<p>Realistically, what are the advantages and disadvantages of participating in a learning community - Concourse, ESG, MAS, Terrascope? How does Misssion 2010 (not within the context of Terrascope) fit into the picture? If anyone has actually participated in one or knows people who have, I'd be interested to know how they found the experience. Thanks!</p>
<p>I know someone who had a great experience with ESG, and I visited for an info session during CPW. Small, personal, informal classes. They have a great space where people can hang out and socialize. The 45 or so people who participate get to know each other and the ESG faculty very well.</p>
<p>I was going to make a new thread about this, but I think this somewhat relates to Learning Communities/Terrascope. How much time would something like Mission 2010 take out of your schedule since it is 9 units? Would there still be time to hold down a part-time job (lets say 10 hrs)?</p>
<p>units theoretically corelates to hours/week. So that part time job depends on what else you have scheduled.</p>
<p>Personally, I think any freshman schedule (other than perhaps one with a varsity sport in-season) will support a part-time job.</p>
<p>Actually, I just realized this question was broader than what I actually wanted to know. Specifically, I thought MAS (and maybe Concourse) looked interesting - any input on either of those?</p>
<p>You rarely hear about people being dissatisfied with their experience in learning communities, but I don't know if that's an example of the learning communities truly being great, or just an example of extreme self-selection. :)</p>
<p>A lot depends on your incoming skillset and interests, I think. Similar to texas137, I know someone who arrived on campus fully intending to commit to MAS, but after reviewing some of the first-year material and visiting the ESG booth during Orientation, chose ESG instead and had an <em>excellent</em> experience.</p>
<p>Thank you! I actually found a few seminars that seem so interesting I'm going to apply for one of them instead of a learning community. It's helpful to know we can change once we're on campus if we want to though. :)</p>
<p>If a seminar is 6 units and we meet 2 hrs a week, does that mean we get 4 hrs of work? Would it be advised for freshmen to do seminar advising if they plan to be <em>highly</em> involved in sports/activities? Should they just do traditional advising?</p>
<p>The unit assignments are really just estimates, and they shouldn't be taken as a firm number of hours of work.</p>
<p>A few seminars assign reading, or require students to visit museums or libraries, but I doubt that most advising seminars require four hours of work per week. (Most probably require zero or one hour of outside work in the average week.)</p>
<p>There are 168 hours in a week. That's plenty of time to take four classes, do a seminar, and do an activity or two.</p>
<p>Is traditional advising more preferable for students who plan to take higher level courses (as opposed to introductory courses) during the first semester? What is the advantage of doing seminar advising besides the fact that we get more units? I feel that I can probably use those 6 hrs for an activity or sport.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Is traditional advising more preferable for students who plan to take higher level courses (as opposed to introductory courses) during the first semester?
[/quote]
even if you place out of the entire freshman math/science core (which I believe only one person last year managed to do), you could still take your HASS course through ESG. </p>
<p>Traditional advising is best for someone who just wants someone to sign off on things, but isn't particularly interested in getting to know their advisor.</p>
<p>Seminar advising is fun. That's the major reason to do it. </p>
<p>It's not going to take six hours out of your week. Most seminars (freshman or otherwise) are 6 units. That's pretty much the minimum number of units you'll find an MIT class being worth.</p>
<p>And believe me, there may be a day when you're thanking the credit gods for those six units -- my boyfriend is going to graduate with exactly 180 units outside the GIRs thanks to his freshman advising seminar.</p>
<p>If I don't know whether I can get into one of the wind ensemble (audition is required), do you think I can apply to these freshmen seminar things right? I mean may I drop my freshmen seminar if I pass the audition during the first week?</p>
<p>Just want to make sure, so we don't get letter grades for seminar, right? Any seminar after our freshmen year?</p>
<p>As pebbles has said in another thread, you can drop your advising seminar if you need to (and still keep the advising seminar person as your advisor), although the ARC would rather see this as a last result option.</p>
<p>The online</a> schedule says
[quote]
Seminars give 6 units of elective credit and are always graded P/D/F.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Seminars exist that aren't listed on that page, though (for example, the biology</a> advanced undergraduate seminars), but I think all seminars are still P/D/F.</p>