J term and Febs questions

So I was surprised to learn that Midd requires students to stay on campus in January to take a class, and it doesn’t exactly appeal to me much since I would rather have one long break than two short ones, and I live 5 hours away and can’t go back and forth easily.
Do Midd students find it nice because you can take just one class? Or do people dislike it because they don’t get much of a break and they feel too stressed all the time? Also, what can you do for the two terms off-campus? Can you get a month-long internship for credit? Or do most people just do a study abroad term instead?
For Febs, I do not want to be accepted as a Feb student as class of 2021.5. Is it true that some people are accepted as a Feb even if they choose the September only option on the application? If so, how many and can you negotiate out of it?
thanks!

Ricka8, hi

I’ve just found this dosvussion, and perhaps I can help a little. For background, I’m an alum, and an alum interviewer in Europe. I keep in reasonably close touch with Midd as my folks don’t live far away, and I give guest lectures up there every now and again.

January Term (J-Term) is one of the best bits about Midd – yrs, you do take “one class”, but there are some important caveats around that.

First, the aim is to do a semester’s worth of work in four weeks (a bit like Colorado College’s block system), so it is much more intensive: and this isn’t just hype – if you’re a language student, you will do a semester’s worth of work in a month…. and your friends will see you in Spring Semester.

Second, for non-language students, the course offerings are really varied: I took two very memorable courses on War and Race & Ethnicity in public education. Better still, the faculty tend to teach stuff that they’re researching, and outside faculty/alums come back to teach specific courses: in fact, I’m hoping to do just that in J-Term 2018 or 19 with a course on nuclear proliferation and international law with some colleagues from the Middlebury Institute in Monterey.

Third, for seniors writing a thesis, J-Term is crucial in getting much of the drafting done – it’s four weeks without other term paper pressure, and allowed me the time to focus on the writing in a way that regular term time did not.

Fourth, J-Term is also brilliant fun – think: Snowbowl. It’s a different vibe and being able to get out and play in the Vermont winter is a wonderful – I can’t think for a second why you’d want to voluntarily give this up. In short, J-Term is completely fab.

On Feb/not Feb, the first challenge is to get in; as these boards make clear, the competition is intense, and admissions decline many very capable students who’d have made great Middkids every year. I see it in the alumni interviews I conduct, which is both heartening (the quality of the prospectives I see is usually very high) and somewhat sad (some great kids don’t get in, but almost all go somewhere good).

So on that basis, the question is this: would you turn down a Midd Feb offer? I applied for September and got it, but if they’d said it’s Feb or nothing, then of course I’d have taken it. The second thing about Febs is that you’re only five credits out of sync with your class – and over three and a half years, that’s easily recouped if you really want to graduate in Jun 2021.

So how badly do you want Midd? If you only want it on your terms, I’m afraid that it’s not a very attractive look.

Hope this helps,

CP

Thanks @“Contented Panther”! Very helpful.

You’re very welcome- lmk if you’ve other questions, and do apply: it isn’t for everyone, but it is wonderful if it is right for you.

I just finished my first year at Midd as a reg and absolutely loved it. I live 5-7 hours away (depending on traffic) and I actually loved having shorter breaks during the winter than a long one. Most of my friends were sitting at home and bored while I was up at Midd having an amazing time! I actually spent my J-Term getting my EMT certification which was extremely intense but also really rewarding. While I spent almost my entire day (7am-5pm) training and riding ambulances, a lot of my friends took really laid back and interesting classes. I have friends who took Swahili, ASL, Japanese boat building (where they actually built a boat), Immunology, Reproductive Medicine, Storytelling in Orientalism and Islamic Culture, Poetry, Adventure Writing, Boxing in American Cinema, Cartographic Designs and so many more (that was just my close friend group). Even though we didn’t have the best ski season last year (really hoping for an awesome winter this year), I had friends on the slopes every afternoon or morning. Most classes meet 2-4 times a week for a few hours a day, so while there’s a lot of work for one class, there’s plenty of time to get it all done and have fun (and there’s a lot more than just skiing if you’re not into that). Also, it’s a great time to drive up to Montreal for 3 day weekends with friends. J-term is definitely the biggest stress reliever at Midd. Some people love it so much, they also just hang out on campus for Feb Break. Most first-years and sophomores stay on campus for J-term, but there are also tons of opportunities for internships, research, or different independent projects. Its also a nice buffer for the ~75% of juniors who study abroad fall or spring semester, different countries have students starting and ending at different times and it makes traveling easier.

