I couldn't believe it. I was accepted. The hell of checking the mailbox every day after school was finally over. I raced up to my guidance counselor's office the next day, dying to share my good news with her.
With a look of pity and a hesitant smile, she told me, "Don't worry. We don't have to tell anyone you're a midyear." In complete shock, I left her office trying desperately not to break down into hysterical sobs. Apparently, I had accomplished less than everyone else in my class, and my status as a midyear was something to hide and be ashamed of.
In my first semester at Brandeis, I have felt as though I am constantly defending my intelligence and that of my fellow midyear students. It seemed as though the majority of people at Brandeis and elsewhere automatically correlate the word midyear with stupidity.

I'm not going to lie. Having an extended summer with no homework or classes to worry about wasn't all bad. I mean, who wouldn't love to lie back and watch a good movie while listening to all your friends moan and groan about all the homework and studying they need to cram in? After a while, though, the complaining fades in light of all the newfound freedom they're enjoying and the great new friends they're making. Sitting around waiting for people to come home for a weekend gets old quickly, and the conversations at these rare get-togethers focus solely on college experiences to which you can't relate.

Though it would seem that extra effort was exerted to welcome the midyears to campus, the only "special" treatment we received was an additional orientation period. The first orientation, held last June, consisted of 7 a.m. wake-up calls and daylong activities that reminded me of summer camp. While this was a great way to meet people and become familiar with the campus before school started, there were no other activities or gatherings for the next six months. Obviously, many acquaintances formed at the first orientation faded from lost communication and busy personal lives.

As if being left out and feeling different from all of your high school friends isn't bad enough, midyears are constantly reminded, albeit subtly, that they are "not really" a part of the regular first-year class. But, small things such as separate class pictures and housing are insignificant compared to some of the other things we are excluded from.
I had looked into the prospect of becoming a community adviser for both the experience and financial relief. I was told initially that midyears would not be excluded from the selection process. However, when I attended an informational meeting, I was given a strange look and told that only students who housed for two semesters would be allowed to become CA's for next year.

Devastated by the fact that I may have to commute to school next year, I called the school to question this unjust rule and was referred back to the person who had rejected me in the first place. Now, I'm not saying that if I had been allowed to apply that I would have automatically been selected. However, it is incredibly unfair that I was not even allowed to apply simply because I am a midyear.

Another great opportunity that wasn't offered to the midyears was advance notice on their roommate assignments. Finding out a week and a half before moving in barely allowed for splitting up the room's necessities (television, refrigerator, etc.), let alone becoming acquainted with your new roommate. A great idea would have been to notify us at the first orientation, or even a month or so afterwards, so that we'd be given the chance to potentially hang out and to get to know each other.
While the majority of us are housed together in Scheffres, there are some midyears that have been isolated from the group and are currently living in other buildings in North. Whether this is because they requested single sex floors or not, the fact that some midyears were "adopted" into other floors in different buildings seems slightly unfair. While I haven't heard any stories of them being excluded by those in their halls, I think I would be uncomfortable separated from the only other people who could understand my situation.

But being a midyear has not been the most horrible experience of my life. I had the chance to work full-time at a wonderful non-profit organization and managed to earn enough money to pay for my room this semester. While I enjoyed the extra time off, it does not change the fact that I often feel like a second-class citizen compared to the rest of the first-year class.

Though I am grateful for the experience and the chance to attend the college of my choice, I do not believe that this year's midyear program was organized to its greatest potential. However, I do feel as though the program could be a success if more thought and understanding was put into developing a sense of inclusion and equality for the midyear students.