My son received a flyer for the Thematic Option program. I’m not sure I understand what this is an “option” to. Is it an option to the general ed requirements? Or, would this increase the number of general ed courses required?
He is accepted to Dornsife as a physics major, so he doesn’t have a lot of room in his schedule to add additional classes. But if the TO fulfills the general ed requirements in smaller, more interesting classes, he’d be interested, particularly in “Process of Change in Science” and “Change and the Future.” He’s a pretty good writer for a physics/CS major type, so it could be a good fit.
Any thoughts on whether Thematic Option is a good fit for a physics major?
(The Freshman Science Honors program does not look to be a good fit, since he has not much interest in biology.)
Yes, TO is an alternative “honors college” which fulfills the GE reqs.
The pros:
-Senior professors who are also most celebrated for being great communicators
-Fascinating course offerings, designed only for TO (One course my son enjoyed was on Time Travel–through literature, philosophy and film)
-Small class size
-For the 2 req writing courses, I believe each student gets a half-hour long private consultation on in-progress writing every week!
-Top merit scholars and equiv, highly motivated, intellectual types who enjoy participating in classroom discussion
-Unlike grading on a curve style systems, most TO students who work hard achieve A’s, so no ding to GPA to take more rigorous courses.
-A nice chance to meet/befriend similar motivated students from across all the schools/majors–some say it feels like an ivy-level LAC experience
-A personal TO advisor and they are THE BEST advisors, with superior experience/knowledge of USC scheduling ins & outs of making a great schedule/fitting in minors/and other advice independent (and in addition to) one’s major advisor(s).
The cons:
-TO has more intense reading lists (heavier reading commitment than regular GEs)
-TO has smaller selection of courses offered each semester (non-TO GEs offer a ton more sections, times, and topics to fulfill each req). This might be a factor in building a schedule if the student has req classes for their major which conflict. It all works out, but sometimes students must rearrange times or even semesters to take them.
A TO student has to show up! The good part is TO builds great student/prof relationships, but students can’t slack.
A superstar sort of student in the regular GEs will feel like they’re at the top of the heap there–some students prefer that ease of achievement to the extra challenge of working hard, thinking hard, etc in GEs, because most USC students work extra hard in their major(s) and outside of school roles (work, internships, community service, organizations, leadership, etc).
-No GE class is an easy A at USC, but perhaps for the student who really works hard the regular GEs will reward hard work with top grades, too. So GPA concerns are a bit of a wash, and maybe with a tad less effort for non-TO.
I have one kid who did TO, loved the challenge and the profs, and it really made USC an intellectually stimulating experience. I have another kid who just didn’t want the extra pressure (as he saw the extended reading/writing components) so he could figure out how to manage scheduling a very challenge double major and also do research. Each of my two loved their choice, had great instructors, and thrived. My second–the one who didn’t want to do TO–wound up winning many writing prizes at USC (these often come with nice monetary awards) and not being in TO hurt him not one bit.
I am partial to TO, but there is no incorrect choice.
My S is a current freshman taking TO, Bio major in Dornsife. madbean gave an excellent summary on TO.
Just to give an idea of how much reading my S did in his first TO class (CORE 102) last fall, his class read 13 books and wrote essays (can’t say my S read all 13 books cover-to-cover but he read a lot). He also wrote at least 5 lengthy essays for his TO CORE 111 writing class. For his spring TO writing class CORE 112, he only has to read 5 books. He plans to take more TO courses in his sophomore years.
I think my S liked his TO classes, and definitely loved his writing professor. But as madbean said, TO classes take a lot of time and efforts from students and may not be suitable for those who have heavy workload in their major courses
@Dolemite There are several professors teaching CORE 102 and other TO classes. Each professor will have a different list of books for their own classes, some more than others. Next fall, the list of books will likely be different than what is on the link you provided, and it will depend on the professors. If I could offer a tip, your D should ask current students for advice on who the best professors are among the available professors who will teach CORE 102 and CORE 111 TO classes next fall. Popular professors’ classes tend to get filled up fast.
You are permitted to do both, but very few choose to do so. Many posters in past years who were focused on STEM majors didn’t want piles of work in reading/writing too. If the student wants rigor in both areas, and won’t be joining organizations, taking a few weekend outings with friends, working, interning, or having a social life (kidding), doing both is an option.
Last year, my S thought (briefly) about taking both TO and FSH, but decided to take only TO. Looking back now, I am so glad that he made that choice. Biology always came easy for my S but not chemistry. He never took AP Chem in high school (he took general Chem as a Sophomore in HS), and his hardest class right now is general Chem 105 as he has forgotten most of what he learned in HS. In contrast, he is doing very well in Bio (with much less effort according to him).
Besides classes, there are other important things to think about such as making friends, extracurricular activities and just having fun. My S is actively involved in several clubs and enjoys participating in many activities on weekends (and even on weekdays). He has volunteered on several service activities, went on couple of weekend retreats, trips to beaches and museums, snowboarding, ice skating, etc. His GPA would have been subpar (I believe) if he took TO and FSH, and continued to be involved in all of his activities and volunteering (which he really loves). USC has so many clubs and volunteer opportunities and most of my S’s friends are in the same clubs and actively volunteering in the local community.
Ditto to what Anamgol posted. One of my S’s was invited to do research with a professor in his major in his freshman year. It was funded (!) and very exciting work. It actually continued throughout his 4 years. Sometimes a student should recognize that college is not like HS, and having space for new activities. For example, S1 was sent an email by his major about a new international competition, the selected USC undergrad in this major would be sent to the Netherlands for 2 weeks to work on a team with Dutch/international designers. Had his workload been too massive (as he used to handle in HS), he couldn’t have applied. He was selected by USC, went to Holland, and the project he worked on went on to win an award in his industry. It’s just very hard to know in advance the amazing opportunities these student will be presented with at USC. I do respect kids who like to work hard, but there are other lessons to learn in college–like how to network, adapt to change, bring value to new endeavors, take risks and just have fun. Not every kid wants a huge crowd of pals, but making one close friend is great and that also needs time.
