I was just wondering if I should do both FRI and TIP as I’m assuming they would take up a chunk of time.
Hi, I did both FRI and TIP my freshman year and it didn’t take up my time at all. For FRI, you take a research based course in the spring semester. If you like it, you can take the second FRI course in the following Fall. The class I took (CS 378 - Computational Intelligence) was not very demanding at all. The FRI program is very helpful if you want to feel what doing researching is like.
For TIP, I’ll just copy and paste what I posted a year ago:
Hi, I am a current freshman TIP scholar (CS Major) and I highly recommend joining the TIP program as it is an amazing program. Reasons you should join:
- Reserved classes every registration period (during orientation, fall and spring semester)
- Be part of a mentor group with 4 other students that are your same major
- FREE tutoring from upperclassmen TIP students
- FREE printing at the TIP office
- Scholarships if you earn a 3.0 GPA at the end of your freshman year
- One-on-One advising
- Meet other great TIP scholars
If you’re a CS major I can answer any questions you like, and if you’re not I can still help (but not much).
@Lightens I just have some general questions actually. I didn’t receive any scholarships for next year and was wondering if getting a scholarship while actually in UT was easier. Oh I am a biology major.
@Mandyyy We are so similar! I got offered FRI and TIP as a biology major as well
@Lightens I also have questions! How big are the groups exactly?
@Mandyyy Yes it is possible to receive scholarships while at UT. Easier? Well I think it depends on how well your GPA and your credentials are. TIP gave me $1500 for having a GPA greater than a 3.5 and I got a scholarship from CNS for $1000 for also having a GPA and doing research. Both were for just one year. There are certainly others out there as well. Also, there are lots of part-time jobs available to students and jobs for the school will work around your schedule. You can also apply to be an RA which pays your housing costs.
@PeachyKhaleesi Most groups I think are 5 students and 1 mentor. All the students in the same group will be the same major.
@Lightens Well not the right word to describe it but more like opportunities instead of easier. I’m expecting to focus a lot on my studies so hopefully I can maintain a solid GPA.
Also what do RAs do exactly? Just planning ahead.
@PeachyKhaleesi Well maybe we’ll be in the same group?
@Mandyyy Yea there are definitely opportunities for scholarships once you’re a student at UT. However, I don’t know any scholarships besides the ones that I mentioned in my previous post.
For the RA question, here is a link
https://www.utexas.edu/student/housing/index.php?site=19&scode=0&id=2262
I’m not an RA so I can’t help you much there.
You and @PeachyKhaleesi will probably be in the same UGS section as all TIP scholars with the same major will be in the same UGS class. All the people in my UGS class were all TIP and CS students.
@Lightens Thanks for the info and help!
So my daughter’s major is Human Development and Family Sciences, she will be part of the College of Natural Science. Question so she got the invite for TIP Scholar which she accepted but also this week got an email inviting her to apply for FRI, do you think it would really apply to her major though???
@amottmers
She might need to go to graduate school later, so FRI would be a good program.
Majors like Biology or Human Development don’t have great job prospective with Bachelor only unless you get a CS or Statistics certificate, or get some unique interdisciplinary experience and find job in that area.
Bachelor degree in too many professions now is what was high school diploma 30-40 years ago.
Also, FRI can include a PAID summer job related to the major. It is a rare opportunity. Take it.
Side comment: I’m a current TIP Mentor. I can answer questions about the TIP Scholars program.
Side side comment: Also a current Bachelor of Science and Arts degree in Human Development and Family Science.
@smallkid9 Do you think it would benefit my daughter to apply for FRI if she is majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences? She was invited to TIP Scholars which she is going to do but we are not sure about FRI.
Sorry for the late reply. I didn’t notice the notification.
Besides what was said earlier about FRI, my opinion is to apply anyway. If she gets in, she will develop laboratory skills, quantitative reasoning, and experience to add to her resume. If she gets in and later dislikes it, well your daughter found a reason to not pursue laboratory research in the future. No harm is done.
The HDFS major doesn’t require traditional labs that happen in FRI. As implied, it’s human based labs like HDF113L - Child Development Lab. Yet all labs have common ground. A mentee of mine mentioned his data analysis of his manipulation in gene regulation in a Biology FRI strand. In HDF113L, all of my data from children interactions on a playground had to be coded into specific categories then I explained the behavior with theories.
FRI can only help, not harm, a UT student’s academic development.
@smallkid9 Thank you!!! I will pass the info on to her.