Beginning in the fall of 2014, all midyear students will have the option to spend their fall semester studying abroad in London through Brandeis and Arcadia University, a university outside of Philadelphia with a far-reaching study abroad department. The study abroad option will consist of a program of only Brandeis midyear students, where, according to the Arcadia Web site, "Students will enroll in a minimum of four to five courses for a total of 16 credits and may choose Brandeis-approved courses from Arcadia University's London NOW program offerings as well as approved courses at City University or Queen Mary, University of London." The London NOW program is one of 22 programs that Arcadia University offers in and around the London area, in which students engage in "specialized Arcadia University courses taken with other London NOW participants and taught by expert British faculty," according to the Arcadia Web site. This opportunity is being offered to all midyear of the Class of 2014 at a cost of $16,970, which will include tuition and housing, advising, orientation, homestay, post-program follow-up and transcript, according to the Arcadia program description.

Arcadia scholarships will be available for participating midyears. The scholarships, according to the Web site, are primarily need-based and range anywhere from $500 to $2,000 for the semester. According to Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Director of Study Abroad J. Scott Van Der Meid, no merit scholarships will be offered in the first year of the program.

Students who participate in the program will be able to live in close proximity to either City University or the Arcadia offices near Hyde Park, Van Der Meid said in his e-mail to the Justice.

J. Scott Van Der Meid, Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Director of Study Abroad, explained in an e-mail to the Justice that "We surveyed previous midyear classes to learn about the types of activities that they enjoyed most during their fall before Brandeis. Being abroad and taking classes overseas was one of the highest-rated activities they identified."

Also, participation in the London NOW program would not preclude midyears from studying abroad again: Van der Meid stated that "all students who study abroad as a midyear before they come to Brandeis would still be eligible to study abroad for at least a full semester once they matriculated at Brandeis."

Applications for the program are due May 15th, and according to Van Der Meid, although "we have had good student interest so far, . it is too early to tell what the size of the first group doing this opportunity will be." There is no enrollment cap on this program thus far.

Maura Boughter-Dornfeld, an accepted midyear for the Class of 2014, is considering the study abroad opportunity. Although she has been accepted to other schools regular decision for fall entry, she wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that "The study-abroad option makes me more likely to choose Brandeis because it combines seeing the world and growing as a person with learning and essentially starting the process in the same way as others who weren't accepted midyear will be doing."

Eva Chiu, an accepted midyear for the Class of 2014, is also considering participating in the midyear study abroad option. "You can get caught up on your studies . and you also get to experience the culture of being in another country," she said.

The Arcadia University Director of Strategic Development in charge of the Brandeis program was unavailable for comment by press time.