No, your experience will not be like that of your friends.  However, it will still be fantastic!  I wouldn't trade being a Feb for anything.  
Greta Neubauer (gneubauer@middlebury.edu)

No, you will not have a "normal" college experience, you'll have something better. Sure, you'll live in the same dorms, go to the same classes, and be at the same social events as the students who came in September, but you'll have a couple things that they don't have. You'll have a semester of freedom, used to discover the world, or yourself. You'll have a very close-knit and special bonding experience (that is orientation) with your entire Feb class. You'll have an enthusiasm and want to begin you're college experience that benefits you in and out of the classroom. You'll have many of the same college experiences as your friends beginning in September, but if you come in with an open mind I can tell you from experience that you will find "normal" to be overrated.
Sammi Re (sre@middlebury.edu)

Being a Feb means having an extraordinary college experience. By taking a semester "off" before coming to school, you get to have life experiences your friends that came in September didn't have. Even though the events will all be the same in the spring and you guys will go to the same parties etc., the way you look at everything will be different. College isn't meant to be normal and I can promise you it's going to be everything you make it and nothing you don't let it be.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)

It depends on what your definition of "normal" is. If "normal" implies a fall move-in, a year in an all-freshman dorm, and a spring graduation, then a Feb's college experience is not "normal." That said, both Regs and Febs experience the same ups and downs of a first semester at college. Both groups have to adjust to a new social scene, new academic expectations, and new living arrangements, amongst other things. I would argue that many Febs are perhaps better equipped to meet these challenges, given the flexibility and openness that a semester off requires. Febs are also fortunate to have a smaller community to feel connected to, which helped to ease my transition into college. The Feb experience may not be "normal" -- most Febs would agree that it's better.
Cailey Cron (ccron@middlebury.edu)

The semester off is so that you can pursue that thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the time yet. If that’s saving the world for you, then yes, roam far and do incredible things. But if not, then you definitely shouldn’t feel obligated. If all you really want is time to hole up at home with that laundry list of books you’ve been meaning to read but never got to, that’s great too. The Feb semester is your time. There are no requirements for how you spend it.
Sarina Patel (spatel@middlebury.edu)

I took classes at the Sorbonne in France, which was a wonderful experience.  It allowed me to travel and decompress a bit from high school, which still improving my French and taking some interesting classes.
Greta Neubauer (gneubauer@middlebury.edu)

You do not need to go save the world, unless you are some sort of superhero living among us humans. Then, I would advise you to go save the world. If you're a Feb, even though you're pretty super, chances are you won't save the world. And that's 100% okay.
Sammi Re (sre@middlebury.edu)

You do not need to save the world. It is perfectly alright to live at home during your febmester. I lived at home and worked at a movie theater 15 minutes away from my house. for me this was a good cool down after high school. I was worried a lot about college, even when September came, and my semester off was just what I needed to prepare for going to college. It really helped me put things in perspective. I did a lot of writing and I traveled a bit; visited relatives and sight-saw in Washington. it was also very beneficial to visit friends at other colleges. I spent quite a bit of time in Burlington with friends at UVM and took a road trip to stay with a friend at Wesleyan for a few days. Taking in as much as you can about college from friends already there can be very helpful. You don't even need to visit; when they come home on break they will be very willing to talk about their experiences (in fact they may talk about little else). Yes, traveling the world for your semester off may be a once in a lifetime experience, but you may not want to take a trip just for the sake of taking a trip. It is most important to think about what will be best for your well-being and adjustment to college life.
Adam Benay (abenay@middlebury.edu)

You DO NOT need to go save the world. Really, you don't need to go anywhere. You just need to do whatever you want to do. I stayed home, had a part time job, and drove up and down the east coast visiting my friends. Honestly, it was a great time in my life. Staying home didn't mean total isolation from people my age... I made some good friends at work and hung out a lot with those friends of mine who went to college close to home. Sometimes I felt like I was in college anyway, just without all of the homework and exams. So again, you don't need to save the world. Just have yourself a good time.
Mike Gadomski (mgadomski@middlebury.edu)

With enthusiasm. This is especially true when you meet upper-year Febs, but the rest of the students are excited to meet the Febs too. And the Professors are always enthusiastic to meet you, no matter when you arrived.
Sarina Patel (spatel@middlebury.edu)

Most students are excited to greet the new Febs and welcome them to Middlebury.  Older Febs are often very enthusiastic about the new Febs arrival and are excited to get to know you.
Greta Neubauer (gneubauer@middlebury.edu)

