<p>I want to join a fig, but I'm out of state (NJ) so its expensive and inconvenient to go to a summer orientation. I was told I can't join in the fall; its only offered in the summer orientation sessions. Why is that? And how is that possibly fair it it is like that?</p>
<p>filmdirector
Who exactly told you that?</p>
<p>Have you contacted the FIG program directly? There is a general email address [Contact</a> Us | School of Undergraduate Studies](<a href=“Contact Us | TEXAS Undergraduate Studies”>Contact Us | TEXAS Undergraduate Studies) and then college-specific contact information, e.g., here is last year’s liberal arts brochure with telephone number. <a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/sites/default/files/fig/docs/LiberalArts_brochure2011_0.pdf[/url]”>http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/sites/default/files/fig/docs/LiberalArts_brochure2011_0.pdf</a></p>
<p>Please understand that most schools conduct freshman orientation sessions during which important academic steps are taken and valuable social/college life information is shared and connections are made. It is not “unfair” for a college to expect students to participate, including OOS and international students who have voluntarily selected a college far from home. If you didn’t factor the time/cost of orientation into your summer, that is unfortunate for you, but not “unfair.” Is there any way you can make it work? You will have a much smoother, more confident and happier start at UT in the fall if you can find a way to participate in orientation.</p>
<p>I believe that Fall orientation is just shorter and FIG session is not included. But is doesn’t mean that students cannot contact UT and reserve a space in FIG in advance.
I did not find anything anywhere that directly says that you cannot register for FIG if you don’t attend summer orientation. For me it means that the question is open for negotiations.</p>
<p>TXArtemis, I’m not saying orientation is unimportant to me or that its useless. I think it is extremely important and valuable. But all the summer orientations are in June or July, so I’d obviously have to go back home. With all the costs, that would be about $1,000, which is certainly not cheap. But there’s still the Fall orientation, which is much more practical and should offer most of the same information and experiences. And in that situation, I would only pay one way to Texas, not a roundtrip and then go back again. I really am excited for orientation, but UT is expensive so money is tight for me. I haven’t decided one way or another though.</p>
<p>Yaya, I did contact my college and I was told they offer FIGS only during summer orientation, but they are spread throughout. I’m going to keep pursuing it, but as of right now thats what I know. Hopefully I can get into one.</p>
<p>filmdirector, that’s great you will participate in fall orientation, and I hope you do get in your desired FIG! </p>
<p>I didn’t mean to sound unsympathetic with the cost factor. Just FYI, I live in Austin, and as a general rule, the least expensive connection between here and “your neck of the woods” is, not surprisingly, New York City. You can fly non-stop from Newark to Austin on United (and you can price compare what American, JetBlue and Delta (new) are charging for non-stops out of JFK; there’s no non-stop service between AUS and LGA). I am bummed when it costs me much more than $300 RT, i.e., we can often fly to/from New York City for in the $200’s. So regardless of where in NJ you live, if you can get someone to drive you to the airport and pick you up, or if you can train/bus for not too much money, EWR or JFK might be your least costly options. Of course, if ground transport is a problem and you live nearer to Philly or Wilmington, you can find plenty of flights, but they are usually more costly than NYC. And Washington, DC, is almost always really expensive! But Southwest does non-stop service out of BWI, and you can check 2 bags free, which is a huge benefit. Southwest does offer 1-stop service between AUS and Philadelphia, so even if the ticket cost is higher than NYC, if you’re moving your stuff down, then those 2 free bags = $50+ value on other lines. … Soon, you’ll be an expert on all of these connections and what works best for you! </p>
<p>Hook 'em!</p>
<p>How do you get flights that cheap? I did round trip from Newark to Austin, and it would cost at least $460.</p>
<p>Hi, filmdirector, okay, you’re right that the United flights between EWR-AUS are coming in at a high $460 and up. I should have factored for summer vacation premium pricing! But I just went through all of the orientation dates and cross-checked other airports. It looks like Philadelphia is actually in the $280 range, with JFK coming in at $335. Southwest seems to be locked on BWI service at $374 for the entire summer. But airfares are in flux on a daily and even hourly basis…so what we see now could totally change tomorrow. You just have to figure out your price point + which airports and itineraries you would accept, and then be ready to pull the trigger when you get a match.</p>
<p>ok, thank you very much</p>