Owen Ou, '29

Hometown: Hangzhou, China

Languages: Chinese, English, French

High School: UWC Changshu China

Major: Undecided

Main Extracurricular Activities: Ultimate Frisbee Club(Pranksters), Language in Motion, Middlebury Mountain Club.  

Why did you choose to attend Middlebury?

Hi! I’m Owen, and I’m from UWC Changshu China. There were a lot of reasons I chose Middlebury; the culture, the international community, the academic rigor, but let’s be honest: the real reason was the Snowbowl. I’m obsessed with snowboarding, so the idea of having a ski mountain basically in my backyard was… irresistible. I also enjoy hiking and being outside, and Middlebury’s campus is basically in the middle of nature and nowhere. And I love the Ultimate Frisbee team, the Pranksters. You can tell from the name that we have a lot of parties!

Coming from UWC, I honestly didn’t really know the difference between a liberal arts college and a university, other than the fact that liberal arts schools don’t make you lock in a major on day one. Middlebury really leans into that freedom, and now I’m doing sound design for theatre shows, learning why corals grow on the south coast but not the east, and making  jokes in French that friends hate.

What surprised me most is how naturally my UWC experience carried over to Middlebury. Midd feels like UWC but scaled up: I still procrastinate, I still do silly things with friends from all over the world, and somehow it all works out. It’s really not that serious- and that’s exactly what I love about it.

A fun fact for anyone researching schools

If I could time-travel back to when I was choosing colleges, the first thing I’d do is open Spotify, search “Midd Kid” by The Allen Jokers, hit play, and I probably won’t hesitate anymore.

What do you hope to be doing in five years? 

Honestly, I haven’t decided on a major yet, so predicting the future feels a little tricky. But I do know the kind of life I want to be living. In five years, I hope I’m traveling the world. Maybe doing theatre in France, sailing across the Pacific, scuba diving in Australia, and saying “yes” to all the unexpected things in between. 

What I really want is to be someone who’s comfortable with uncertainty, curious about everything, and excited to wake up every day not totally knowing what comes next. And I think the next four years at Middlebury will give me exactly the skills and the mindset to do that. The freedom to explore, try a bit of everything, and grow into someone who can take on whatever adventure comes next