and leave yourself behind. So, I think, you know, making sure to make time and space for yourself is really important as well.

Interviewer: Yeah, I think one of the best quotes I’ve heard just kind of consistently, as an undergrad student, and then I try to send it forward and pay it forward as advice to students now, is that being in college, you have this large academic commitment. And as we know, students are now taking one, two, three majors and a minor. Then they do clubs and internships and externships, there are so many buzzwords and experiences these days. So, there’s kind of the academic bucket, the extracurricular bucket, and then you have the social bucket. And I was told at any point, you can only manage two of those fully and you have to forget the other one for the time being. Sometimes I ramble. The actual advice as it was given to me was much more succinct. I was a student-athlete and my coach told me, “There is school, baseball, and your social life. Pick two.” So, like you’re saying, planning ahead, staying organized, but also being committed enough are all important things. So, no, I think that’s a great thing. And I think even in your first year, it seems like you’ve settled in from that first semester, especially transitioning back to the spring. And maybe it’s easy to do at Middlebury just because you’ve immersed yourself with all these different clubs and people and in your small community.

So, now that you’ve kind of gotten all those things organized, and you can manage them pretty well, are there any surprises that you weren’t expecting as a first year getting to Middlebury? And you’ve kind of laid out these things. You’re addressing your career interests and goals and pursuing things in those areas. You’re staying healthy and having fun with club soccer. Is there anything that is just totally different in college than you were expecting?

Peter: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if I should say it’s so surprising because I think at some level I was expecting it, but I have been taken aback a little bit at kind of the level of, you know, how students are really treated like adults. I think it’s actually been a refreshing thing. I think in most scenarios here, we’re treated like equals to our professors and we’re really given the same respect that that we give to professors. And that’s really nice. I think, you know, you’re given a lot of new responsibility and independence. You’re not watched over like you might feel like you are in high school or at home. And, you know, I would acknowledge that that is in some ways a double-edged sword. It’s very easy, like you said, to fall into habits of being unproductive or to prioritizing what you want or what you feel like you should be doing. You know, so I think, like I said, maintaining balance is important and good planning. Well-structured days, weeks, et cetera, really can help to kind of manage that responsibility. But it is in turn really a blessing and definitely an opportunity for people to grow into themselves and build skills for adult life.

Interviewer: Yeah. Yeah. And even like the laundry side of that and like trying to cook for yourself. Well, you’ve got cafeterias, but sometimes you need to cook and that kind of thing.

Peter: So, you know, I fall victim to the laundry thing a bit. It builds up sometimes.

Interviewer: I know, I’ve got some horror stories. I was like fourth floor, no elevator in a dorm and the laundry was in the basement. That was a huge obstacle back in the day. But no, again, so, yeah, that big shift, you’re closer to home a bit being in New England. And some of those things aren’t different even if you go to school in California, you still have laundry and all those responsibilities on that note of independence. And I think we kind of talked about like we confirmed your interest with the investment club and business as a potential career path and some of those areas or careers that you might consider in the future, and through my full-time job, obviously, we’re hoping that you’ll explore that through our program as well.

But can we just confirm kind of what your major is at this point, if it’s declared, and then what you’re thinking moving forward for building experience and what career you’re hoping to go into?

Peter: Yeah. So as for now, I am technically an undeclared major. That being said, I intend on majoring in economics and I’ve explored potentially either a minor in computer science or Spanish, that’s something I’m definitely less sure about. But economics is definitely my intended major for now. I think definitely a strong driver of that was my career interests in finance. I think I’m primarily interested in investment banking, but also exploring opportunities in private equity, working at a hedge fund, venture capital, things like that. So economics is definitely, I think, the most applicable major we have at Middlebury, seeing as we don’t have finance courses or business school or anything like that. But it’s also just something I’ve genuinely been interested in. You know, my high school didn’t offer economics, so I’ve never had an opportunity to explore it before. And, you know, whether or not we like it or not, money in many ways makes the world go around. So, I think understanding that and financial systems and the ways financial systems kind of intersect with all other aspects of life is really interesting to me. So, yeah, I took microeconomics first semester and I’m in macroeconomics right now. And I’ve really, really enjoyed it.

Interview: Oh, yeah. It’s nice to just dive in and have that access, have some of those smaller classrooms, if that’s your learning preference, which is mine as well. And sometimes you have that experience where you think to yourself, ‘I really enjoy this. I’m going to continue,’ or it’s the opposite. And that’s good info as well. Or, ‘I’m going to not do that as much. And I’ll kind of change directions.’

Yeah, so in terms of like the influence of how you make those decisions. So, again, you’re fortunate you got into the number one school that you wanted to go to. You’re enjoying the classes that you’ve chosen so far. Did you kind of come to those interests on your own in some ways? And I’m sure there’s truth to that. But is there influence from family or friends that are doing things that are similar? Or is it really kind of independent at this point?

