<p>I was wondering if anyone had attended or had a son or daughter that attended IFS (Intensive Freshman Seminar), and whether they could share their experiences there and what they thought of it (what they liked/didn't like). I'm debating whether to do it or not and going back and forth on it. Thanks!</p>
<p>I did IFS two years ago! I was in the “Zombies Among Us” class and only applied because I figured that it seemed like a super fun class. At first it was nerve-wracking to go and I wasn’t sure I wanted to, but once there is was the best experience I’ve had at IU so far! It’s incredibly easy to meet new people (all the friends I made there I’m still incredibly close to) and the classes are typically pretty easy, but the zombie class was a bit more intense than any of the other ones from what I could tell.</p>
<p>The only bad part was having a shorter summer vacation, but literally it’s such an awesome experience. It makes you appreciate being able to know your way around campus so you aren’t wandering around lost like everyone else!</p>
<p>Thanks! I should have posted this to begin with, but the two things I’m most wondering about is what it’s like going from IFS to the regular school year. Is it weird or does IFS help you adjust? Also, what kind of things do people do when not in class or studying? Party? Are there events planned? Thanks!</p>
<p>My daughter (freshman) did IFS and absolutely loved it. She has said several times how glad she is that she did it. She met two of her 3 BFFs at IU at IFS. She liked getting to know the campus before the crowds hit (her IFS prof and student intern took the class on a tour of main buildings, and any other buildings students wanted to see that they would be having classes in.) She also liked learning the little things, like how to open her dorm door, deal with community bathrooms, dorm food, etc.
IFS had a ton of social activities scheduled – picnic, movies, speakers, ice cream social, etc. Students also often got together on their own to go out to dinner. No alcohol (that I know of!).
As mentioned above, her class was intense. In fact, sometimes she did not have time for the social events because she had to study – but that is just like the regular semester. She ended up getting an A plus in her IFS class, which was a nice boost to her semester GPA. The IFS class also enabled her to take an easier load (14 hours) in the fall semester. (There is no extra tuition charge if your IFS-3 hour class and fall classes total 17 hours or less – just the room & board charge which I think was around $600, maybe one other fee.)
She did miss a few days of summer, but came home for 5 days before fall semester. Fall semester began very smoothly for her since she already knew what she was doing, and already had good friends. We would definitely recommend it.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! It sounds great. I definely don’t mind skipping a couple weeks of summer, i mean, I’d go to college now if I could! Thanks again guys.</p>
<p>This weekend at the Connect with Kelley event we finally met a student who had participated in IFS. She said it was a great experience and she was SO glad she did it. Her experience sounds just like what we are hoping from the IFS - she was a little nervous about going off to college and not knowing anyone, and was hoping IFS could give her a head start on college life - academics, social and just finding your way around. She said it was all that and more. Plus she said for her the class was an easy A. I don’t know if that’s true for all of the IFS classes though… DD already registered for IFS and it sounds like she’s making a good decision.</p>
<p>I’m looking back at questions we asked a year ago on behalf of DD (end of senior year of high school), now that we are in a position to answer them (wrapping up freshman year at IU). I highly recommend IFS for any incoming freshman. If you don’t know what IFS is (Intensive Freshman Seminar), it is a 2-week program where you take one of several interesting 3-credit classes in early August, before all the other freshmen move in. Yes, it does cut your summer short (biggest disadvantage is that it limited DD’s summer job opportunities) but it gives you a chance to learn your way around campus, make some great friends, and meet some wonderful professors all before tens of thousands of other students arrive on campus. </p>
<p>For more info on IFS, check out this site: <a href=“http://ifs.indiana.edu/programDetails”>http://ifs.indiana.edu/programDetails</a>
or post your questions here or feel free to send me a PM. I can answer from a mom’s perspective or I can ask my daughter to give a student’s perspective.</p>
<p>I’m finishing up my junior year at IU, and I don’t think my collegiate experience (specifically freshman year) would have been as successful if I hadn’t participated in IFS. In addition to the advantages already cited, it can allow you to build a strong relationship with an actual professor before starting freshman year. I was having a problem freshman year with a graduate student instructor in the same department as my IFS professor. I reached out my IFS professor just to get her opinion on the situation, and she went so far out of her way to alleviate the problem. I know that relationship had a tangible impact on my GPA freshman year. </p>
