Frequently Asked Questions

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The Tutorial in Critical Writing follows the model we offered last summer, though that was geared (and open only) to new students. This summer, any new or returning student may enroll, and the tutorial will be adapted to a wider range of students’ needs and goals. 

As before, Advanced Writing Tutorials will enable students to focus intensively on a single project. But instead of prior Bread Loaf course work, the starting ground for students’ projects – and the shared material for discussion — will be a topic, text, genre, or an author introduced in the tutorial. You’ll sign up for a tutorial based on its focus (where before we assigned you to a tutorial based on a paper or idea you’d begun to develop in a Bread Loaf course). 

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The first step is for you to submit the Summer 2021 Participation Form - as soon as possible, since space may be limited. You will need to open your Slate portal: the Participation Form is in the top right. Once we confirm your enrollment (on a rolling basis beginning March 26), the next step is for you to register for a tutorial (see below).

Please note that only students who have submitted the Summer 2021 Participation Form will have their aid applications reviewed.

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That means: 1) you remain a student in good standing; 2) you re-enrolled before December 22; and 3) we are holding a space for you provisionally until March 26. You will still need to submit the Summer 2021 Participation Form by March 26 so that we will know whether to save or reserve “your” spot.

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The sooner, the better. We anticipate being able to accommodate all new and returning students, but the number of tutorials we can run is finite and we may have to place some students on a waiting list for enrollment in the program.

We will start confirming enrollments on March 26, prioritizing students in the order in which they submitted their original re-enrollment or application forms. So set that date as your deadline, if you can.

We will continue to accept applications for admission or re-enrollment, as space permits, until May 21.

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Yes. Each Advanced Writing Tutorial will carry credit in one or two of our six distributional groups – some (Groups 2-5) required for the MA degree. The Tutorial in Critical Writing counts as Group 1 (Writing, Literacy, Pedagogy). Please reach out to the Bread Loaf staff if you have questions about how to meet your remaining degree requirements.

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Yes. In the case of the Advanced Writing Tutorial, you may study with the same professor (though we advise you to try someone new), but you will need to pursue a new project, rather than return to the project you completed in 2020. 

Students who took the First-year Tutorial in Critical Writing may enroll in the Tutorial in Critical Writing this year, but you will need to study with a professor other than the one you worked with in 2020.

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You can register for a remote tutorial through our course registration platform, BannerWeb, during the week of April 5. Before that date, we will send detailed registration instructions to all eligible students who have said “yes” – on the Summer 2021 Participation Form — to studying with us this summer.

Before you can register, you will need to activate your Middlebury account, login credentials, and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We recommend that you complete these tasks as soon as possible. See further information about account activation ant MFA here.

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YES. Come to registration with a list of at least five of your top choices, so that if the tutorial you want is already filled, you’ll already have other great options in mind.  

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Students who took an AWT in 2020 are permitted to take an AWT in 2021 with the same professor as long as the project they pursue is new; however, we strongly encourage students to study with a range of faculty members so as to gain a diversity of perspectives and approaches.

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Faculty will reach out to their tutorial group members the week before the session starts to set a meeting schedule based on everyone’s availability. We and they are aware that participants may be coming from different time zones, with some family and professional obligations that occupy certain hours of the day and week.

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Some of the tutorials will be anchored on a few select texts, which are announced with the tutorial descriptions and available from on-line vendors. You will need to purchase (and read) these on your own before the session begins. The Middlebury College Bookstore will not be ordering BLSE texts this year. Your tutorial faculty may provide additional texts as needed.

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Yes. In the coming weeks, the library will provide more details on how you can access what’s available digitally.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Tuition for the two-unit Advanced Writing Tutorials is $6325; $3163 for the one-unit Tutorials in Critical Writing; and $3163 for the one-unit Independent Reading Projects. There will be no room, board, or facility fees.

