<p>How do you join one? Do you have to sign up/register and when? Are they based on majors? And how many people are typically in one?</p>
<p>i ditto cliving’s Qs. Also, as a film production major (and hopefully a double major in finance), does it make sense to join a fig?</p>
<p>I would highly recommend FIGs. I believe that there was a check box in your application to get more info about them but if you didn’t do that then you can join one during orientation like I did.
You get to meet a lot of other freshmen and I know a lot of groups of friends that first met each other in their FIG. Some FIGs are major specific while others are open to any freshman. They’ll help you get you on your feet with some advice and if you choose one that’s for your major then they’ll have some of your professors come in and just do random Q&A so you get to know them better. You meet just one hour a week and it is headed by a second year along with an adviser. They will help you remember when registration is and field any questions like which professors to take.
If you don’t like it for whatever reason then you can skip that 1 hour period with absolutely no consequence (except for missing out on the food they always bring). I’d highly recommend joining a FIG. You have nothing to lose.</p>
<p>*Edit: Oh yeah, another reason to join. The major-specific FIGs will reserve spaces in your core classes for you. When you register for the FIG, it’ll automatically pop you into a couple classes. The FIG “mentor” chooses the professor for you and they are typically the best ones with the most competitive spots. This is a HUGE deal. You’ll learn to hate registration so this will make it much less stressful while still sticking you with the best professors. I’m a EE so this may not be true for other schools but either way you get no grade for the FIG so you should join it anyway.</p>
<p>I completely agree with what frever’s comment, FIGs are in my opinion the best thing you can do as a freshman. You have courses reserved for you, you meet other freshmen with your same interests and it is a great way to make friends.</p>
<p>There are 2 types of FIGs-academic and residential. In an academic FIG you take the same courses as the students in your FIG and in a residential one, you take the same courses and live in the same dorm also. To apply for a Residential FIG it is done through the housing contract, there will be an option for Res-FIG and you just fill out the application and you are set. If you prefer an academic FIG, the application is done during orientation. the schools will email you your FIG assignment and you just register with a unique number for your FIG and you are set.</p>