FIGs (Freshman Interest Groups)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Washington
1

<p>I never signed up for a FIG so I can't give a personal account of it, but this is an option that many freshmen take. Before dismissing the idea of a FIG, do a bit of research - it could be great for you (of course, personal experiences differ).</p>

<p>Learn about FIGs here: UW</a> Freshman/Transfer Interest Groups</p>

<p>Discussion Questions:
-Did you join a FIG?
-If so, what did you take out of it?
-If you relived your first quarter at UW, would you take the option of joining a FIG?
-Did you join a residential FIG? If so, please tell us about your experience.</p>

2

<p>A bump. Also, I promised someone I’d write a bit of my thoughts - </p>

<p>I never did a FIG, but a good number of my friends did … either they really enjoyed it or thought it was kind of annoying. Haven’t heard any complete horror stories though.</p>

<p>Pros:
-You’re in a FIG group with people who are also in your other 2 classes (ie. Math 124 + Chem 142). You’re going to be in quiz section with these people, so you’ll see familiar faces and get to know them.
-There’s a 2 credit FIG “class” which is kind of like an ice breaker/get to know the area where you do projects with people. You can get to know your FIG REALLY well… potentially. Put in the effort and if the right people are in your FIG and reciprocates, this could potentially build great friendships.
-Some quiz sections are FIG only … meaning you can’t get into the section unless you’re in a FIG. If all the other sections are closed, joining a FIG guarantees that you’re in the class.</p>

<p>Cons:
-Back to the 2 credit class - You might feel restricted to just this group. Maybe you don’t click with ANYONE in your group (theoretically you do, since you guys wanted to take the same classes and probably have the same major(s) in mind). You might feel like the projects are a complete waste of time.
-Things you do with your FIG - Some people find it busy work. If you don’t like busy work where you’re forced to work with others that you may or may not like, a FIG may not be for you.</p>

<p>–
If you’re taking more advanced classes, say, Math 126 or something, and wish to take the advanced class in the fall, there might not be a FIG for you. However, you can always take a FIG + class if you want (17 credits total). Remember to stay on top of your work, or you might fall into a despairing cycle of no sleep and falling behind in courses if you let yourself slip.</p>

<p>Remember that assuming you have 0 AP/IB/transfer credits, you need an average of 15 credits per quarter (15 hours of class, basically) to graduate in 4 years assuming you take the traditional Autumn/Winter/Spring quarters and skip Summer to go home or work or something. It is perfectly fine to take 12 credit while you gauge how you do in the new environment, your classes, etc.</p>

<p>Anyway, if I think of something else, I’ll post here. Otherwise, if you have more questions, fire away! If anyone here has done a FIG, post about your experience!</p>

3

<p>I did a TRIG (Transfer Interest Group) and it was cool. Almost half of my TRIG was people who had just graduated HS but did running start, for some reason they were considered Transfer students for the interest group, but not for their admissions. Also, for some reason my major was grouped in with Social Work, so half of the people in the TRIG were from the College of Social Work and knew each other. But I met a few cool people. One girl I’ve continued to have classes with and we’ve helped each other out studying and another guy is big into Basketball and we went and watched the sad, sad, sad Pac-12 Tournament together. Pretty cool as far as I’m concerned.</p>

<p>As for the format of it, it’s 50 minutes once a week and I would schedule it right after one of my other classes. It was fun, we would do activities and we got special access to guest lectures and we were able to discuss the Common Book. There were a few assignments, but they were basically just general stuff about the University, such as “Who was Henry Suzzalo and who doesn’t anyone know how to properly pronounce his name?” (it is Suit-zah-low, as he’s Italian – HINT: The biggest library bears his name), as well as naming all of the small statues along the outside of the Suzzalo reading room (their hard to make out if you look closely you can see it).</p>

<p>We always had snacks and candy and it was pretty fun. I don’t regret having taken the class.</p>