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Deposits of $400 will be due three weeks after you receive confirmation that you are enrolled in the 2021 program. Your enrollment letter will indicate your particular deposit deadline. Students who are awaiting financial aid or fellowship award decisions will not need to deposit until they have received notifications about those awards.

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The Student Financial Services (SFS) office will begin reviewing Bread Loaf student aid applications at the start of April. SFS will notify students directly of their aid awards. SFS is available to answer your questions via email at sfs@middlebury.edu.

Please note that only students who have submitted the Summer 2021 Participation Form will receive aid decisions.

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This summer, Bread Loaf is again offering a number of special fellowships and scholarships that will either supplement or replace the financial aid available from Middlebury for summer 2021. Please review details on our special funding site. You will find fellowship and scholarship applications within your Slate portal.

Applications for these special fellowships and scholarships are due by April 9, 2021.

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A normal – and recommended — load for degree students is two units of credit per summer. Taking the Advanced Writing Tutorial (which is worth two units) will get you there.

Students who prefer a one-unit option may take the Tutorial in Critical Writing.

Students who are on track to complete an Independent Reading Project (IRP) this summer, and who have been approved to take an overload, may take the IRP (one unit) in addition to the AWT (two units). They also have the option of simply completing the IRP, for a one-unit load.

Seniors who need three units in order to graduate this summer and who have been approved to take an overload may take the Tutorial in Critical Writing in addition to the AWT. 

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We are not accepting proposals for IRPs this summer. In place of the IRP, we will offer newly conceived advanced research tutorials for students interested in pursuing independent projects. More information about these tutorials will be posted soon.

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International students studying with us from abroad will not need a U.S. visa to enroll in our remote program. Those who are located in the U.S. may participate if their visa status allows for full-time remote study. If you’re unsure about your status, check with the school or employer who has sponsored your visa, or with an immigration attorney. Note: remote study for visa holders with a B1/B2 status is not permitted.

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Yes. We are arranging a rich program of events, putting emphasis this summer on smaller virtual venues where tutorial students and faculty can engage in discussion of particularly timely texts and issues. We’ll post a full list of events before the session begins.

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Yes, BLTN meetings, required for those receiving fellowships, are open to all who wish to attend.  Virtual meetings will be held very Thursday night. BLTN staff will be in touch with details prior to the opening of the summer session.

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We invite everyone to take advantage of BreadWeb, a free platform and app that will allow you to find announcements, calendars, and links; to message fellow students and faculty at a click; and to form and join public and private groups around topics and activities of your choice. All students, faculty, and staff will have access to a central public group called Cyberbarn. Our tech experts, Tom McKenna and Caroline Eisner, will run orientation sessions to help you get familiar with BreadWeb.

Students, staff, and faculty may also connect via BreadNet, Bread Loaf’s own email system.

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Yes, we will work with our seniors to invent a ceremony that is right for them. The date would be during the first week of August.

We plan to bring our seniors from 2020 and 2021 together for an in-person graduation celebration at some point, knowing how important that ceremony is as a marker of your accomplishments. We can’t yet know whether it will be safe to hold an in-person event in August. But we are continuing to monitor the situation and will be in touch with seniors as potential options emerge.

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At any time, students may request a waiver of the Vermont residency requirement. Though we grant these waivers only rarely, we will take the special challenges of this summer and last into account in making a decision on those requests.  

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Please send your questions to blse@middlebury.edu. Someone on our staff will respond as quickly as possible.

Our Dean and Directors will be also hosting a series of information sessions to give participants multiple chances to ask questions about the tutorials. The first meetings are scheduled for Friday, March 19 at 11:30 am-12:30 pm and 1:00-2:00 pm and Wednesday, March 24 at 12:30-1:30 pm and 2:30-3:30 pm (all EDT). Each session is limited to 20 participants. Please register here. We will send confirmation and a link to participate to the first 20 registrants for each event.

We have added an information session on Friday, March 19 at 4:00-5:00 pm.