<p>Is anyone on cc a former participant in ESG? If yes, can you please describe your experiences? I am interested in ESG, but I am not sure if it's better to do ESP or follow the normal curriculum.</p>
<p>my son did ESG and had a wonderful experience. It provided a small community where everyone got to know each other well. He enjoyed hanging out in their common rooms when he wasn't in class.</p>
<p>My son was also in ESG and had a similarly wonderful experience. He also took advantage of the common rooms for studying and even napping, made some good friends among the other ESGers, was very pleased with the classes and instructors (and arranged a mix of ESG and non-ESG courses which fit his needs best), and his ESG advisor was, frankly, one of the best things that happened to him during his first year at MIT. Talk to them at Orientation, and if you're curious, go for it. I don't know of anyone who regretted it.</p>
<p>tropicalisland, I was thinking ESG sounded interesting too... I'm just planning on stopping by during Orientation and seeing what the learning communities are like. I'm not sure if they take up significantly more time from your schedule than if you just took the normal courses, and I know that a common "downside" people mention is that you don't get to meet a ton of people, but I imagine you get to know the ones you do meet very well as opposed to just sitting in a room with them. There doesn't really seem to be a right or wrong answer here!</p>
<p>I know that in addition to the others in ESG, my son "met" all the people on the same floor in his dorm, and in the other classes he took that were not ESG-only (e.g. 3.091, which is taken with everyone else and just recitations are ESG-only, I think). I'm sure he would not say that his ESG classes took up more schedule time than 'normal' courses, but there were some scheduling constraints to work around. It all worked out, though. Definitely stop by and talk to them and see what you think during Orientation!</p>
<p>ESG classes definitely don't take up more time a priori. In my son's case, one of his ESG classes probably required significantly less time than its non-ESG counterpart. In terms of meeting people - you'll get to know everyone in ESG, whether you share a class with them or not. How many people do you really get to "know" in a large lecture hall? Definitely stop by any of the alternate learning communities that sound interesting to you. The decision should be based on how you like the people you meet and feel that you would fit in with them. Think of it like choosing a living group.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that if you do ESG, you're not committed to take <em>all</em> your classes there -- you have to take at least 2, I believe, and you'll probably be taking 4 classes in total -- so you can get your quality experience with massive lectures in 10-250 and studying with all the other frosh on your floor who are in the same class for chemistry, say, and then also your warm and fuzzy four-person calc section. My frosh year I took 18.02 and 3.091 through ESG, and MAS.110 and 8.01T mainstream -- it was a pretty good compromise. If there's anything specific you're wondering about, feel free to drop me an email (this username at mit.edu).</p>
<p>Plus, ESG has tons of free food all the time (you will learn to appreciate this more and more over your time at MIT), tends to run a bunch of interesting activities during IAP and sometimes over the summer, and they're just generally really nice people. It's worth going up and seeing if it appeals to you. I've heard really fantastic things about Terrascope and Concourse as well (and participated in & liked the MAS frosh program, but it's really in a different category and maybe a level of magnitude less commitment -- when I took it, at least).</p>
<p>Would past participants of ESG say it's better to take a portion of classes through ESG, or to take all classes through ESG? Reasons?</p>
<p>Perhaps I could clarify: If anyone has done ESG, are there any classes that are better to take mainstream, than through ESG?</p>
<p>I did ESG and thought it was a fantastic experience. I wouldn't say there's any particular class that would be better to take mainstream than in ESG. Just don't plan on skipping lecture if its in ESG. Professors notice your absence if the class has ten people. I would recommend not having ALL your classes in ESG though. Mainstream classes with ESG recitations are also fun. And the free food at ESG......its just heavenly.</p>
<p>and I hope you guys liked the ESG video! it sucked up my soul during IAP getting it done. It many people's sweat and blood you're watching there!</p>
<p>I found it highly entertaining - thanks Frankenchris!</p>
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<li>amazing forum special effect in progress - :p</li>
</ul>
<p>I'd like to see the ESG video. Is it available online someplace?</p>
<p>frankenschris, do u have the video online somewhere. i lost the CD</p>
<p>Texas, you may have already found this. You can watch the video. <a href="http://web.mit.edu/esg/www/%5B/url%5D">http://web.mit.edu/esg/www/</a></p>
<p>My son did Concourse and enjoyed it. He took a different chemistry course, the rest through concouse (I think).</p>
<p>w00t!! WOW, over30, THANKS! I'm so glad you posted that link, it wasn't there any other time I looked. It's a great program, check it out during orientation if you have even the slightest curiosity about it. And oh yeah, FREE FOOD. :D </p>
<p>(PS: I saw my kid all over the place, and texas137, I saw yours, too!)</p>
<p>yes, thanks over30! My kid mentioned something about the video at the time it was being made, but I never heard anything else about it.</p>
<p>Very photogenic children!</p>
<p>("Excellent Slippery Galoshes"?? !)</p>