Five tips to help Midyears make the ‘Deis transition

Dulong shares her insight and tips for the best Midyear experience.

Orientation leaders dancing as they await the arrival of Midyear students.

Welcome midyears! Like you all did recently, I moved to campus two years ago today (well, technically two years and a couple weeks ago). Being accepted as a midyear is a unique experience, as only about 100 students each year are accepted as midyears, and moving to campus in January can be a daunting experience. Like some of you, I asked myself all sorts of questions before, during, and after moving in. What will this experience be like? How do I establish myself on campus? How can I meet people? Will I make any friends? Trust me, I have been exactly where you all are right now, and I am sure you have heard it before, but it truly does get easier. Whether or not you are worried about the upcoming semester, I have some advice for you. 

Midyear students arriving on the big move in day.

You have almost definitely heard this before, but get involved! There is a club fair at the beginning of spring semester, and whether or not you plan on joining any clubs or activities, it is well worth your time attending. Sign up for a bunch of listservs, even ones for clubs you are only a little bit interested in! You never know when an event or club meeting will catch your eye.

Keep in touch with the other midyears in your class! You don’t have to make every other midyear your best friend for the rest of your college experience, but make sure to keep in touch with some of them. It’s valuable to have other people who understand your experience, especially when you get into junior/senior year and are grappling with graduation requirements and deciding to graduate a semester early or not.

Meeting new friends and getting ready to move in.

Meet with your advisors! I know you are given many advisors in a short period of time and aren’t sure where to begin, or if it is worth the time to meet with them, but trust me, it is. Meeting with your academic advisor ASAP is probably the best advice I can give you all. Figuring out what you want to do and your plan for classes, requirements and graduation is so important for setting up the next four years for you. Especially since many intro courses are only offered in the fall, it is beneficial to know which classes to look out for. Outside academic advising, I would recommend meeting with any advisors that reach out to you, even if it’s just to get things off your chest, or ask general questions about campus or life at Brandeis. 

Make a point to understand Workday and Latte and how they function ASAP. You will likely figure out Latte from using it during this semester. Workday is a relatively new program so everyone is still learning, and knowing how to sign up for classes, plan your registration appointments and put together schedules and such is such an important tool, especially for later semesters. It would only be to your advantage to understand how Workday works as soon as possible.

Go outside! I know it can be hard, especially with covid to meet new people, but even just choosing to sit in the SCC, Farber library, or Upper Usdan to do work, you would be surprised who you end up talking to.

I hope this advice helps you, even a little bit, and if anyone wants to reach out for more advice or anything please feel free!