On Januarianism

Let’s talk January enrollment. Given that we long ago coined the term “Januarian” for our students who matriculate each year in the spring semester, I feel empowered to expand the language further with “Januarianism:”

Januarianism [jan-yoo-er-ee-uh-nizm]

noun

1. The state or quality of being a Januarian at The Fletcher School.

Januarians have long been a small albeit important sub-population of our student community, though increasingly the option to begin graduate studies in the spring semester is not such a niche one (we welcomed our largest-ever January class in 2021). There are all kinds of personal and professional reasons that might lead you to consider starting school in January, and a few distinct benefits that come with the decision to do so. As you can hear from some of our recent Januarians, a spring-semester start means the enrollment period for most students will encompass two summer breaks, providing additional opportunity to intern, work, and conduct field research. While Januarians tend to integrate quickly into the larger Fletcher community, they also enjoy a unique cohort identity with their fellow spring-starters (they even have their own commencement ceremony in December, though they’re of course invited to the full-school ceremonies each spring, as well).

For prospective students I’ll also note that the admissions and scholarship aid process for January enrollment is identical to the fall, so there’s neither procedural advantage nor disadvantage to considering Januarianism for yourself. Finally, to a belabor a point on which I’ve been harping recently, the application deadline for January 2022 enrollment is October 10, only a few weeks away.

We’re looking forward to welcoming our new class of Januarians in a few short months!