The Febs come right when the winter starts getting mundane, and to be honest, we spice it up. We are those freshmen who are super excited to be in college finally. For all the other freshmen, the novelty has kind of worn off. We are new, exciting people and it's what keeps the winter from getting too blue.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)

It took me a little while to get to know first-year students.  I made an effort to get to know non-Febs in my dorm and by joining organizations that I was interested in.  A little known secret is that many students are intimated by the Febs just as much as we are by them, and they really would love to get to know you! I feel integrated into the class a year into being at Midd.
Greta Neubauer (gneubauer@middlebury.edu)

A lot of the connection to the September kids has to do with reaching out in class and in your dorm. Getting into activities like clubs and sports is a great way to know kids outside of the Feb class. It can be as easy and as hard as you make it. I know several people who have mostly Feb friends, and I know Febs who are the only Feb in their friend group. It all depends on how you want to dictate your college experience.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)

I loved being a Feb because it gave me time to decompress from high school and see the world a bit before heading straight to college.  By the time I got to Midd I was so excited to be here that I was really able to embrace everything Middlebury has to offer.  Plus, the Feb class is full of wonderful, interesting people, and I loved getting to know all of them!
Greta Neubauer (gneubauer@middlebury.edu)

Having the semester off to grow on your own and experience things no one else has experienced is a definite benefit. You come into school with a smaller, well-knit group of people and the bond is definitely intense amongst the Febs. A lot of people find that taking the semester off makes them more prepared to focus at school and gives them a better idea of where they want to head in terms of major.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)

There’s certainly a stereotype associated with being a Feb, but it’s one I’ve found relatively easily to dispel once you start to get to know other students. Be ready to answer the “So what did you do for your Febmester?” question a millions times though.
Sarina Patel (spatel@middlebury.edu)

Coming in a semester late can be hard. It's sometimes stressful to show up late when everyone else at the school is accustomed to the change. The social scene of Midd can be more difficult to integrate into because there are simply less people you know whereas everyone else knows each other.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)

Being a Feb has made planning my Study Abroad more difficult. Many beginner language courses are only offered in the Fall, which means that Febs cannot start a new language until their second semester. In my case, this means that I’ll have to attend Summer Language School in order to go abroad during my Junior Feb spring semester. Even so, I don’t regret being a Feb. I probably never would have considered taking advantage of Middlebury’s language programs, and I’m glad that I’m doing so now.
Cailey Cron (ccron@middlebury.edu)

Housing for Febs is pretty mixed. You might be placed in the freshmen dorm with September students (with a roommate or in a single), or you might get sophomore housing (which can be a nice step up). I myself was placed in a pair of suites that were all filled with other Febs, which I enjoyed because it made it much easier to get to know my classmates. The dorms are all pretty friendly though, no matter what grade your neighbor is. The Housing assignments usually come out towards the end of January. Sarina Patel (spatel@middlebury.edu)

A lot of times the Febs get housing that has recently been vacated by Juniors going abroad or Senior Febs who just graduated. Consequently, the housing the first semester will most likely be awesome. Then again, you may also get freshman housing. Generally though, the housing options are all good. You will probably hear about your housing a week or two before you get to school. That may not sound like a lot of time, but it's plenty. Try not to stress about it because it'll all work out in the end.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)

Regarding housing, I ended up in a freshman dorm with all regs, which was quite interesting. You won't hear about it until pretty close to arrival time, but it's not like it matters that much when you find out. Disadvantages of my situation were as you might expect: I was isolated from other febs, I had to fit into already-formed friend groups within my building, I was known as "Mike the Feb", etc. The advantage is that I now have a solid group of reg friends that I hang out with a lot. Living with regs helped (forced) me to grow outwards a bit from the Feb class and integrate right away with the regular student body. A lot of kids I knew lived in so-called "Feb bubbles" and ended up hanging out with the same group of Febs all the time for the first semester. So my situation was tough in the short term but in the long term, I have no regrets at all.
Mike Gadomski (mgadomski@middlebury.edu)

Be proud to be a Feb! Seriously, looking back on my experience I can't imagine NOT being a Feb. Be open-minded, be excited, be enthusiastic, BE YOU. The rest will fall into place.
Sammi Re (sre@middlebury.edu)

Be open, use your resources and don't be afraid to feel how you feel. You don't have to pretend like everything is perfect all the time, because college is hard. Know that you can trust your teachers, your dean, your Feb leaders and your friends. There is a huge support group at this school and tapping into it will make everything better.
Devin MacDonald (dmacdonald@middlebury.edu)