J term and Febs questions

jumpsenior15
Mon, 15 Aug 2016 22:19:39 +0000

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!