And as far as Febs, I would want to go to Midd regardless of start time. Some of my close friends are Febs and no one’s really bothered by the late start. Some of my friends chose, and one wanted to be a reg but accepted when she was offered admission as a Feb. They all love it and it’s not something to shy away from. You can do a lot with a “febmester.” From backpacking solo through Europe, working at a small startup company, or interning somewhere, there are a lot of opportunities. It’s also really fun to graduate at the end of January since they get their diplomas after skiing/snowboarding/sledding/rolling down the Snow Bowl. Hope this helps!

My son was a feb or nothing…He was thrilled to get the chance to attend Midd. You can’t negotiate out of it for the most part, but there are lots the college does to make you feel welcome.
We live 5 hours away…the Christmas break is long enough to stay home doing nothing in my opinion-longer breaks are really just a waste of time when you can’t get a job and are just sitting around.

J-term is one of the very best things about attending Middlebury. Plain and simple. I genuinely believe that had I gone to a school without J-term I would have been missing out.

I went to Williams where there was also a one-class term in January. Almost everyone loved that time of year-- you got to socialize a lot and try out new and interesting subjects. It was less intense than other times of year-- the joy of learning without the stress of grades and lots of work. There was a lot of time on your hands just to enjoy being with friends.

@OldbatesieDoc. My daughter did not check off that she would like to be a Feb. However, she would accept that if that was her only option. Do you know if Midd would potentially offer it even it she did not check it off? BTW, my son is at Bates:)

@felice123 it’s my understanding that in the ED round they will not offer a student Feb admission unless the student specifically checked the box indicating they would be willing to consider Feb. In the regular round, however, I do believe they will offer a Feb spot even if interest in Feb admission was not indicated on the application…

My son did NOT check off he would like to be a Feb. He was wait-listed, and was one of 40 kids to come off the wait list that year. He was ONLY offered Feb admission at that time.
My other Midd son was a recruited athlete, so he got accepted for the regular academic schedule.
My Feb son really did enjoy his special status. Driving up in all the snow, and seeing all the students with signs saying “welcome Febs!” brought tears to my eyes-and still does! They really do go out of their way to integrate the Febs fully into Campus life.

I wish she had checked that box! Btw, she posted a chance me and you gave her an 80%. Hope you were right!!!

@felice123 did your daughter apply ED?

yup

Good luck to her! At least she’ll find out very soon!

Thanks!

Hey guys, I’m a junior feb at Middlebury (so just finished up my sophomore year). I can say that J-term is incredible. The stress levels are way down, everyone is skiing or hiking or getting in snowball fights etc. It is a lot easier to have time to get off campus to Montreal or Burlington and people are just having a lot of fun. The classes themselves vary quite a bit. Some people just take J-term off (you are only required to partake in your freshman and senior J-terms), others do off campus internships, take really laid back classes, do research with a professor on campus, get an EMT certification or take a language intensively. Winter break is 3 weeks long, which is plenty of time in my opinion, and I do not go home during Feb break, its just one week and lots of people stay on campus or plan vacations with friends (last year I did a Canadian road trip).
As for your second question…I was “febbed,” I applied with September preference RD and was accepted only as a feb. They reserve the right to do this, though they try to respect your wishes. If you apply ED and they accept you as a feb even though you had September preference, you get out of your ED contract. However, being a feb was an incredible experience for me. Admissions is pretty good at figuring out what people will benefit from a “febmester.” I travelled and worked as a waitress. I matured so much during that time off, and when I got to college I was really excited to be there and no longer burned out from high school.

Hi - I think there is something to be said for taking that break between HS and College. It may not work for everyone but if you are accepted for Feb it does give you that built in break. Does anyone know what the acceptance rate is if you request to start in Feb instead of Sept?