Is it mandatory to join them? Do I have to pick one of the three options? (FIG, GLC, TLC)
How do they work (assume I know absolutely nothing of them, bc I do lol)? Does it require time outside of your classes, or is just a title-sort-of-thing?
I am a Bio major enrolled for next year and want a social, community dorm. Recommendations?
You have to join one of them. Either FIG, TLC, or GLC.
They vary in time commitment and their mission. At the basic level, the point of them is to get (mainly) freshmen to be social and involved. GLC is the least time consuming one. GLCs are really nothing other than a title type thing. There will be other people officially designated in the GLC with you, but it really doesn't mean much. A couple activities here and there, nothing mandatory. A TLC is a thematic learning community, which given its name, has a theme. Journalism, bio, honors, law, there are a lot of different ones. This is in between a GLC and FIG. There's not really anything mandatory, just a lot of optional activities. TLCs are good for people who want to live on a floor with people of common interests. FIGs are only for freshman and require the biggest level of time commitment (which isn't that huge). You join a FIG based on an interest (say pre-med) and you'll be assigned a few gen-ed classes together with the 10-15 people in your FIG. You'll also have a one hour seminar class each week taught be a peer adviser (one of the RAs in the building). FIGs are for people who really want to make friends with people in the same interests or have a few classes with some of the same people. Your classes together are only first semester, however, so second semester is basically zero time commitment other than living on the same floor as the people in your FIG. Also, you TLCs and GLCs aren't on the same floor ever, but TLCs and FIGs can mix and GLCs and FIGs. For example, I live in the honors TLC and within that, there's a pre-med FIG.
Depends on if you want a suite style of communal style living arrangement. Not to say you'll have a hard time making friends in suite-style (I know one suite-style floor who is very close), but in general, some of the most social are community style. I'm not sure what your interests are as far as learning communities (and I'm also not sure which res halls will have which learning communities next year), and by social if you mean friendly or partying, but I can suggest a few. Wolpers is a nice res hall, a lot of their students are involved in Greek Life and it can get kinda wild (not sure if you're wanting that or not). Gillett and Hudson are known for being very friendly dorms; lots of engineering students there, but it's popular for random majors too. It really just depends on the year; this year there are certain dorms and floors known for being social, but it could totally change next year.