We hope you all are getting excited for your first semester at Brandeis!! This incoming semester is going to be amazing! Right now we are sure you are feeling a bit nervous not knowing what to expect but also really happy to finally begin what will be an incredible time of your life. As fellow midyears ourselves, we thought it would be helpful to offer you some words of wisdom and advice (that we wish people had told us), which we hope will help make your transition into college life seamless. Also, if you have any questions feel free to e-mail us and we’d be happy to answer them!
Andrea Stern ‘14 (astern14@brandeis.edu):
Take care of your transfer credits early: During orientation Irene Widugiris (who is in charge of transfer credit) holds a workshop where she explains the process of transferring your outside credits. Don’t want too long before taking care of this because oftentimes people don’t realize that classes they took count for fewer credits, or can’t be applied to your “university credits.” Trust me- don’t wait because you will be sorry if you do!
Get involved: Midyears tend to be some of the most involved students on campus because they arrive at Brandeis and immediately hit the ground running. Make sure to attend the Activities Fair, which will take place during one of the first few weeks of school- It is the best place to learn about all of the different clubs and organizations on campus. If you are already thinking about what you want to join, look at the list here:
Take advantage of these awesome services that most midyears don’t find out about until much later during their time at Brandeis
Leave your door open: It’s crazy how many people I met my midyear semester by just leaving my door open.
Spend your points wisely: I can’t tell you how many of my friends spent their points so quickly in the beginning of the semester and ended up not having any left half way through. Food especially at the C-store is expensive in comparison to supermarket prices, so think twice before reaching for that bag of cookies. Also in terms of the meal plan I recommend the one with 10 meals a week.
Explore Waltham, Cambridge, and Boston: While you might love being on campus and do not want to miss out on awesome events, make sure to take advantage of Boston, Cambridge, and even Waltham. Brandeis offers a shuttle that takes you into Boston and Cambridge Thursday-Sunday and the Bran Van that takes you into Waltham. If you are sick of eating in the dining halls and need a change of scenery I highly suggest gathering a group of friends and exploring all that Massachusetts has to offer!
Morgan Montgomery-Rice ’13 (mamr@brandeis.edu):
Integrate yourself into the community at Brandeis, especially since the midyears are put into the village, which can isolate you off from the rest of the class of 2016.
Try and make friends outside of the 100 other midyear students: When I look at my friend group four years later, many of my friends were midyears with me, but another large chunk of them were regular admits too.
Talk to people in your classes, get involved in a club or drama productions, play intramural sports, etc.: The more you involve yourself, the more people you will interact with and the more people you interact with, the higher your likelihood of finding those friends that are right for you.
In the end, if you ever have trouble, reach out to another midyear. There are a bunch of us on campus, and we LOVE each other. Its an instantaneous bond, and any one of us would be willing to reach out of you in a heartbeat!
Marissa Cecala ’14 (mcecala@brandeis.edu):
· The Village is an amazing place to live—enjoy it while you can.
· Even if you are best friends with your roommate at the beginning of the semester, do not be upset if that friendship falls apart during the spring semester.
· Stay true to who you are—you do not need to impress anyone by acting like something you are not.
· Eat at Usdan even though it is far away because Usdan’s food is WAY better than Sherman’s.
· Don’t eat too many Einstein’s bagels.
· Try to take classes that interest you and that are appropriate for someone in their first semester. Do not take a class that is over your head—no matter how well you did in high school. College is very different, and it takes a semester or two to get used to the structure and grading of college classes.
· Do not get drunk to the point where you have to go to the hospital because it is not “cute” and ambulance/hospital bills can cost $2,000 to $3,000—your parents will be really angry and you will be known as the girl or guy who got BEMCOed the first weekend of the semester
· Know your limits with alcohol, and don’t feel like you have to drink a lot to be cool.
· Be safe at off campus parties. There are some sketchy older guys/girls who may try to convince you to do things that you are not comfortable with—be firm with your boundaries.
· Try not to get behind on your schoolwork.
· Do not be surprised if your faculty advisor is not helpful, but spend the time to find one who is! You do not have to use the one you are assigned to.
· Talk to the Roosevelt Fellows at Academic Services.
· Have fun, and work hard!
· There is so much to learn academically and personally.
Danielle Miller ’14 (dmiller2@brandeis.edu):
Office Hours: If you do have issues either understanding the material in your classes or keeping up with the workload then go to your professor’s office hours– they want you to do well and they have great advice to give you. There are also have TA’s, BUGS (Brandeis University Group Study) and your classmates who are more then willing to help you out if you need it.
Take advantage of the Shopping period: I know you have all chosen your classes, but Brandeis offers a great opportunity to shop classes in the first two weeks of the semester. If you are unsure of the classes you chose, make sure to shop them especially you are worried that a class you are enrolled in might be too difficult- trust your gut. Shop and see if there is another class that you are more comfortable in. You have time to take challenging classes and you want to ease into your semester. You will not be penalized for changing your classes.
Bond through cooking: Every section of The Village shares a kitchen, which is awesome if you want to cook with your fellow midyears and host a “Pancake Sunday” or a Shabbat dinner. You all will be very close to one another, which is a great because that means you will get to know each other better.
We hope you found this information helpful. Can’t wait to meet all of you soon!