Peter: I would say it’s a bit of both. You know, neither one of my parents works in finance, so I didn’t have any direct kind of influence in that sense. That being said, and I actually wrote one of my Tuck Bridge essays about this, but I had a car ride this summer where my dad and I talked about finance. And it was really a long car ride. And it was really the first time I had really thought about it before. And for some reason, it felt almost eye-opening to me. And my dad had actually told me that he thought I would make a great investment banker. And at the time, I didn’t even know what an investment banker was. So, I think I’m somebody who, at least I would like to say, is intellectually curious. And that really kind of set me down a path of trying to learn what that meant, what that might look like, and what that entailed from my current place. So, in that sense, I was definitely influenced. He kind of sent me down the rabbit hole. That being said, it’s almost been entirely self-motivated since I have been really kind of diving into it head first. And that’s really been all driven by me. So, I guess I would say I’m appreciative of the influences in my life. And even, you know, people like my roommate who also is interested in finance; he and I kind of bounce things off of each other and help each other learn through the process. So I’m definitely, you know, cognizant of that. But also, I guess I take pride in my own kind of devotion to it and my own drive.

Interviewer: Yeah, yeah, for sure. And so just for the sake of time, we will probably do like two quick questions. One will be like specific, as you said, and then I will do like a broad kind of finish.

Peter: Absolutely.

Interviewer: Yeah, it’s what I’ve really enjoyed as a professional in the higher education industry and then talking to students from, again, first year and you’re making the most of that time already, all the way up to seniors and recent grads. Our first Campus Overload interview was about a student at Bates. This one’s about Middlebury. No formal business studies, like you said, but it sounds like it’s very prevalent on many campuses if you want to access it.

But more like a direct Middlebury question. Are there things that like the Career Center or different programs that they promote or different opportunities that they share with students? Does Middlebury’s career center showcase opportuninties around business or around other topics that they don’t offer for curriculum that you’ve accessed or that you’re going to access?

Peter: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I would definitely give a shout-out to the CCI here on campus, which is the Center for Careers and Internships. They have a really great, you know, system of kind of just dumping information out for those who need it. They send out weekly newsletters with internship opportunities. They do a great job of attracting firms to come to campus. So, it’s a great opportunity for students to go learn in informational sessions to kind of meet with industry professionals and kind of network, and learn about some of the opportunities out there. So, taking advantage of that has definitely been good. We also have advisors that work at the CCI that you can set up meetings with. And then also the investment committee has been really, really helpful for me. They do a great job of letting younger kids know what’s out there, how we can get involved and kind of empowering us to do so. Like I said, there’s a strong culture of mentorship that’s really applicable.

Interviewer: Yeah, no, that’s great. That’s a great way to put it. I think, again, it just reminds me of the big shift of transitioning from high school to college. And it’s this four-year window that flies by even faster than high school where you want to make the most of your time on campus, and then another huge shift where you’re transitioning either to grad school or your first job, or both in some way. On that note, as a first year, you’ve got a full term or semester under your belt and you’re kind of working your way through this one. I’m sure testing of some kind is coming up. There are always tests, midterms, all those things. But yeah, the last kind of broad general question.

Do you have any advice for making the most of your first year of college? What would it be? What’s your number one tip?

Peter: Yeah, it’s a great question. It is in some ways ‘the question’. I think I would definitely encourage people to put themselves out there and to take risks. I remember as a freshman in high school, I heard a student give a speech at our school. And he said that the one thing he regretted was not fully taking advantage of everything the school had to offer and not trying new things. And there’s a quote that I really like that basically says you either win or you learn. So, I’m a huge proponent of trying new things. I think, you know, putting yourself out there, you’re either going to find something you never knew you loved or you hate it. And you know you hate it and you never have to do it again. And I think that’s also in some ways the beauty of college, and something also that drove me to Middlebury. I wanted to be at a place that encouraged, you know, diverse interests and exploratory learning. And I really would encourage anybody to, you know, dip their feet in the water and a whole bunch of places and really figure out what they love. Because, you know, the world is their oyster. And I think, you know, being intentional, like you said, is important, making the most of your time. But also having fun along the way and making memories. I think it’s unfair to acknowledge that many people consider college the most fun four years of their life. And I think in some ways, while you can regret not taking advantage of the opportunities, you can also regret, you know, not enjoying your time. So, like I said, everything needs to be in balance. But really put yourself out there, learn about as many different things and as many different ways from as many different people and have fun along the way.

Interviewer: I think that’s perfect. It’s a great spot to stop. Obviously, a huge thank you for making the time. What a wonderful conversation. I know it’s hard to find time in your busy schedule, but absolutely, let’s end on your enthusiastic note of ‘try new things, enjoy them, or don’t, and make decisions based on that.’

Peter: Exactly.

Interviewer: And one thing you can’t forget about is having fun. That’s the number one for sure.