<p>We read such wonderful reviews about IFS and my daughter was so excited to attend. Yes, there are some wonderful aspects, but not all the classes are easy A’s. She is currently in the midst of IFS and even though some aspects are wonderful she is so ready for it to be over. Her father and I are now not sure we made the right decision to send her to IFS. Her class is not a blow off class and the amount of work that they are required to do in such a short period of time is incredulous. She is working from the moment she gets up until 11:30 or 12:30 at night, attending class, required tours, group project meetings and other activities, studying and is working from one deadline to the next. It started out slow and manageable but by the end of the first week it intensified. It will be interesting to see how she feels about IFS in a couple of months. She did say that she thought other kids were doing a lot less work than her class. I write this review to say, yea, it can be intense. She is working her hind end off for an A. Pros: Getting a head start on dorm living; RA’s and TA’s very helpful, brilliant according to dd., everyone nice, loves her lectures finds them extremely interesting, getting a head start getting around campus. Cons: The amount of work required in 2 weeks. It is like the kids are put in a pressure cooker, at least for this particular class.</p>
<p>tcbooklover: which class is your daughter in?</p>
<p>MeganNCP: Because IFS is currently going on, I would prefer not to name the class until after the grades have been released. I would dislike if any comments I made had a negative impact on her or the other students in the class. They have already been chastised. Point of my post was to give an alternate view. It is not only hard work, but you are working with time constraints. You have to manage every minute of the day. It is not all fun and games, happy go lucky. In a typical semester, you have a certain amount of time to figure out the MO of the Prof. This class, bang, you don’t have it. As a parent, I wish my child had heard this prior, to have a more realistic view of the program. As I mentioned prior, we are torn on whether we regret sending her. She has learned so much, but the pressure, geez, and lack of sleep. However, there is an end in sight and she is ready for it to be over. </p>
<p>tcbooklover, so sorry your daughter isn’t having the wonderful IFS experience that was described in this thread. I feel a bit responsible, since I was one of those who described the wonderful experience my daughter had. I’m glad you added to this thread, if only to help future freshmen know that not everyone has a perfect IFS experience. One unbiased resource incoming students can use is the IU Grade Distribution website at <a href=“http://gradedistribution.registrar.indiana.edu/index.php”>http://gradedistribution.registrar.indiana.edu/index.php</a>. This shows that for MOST of the sections of the IFS classes (COLL-S 103 and COLL-S 105 for Fall 2013), the vast majority of students got As. But there are two sections where the majority of the students did NOT get As. And just because most students got As in the class doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard work. But it sounds like your daughter got into an especially difficult class. I hope when it’s over, she will at least be happy that she got one GenEd out of the way, and perhaps will have a lighter load for the rest of first semester.</p>
As the year is winding down and the new IFS classes have been posted I would like to say, the class my daughter took is NOT being offered this August 2015 for IFS. It was Psychology of College Life, Thomassen. Although the class was interesting and she learned a lot, it was too much work and pressure for a 2 week period for an incoming college freshman. It did not allow her to take advantage of the other experiences that IFS offered the students. Actually, I think the class would be better if it were offered over a semester period. Although she learned a lot, found the class interesting and the material was applicable to the situation she was in, she wishes she had taken another class during IFS. For the vast majority of the students, they seem to have a wonderful experience. My daughter has said students have come out of IFS with some very good friends and experiences.
Thanks for coming back with an update, tcbooklover. Again I’m sorry to hear your daughter didn’t have a great IFS experience. I wonder if others had the same issue with that class, and that’s why it is not being offered this coming summer. I do see the class my daughter took in 2013 is still being offered - Leaving Teenage Wasteland: Expectations of Adulthood in Literature and Culture with Dana Anderson. My daughter really liked the class and the professor. She has been trying to get another class with him, but it just hasn’t worked out in her schedule. As she finishes her sophomore year, she is still in touch with some of her IFS classmates.
I’m graduating this Spring and I attribute a decent amount of my success (particularly early on) in college to taking Professor Thomassen’s IFS class. It was certainly more challenging and time consuming than the other IFS classes, but the workload and things Thomassen added on to the class mirrored what college has actually been like. It was like going through the actual challenges of college, but with a Professor holding your hand. I even remember her telling us that the reason she added so many requirements onto the workload was because in ‘real college’ we would have additional commitments on top of our academic work. This has certainly been my experience, especially as a Kelley student.