Feb as option on App?

D sent in her ED to Midd with the option of being a Feb (eg she would accept either one). Now she is worried that she will absolutely be a Feb. If you give them the option do they always (or almost always) offer you a Feb spot if you are offered a spot at all?

No.

Foolish not to agree to take either offer if you really want to go. My oldest was a Feb-he loved it. Midd goes out of theri way to welcome the Febs, and it really is special to see them skiing down the hill at the Snow Bowl to accept their diplomae…

@oldbatsieDoc As a non skier it is actually the Snow Bowl graduation that she finds a negative! And yes, as it is an ED app she is bound to take Fall or Feb and I am sure she will be happy either way. As a mom I really feel Feb is a great option for her as she felt the school was a bit big and it seems like the Febs are a tight group throughout al 4 years and beyond.

If she’s accepted she will LOVE being a Feb. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t.

@4junior - I am laughing because my son was worried about the skiing too. We heard on our tour that you can get down the mountain whatever way you want; you do not have to learn to ski. So I joked that, if he were to become a Feb (not his preference), he could be the first person to go down the mountain by dog sled. (He likes dogs.)

@TheGreyKing If he applied to Midd ED and did not check the options stating that he would be open to being a Feb I am under the impression that they will only give him a Sept spot if he gets in ED. So I do not think he has to worry!

Thanks. He did not apply ED1. His comment about skiing was made before our tour in April, and when I read your post, I thought you would enjoy the anecdote. :">
Good luck to your daughter.

Agreeing to matriculate in Feb is a smart move. It increases your chances of being admitted. Those who limit themselves to a Fall start, lose an opportunity to be admitted to both semesters. That said, my oldest said absolutely not, my youngest agreed to Feb and was admitted but chose another LAC in warmer climate. She really didn’t want a Feb start, was anxious to get going, but would have accepted a Feb start if it were her best opportunity. She would have chosen it over some lesser choice colleges. Luckily it didn’t come to that. Supposedly Midd says they only pick strong applicants for their Feb starts.

I think Febs probably need to have a little more social confidence than non-Febs to be comfortable with starting college at a different time from their peers, as well as to have some idea of how they could use the off-months productively. For many students leaving home for the first time, the traditional September start may be much more comfortable. That said, if someone is okay with being a Feb, Middlebury seems to have a really well-developed program for Febs, with a special orientation and a special graduation. I have not yet heard anyone say it was a bad experience for them; Febs seem to enjoy their time at Middlebury.

@preppedparent Did you D get an accept as a Feb in RD, then go elsewhere? I hear conflicting things about whether or not it is truly easier to get in as a Feb. To my mind its a simple math problem; there are more slots. But then I hear it is more of a ‘casting’ thing, that the metrics (in ED, I can’t speak to RD) are the same for both start dates.

@TheGreyKing Agreed, Feb admits seems more suited to outgoing, which D is. That said she has no ‘plans’ for that timeframe and does worry quite a bit about FOMO during the time her friends have started school.

yes, she got accepted as a Feb admit, but went elsewhere. I don’t think its necessarily easier to get into as a Feb admit, but it puts you in a pool willing to go either into Fall or Winter. You still need to be a strong candidate, but you get put into the group of students willing to start late. That may be a smaller pool. But in either case you are being considered in 2 pools instead of 1, so your odds are increased over if you had just applied for Fall alone.

Feb here! From my understanding, only those who pick February only really get placed as Febs in ED. Otherwise, you’ll get deferred and later accepted as a Feb in the Spring. There are of course exceptions, but your D shouldn’t worry about it. Being a part of the Feb community has been one of the highlights of my time here at Middlebury (I’m a senior)! Graduation is a silly thing to worry about as its just a cute tradition and you’re welcome to walk in either (or both!) of the May graduations around your February graduation. You also don’t need to ski down! Sledding, riding lunch trays and rolling are common. Also, its down a very easy trail so a lot of Febs take ski lessons their last J-term so they can manage to get down.

@withoutausername Thanks! But- are you saying that checking the Feb or Fall option in ED1 leads to a deferral somewhat automatically? It kinda sounds that way?!? I was under the impression that they decide if you be a good Feb candidate and place you in either Fall or Feb. Also I would think that they would be happy to fill a Feb spot in ED as it seems like some RD who didn’t really want it are offered Feb spots? (assuming they feel from the app that you be a good feb). If so that’s a pity as D will defiantly ED2 another school if she is deferred. Although it sounds like Midd is one of the few schools where deferred is really deferred vs a polite no it’s still a very small chance to get in once deferred.
ps love your username!

Oh no that’s not what I’m saying at all! All I’m saying is that very few people get accepted as Febs ED (with the exception of those who applied as Feb only). If your daughter gets accepted ED, it will almost certainly be as a reg. If she gets deferred, chances go up that she would later be accepted as a Feb instead of a reg. This happened to a lot of by Feb friends. I have never heard of someone getting “febbed” ED (I applied RD and got febbed). Generally how Febs are admitted, from my understanding, is that they are accepted then “trimmed” by the admissions council as the first round of choosing who gets accepted is always too big. Febs are then “saved” by an individual on the admissions council usually due to some sort of “febby quality” ie an indication that they would thrive with a semester off. Being “saved” in ED tho usually just means being deferred.
Disclaimer: I have no inside knowledge of admissions. I have just read the notes on my admissions file and heard about what my Feb friends saw on theirs.

also @4junior feel free to message me with any questions about Midd! And reach out if your D gets in! I love Midd and love to share about it!

So a couple kids took ski lessons(for phys ed) just so they could ski down the hill-others walked up part way and went down on sleds, or were pulled by a skier!

@withoutausername One of the reasons I really hope Midd offers her a spot is because without pause people who attend or attended speak incredibly highly about their experience. Transformative is a word I hear a lot. While many other schools have a lot of cheerleaders I sense a real sense of joy from those that attend(ed) Midd!

It looks like FEB ED is rare but happens. In their most recent posting about stats for class of 2021, 343 ED 1’s were accepted with 316 for fall and 27 for Feb. Wonder how many of the 27 said Feb only vs either? I would assume no varsity athletes could be Febs, too?

http://www.middlebury.edu/newsroom/archive/2016-news/node/543805