<p>i wish i had waited haha. now i look like an idiot. : )</p>
<p>I think I sent my FSH application the day after I got it. I must look like an idiot too. :p</p>
<p>can someone please direct me to where i can fill out this app online</p>
<p>Keek... you have to be invited to apply. So unless you got something in the mail or attended Explore, you are sadly out of luck. I am sure there are ways around this though...</p>
<p>Call them and they will send you a brochure.
Thematic</a> Option</p>
<p>Any admitted student who wants to challenge themselves can apply. Call!</p>
<p>So I hear good things about Thematic Options but does the extra work really cut into exta curricular time for things like theater auditions or Work study job? Just wondering if anyone has been accepted and now regrets choosing to do this. In your opinion does this look good for grad school or future job interviews or is it not worth the extra effort? THANKS.</p>
<p>As the OP, I suppose it is fitting that I give some input! :)</p>
<p>I am still in TO (taking my last class in the fall) and in general, I have really enjoyed the experience. Every TO professor I have had has been interesting, extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and generous with grading.</p>
<p>The classes are actually interesting, even if you think that you might not be interested in the subject matter. The GE courses that I have taken for diversity and major requirements have been very hit-or-miss, and have assigned a lot of unnecessary things based on rote memorization, which is something I have never experienced in TO courses. (In fairness, some GE courses are good; I just think that because TO professors and courses are hand-picked, there’s a greater chance that you will enjoy the experience.)</p>
<p>As for extra work, TO is probably comparable to regular GE’s with a few more short essays thrown into the semester. It is definitely not going to cut into your free time in an extreme or unreasonable way. I think I spent about the same amount of time on my TO courses as I did on my non-TO ones. Then again, I took one TO class per semester (with the exception of freshman year, when I took one TO writing + one TO course for both semesters), so it was manageable. If free time is a concern, perhaps 1/2 TO course(s) per semester would work out for you as well. This would definitely leave you with enough time for auditions, jobs, and the like.</p>
<p>As for grad school or job interviews, I’m really not sure. I mean, I can’t imagine that a grad school/company would admit/hire you at the mere mention of “Thematic Option” but it can’t hurt and it is something interesting to talk about, I suppose.</p>
<p>Hope this helps! 
Let me know if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>Rosieony: You are not committed to staying in TO. If it doesn’t work out for one reason or another, you can switch into regular GEs.
My D was unsure after first semester (just didn’t click with classes’ material), and then decided to take only the second writing core (114) the next semester so that she would be exempted from Reg GE Writing 340 in Junior year. It turned out that she loved that class and has decided to stay in TO and is enthusiastic about the subject matter of the two classes she will take in fall.</p>
<p>Honestly, my daughter worked very hard for her TO classes, she was extremely busy with her classes. But she was glad that she picked the TO options. She also managed to work part-time at USC and hold a leadership position in a volunteer organization while taking 17-18 units each semester.</p>
<p>My son is very happy he did TO as a freshman last year, and will continue the program. He said it basically replicated the academic portion of what he would have expected at an excellent liberal arts college. He took 3 TO classes in fall and 2 in spring, which everyone said was crazy. It was a lot of work, but he was able to figure out when to say when; if he didn’t have time to do all the reading, he did triage. (I think the only thing he didn’t like about TO was the feeling that profs assigned far more reading than almost any student was willing/able to do.) He loved his classmates and his profs, especially the writing instructors. He went to a terrific high school, but still feels like his writing improved considerably because of the discipline and the feedback that comes with TO writing classes.</p>
<p>My S’s take on TO was similar to FauxNom’s S. While he didn’t load up on quite so many TOs each semester, the program did require a lot of reading and writing. Since he selected his courses by checking out the reading lists and chose courses by the books that sounded most interesting, he found the material fascinating. Another plus to TO is those who take the challenge are a pretty special group. S found the kids in his TO classes engaged, well-read, and intelligent, and the professors exceptional. Basically, you’ll get an extraordinary Humanities education among top students who feel inspired.</p>
<p>I would suggest that those considering TO try it for a semester. You can always drop the program to finish your GEs if it doesn’t suit you.</p>
<p>Rosieoney, my friend managed BFA Theater and TO. He was also in a play last semester as well.</p>
<p>SimpleLife, lots of info about TO here - especially interesting because the OP (thread started in 2006) came back in 2009 to give updates.</p>