About a year ago, I finally started my college adventure. The day was January 8th, 2015, a day I was counting down to since I graduated high school. Even though I experienced mixed feelings such as confusion, joy, and loneliness during my semester off, I do not regret being a midyear. So for those who have different feelings about Midyears, here are “Perks of Being a Midyear”.
1. You will never have this intentional time off.
A semester is the perfect length to travel, spend time with family, earn money, relax, basically whatever you want to do. You worked so hard during those four years in high school, achieved great grades from working day and night, participated in extracurricular activities, etc. Most likely, you need a little time off. Yes, you have the summer, but think about this semester off as an extended summer. You don’t have to stress about midterms or finals (if you don’t take classes), you can earn some extra money for college, and in the meantime, look forward to the day you move into college. No need for a full gap year!
2. You save money.
Depending on what you do, you save yourself a whole semester worth of tuition. After 3.5 years of college, those loans add up. If you’re worried about being behind in classes, most midyears graduate in 3.5 years due to AP credits or classes taken during the semester off.
3. You get to live in one of the best dorms on campus.
Recently built, the Village is one of the newest and nicest buildings to live in. There are multiple kitchens on each floor where you are free to cook, high pressured showers, various lounges to study or talk, the list goes on and on. A majority of the rooms are singles so you might get a room to yourself!
4. The midyear class is smaller.
It might be overwhelming to meet an enormous amount of people all at once. Every year the midyear class is about 100 students, making it easier to match names and faces together and create deeper relationships. We all knew what was like to have a semester off and because of that, the midyear class has a special bond.
As you can see, being a midyear is pretty great. So for those who are discouraged when you find out you are accepted as a midyear, take a look at this list and weigh out the pros and cons. Most likely, the pros will outweigh the cons.