<p>I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were about doing Early Fall Start and doing Freshman Interest Groups?</p>
<p>Early Fall Start is an amazing experience. You have tons of free time so you can explore Seattle and the campus a lot. Plus a lot of the friends I made in EFS are my best friends still. Also the class you take in EFS might not be that hard so its a good way to start off the year and boost your GPA.</p>
<p>I personally didn’t take a FIG but from what I heard it was really terrible. The classes in the FIG are normal but the FIG class itself is a lot of busy work. Most of my friends said they hate it. The plus side is that you have the same schedule as everyone in the FIG so its a good way to make friends but other than that, I suggest if you can choose the classes you want, go for it.</p>
<p>What are some of the easier Fall Start classes that are easy to get a high grade in?</p>
<p>DS is a freshman and loved EFS, was great way to start college. He got a 4.0 in “Numbers & Reason” but worked hard for it. He said it was a breeze compared to Eng 131 though. He also enjoyed Husky Adventures, did the kayaking and underground Seattle tour and enjoyed meeting professors/administrators in a casual atmosphere. His closest friendships came from EFS and his one regret was not staying in Lander (moved to McCarty) as most of the EFS group stayed there. He is now happy to be back on south campus. He did the FIG as well but said the general class was a waste of time.</p>
<p>I’m debating whether or not to do EFS/Figs. EFS sounds good, but Figs seems kinda ehh.</p>
<p>At orientation, advisors go over ‘general’ tracks - premed, prelaw, engineering, etc - based on what group you’re split up into (go by college (ie. CoE vs Arts/Sciences), or Honors vs. General). They’ll start throwing course names at you:
Chem 142, 152, 162, 144, 154, 164, 145, 155, 165, Math 124, 125, 126, 134, 135, 136, BIO 180, 200… Oh so many combinations! A lot of people get REALLY confused and just opt for a FIG because they have no idea what to do, so they just take a FIG because the classes come in a ‘package’ - all together.</p>
<p>Go to the department websites and figure out EXACTLY what you’re going to take. Have a few classes for ‘back up’ in case you can’t get a good combination of classes, or some are full.</p>
<p>^ +1 to that. I didn’t like being in a FIG, and the class was a waste of time.
Go to your MYUW and search around for something called “DARS”. It will list all the classes you need to take to graduate for any particular major.
My advice: take 2 in major classes and a requirement that’s easier. Most people do so.
Common classes for first quarter freshman going engineering, sciences, or premed are:
Chem 142 (first quarter chemistry) and Math 124/125/126 (The calc series. Depends on what you’re placed into) and then like English 111/121/131 (fulfill mandatory English Comp Credit).
This is a very “standard” first quarter freshman quarter. Look at your DARS, and search for your specific major at UW. All the major advising websites I’ve come across offer a “sample schedule” to keep students on track.
Good luck to you all (:</p>
<p>I’ve only heard bad things about FIGs and an leaning towards not doing one. However, I see on UW’s website that over 70% of incoming freshmen enroll in a FIG, which makes me think twice about whether or not I want to do one.</p>
<p>When you register they push you to do a FIG because most classes available for freshman are only FIGs. I did have a good experience in my FIG, so it’s not always bad. I would not recommend a FIG with really general or less interesting classes like Chem, econ, or math only. I would recommend one with a class you find truly interesting so you can meet people with a similar interest. I took a wildlife class and I was not sure how it would turn out, but I met people who were really open-minded and some of my best friends came from my FIG, sharing my interests in the environment. </p>
<p>It’s true that the FIG class sort of sucks, but if you want to meet new people in a classroom environment then the FIG is perfect. If you don’t really care then don’t take the FIG, you’ll hate it.</p>
<p>I’m a little confused. So all your Freshman classes are apart of the FIG?</p>
<p>I’m definitely doing Early Fall Start, but the FIG thing doesn’t really sound like it’s as awesome. Plus, the main attraction to either of those for me is meeting new friends since I won’t know anybody, so I feel like by doing EFS I’ll get that and I won’t need a FIG.</p>
<p>@aspire2011 me too thats what I think I’m going to do. I’m OOS and I won’t know anyone either so EFS should be cool. I hate busy work so I think I’m going to skip the FIG. I just signed up for my EFS class and I’m really looking forward to it</p>