<p>I think the pros outweigh the cons but wanted to see if anyone had first-hand experience with them.</p>
<p>I might do the ECE FIG so any first-hand experience in that would be even better :)</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I’d also like to know the answer to this.</p>
<p>Also, if anyone had any info on whether or not people in FIG get better classes with better professors?</p>
<p>I was not in an engineering FiG ( I was Natural Sciences), but I thought the FiG experience was very helpful. For those of you that may not know, there are about ~15-20 kinds in a FiG, and you guys meet once a week for an hour with a student and staff advisor. You are placed in several classes together (I think it was three). Thus, it was sort of a built in group of friends that you had the same classes with. It helped make the school seem smaller for me.</p>
<p>Yes, I think that the professors that are associated with FIGs are better overall, especially if you get the last orientation – this is because your FIG spots are guaranteed. I think that they list your classes (by unique number) on the FIG sheet, so you can always check online first. (That’s not to say that you always got the BEST professor. It depends on your FiG)</p>
<p>Oh, if any of you guys are Natural Sciences, I’d suggest taking a look at the Research FiGs and the Freshman Research Initiative. I also though that was a good experience.</p>
<p>Chiasmus–is there a place on the website where you can sign up for a Natural Sciences FIG?</p>
<p>You apply/sign up for FiGs during orientation, where I’m sure they’ll tell you all about it. If you’re in Natural Sciences, you apply and the day before you register they post all your assignments on a board whree you can check. This will also give you a unique number to register for all the classes the FiG comes with.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Btw, is there a place on the website to fill out preferences for roommates? Sorry, just find the website difficult to navigate at times (took me forever to locate ‘cost of attendance’!). I know they said during tour there was something you could fill out or go ‘pot luck.’</p>
<p>yes…log in to your ut eid page, go to housing status and click roomate profiler to the left…</p>
<p>will the housing people that pick a roommate for me see what i put on the roommate profiler, or is that just a way to find a roommate.</p>
<p>That is just a way to find a roommate. </p>
<p>This is how they explained it to the parents at Family Orientation last summer. When assigning rooms, the housing department just goes numerically step by step down the list. If you don’t find a roommate on your own, if you are the number 273 woman whose first choice was Kinsolving who requested a room with connecting bath, you will be matched with the number 274 woman whose first choice was Kinsolving who requested a room with connecting bath. They do not use the profiler.</p>
<p>If students do not choose their own roommate the system will try to find a roommate that is similar in age and college or major. The room assignment program and the reservation staff do not have access to the roommate profiler information.</p>
<p>Thanks, that’s helpful–will see if son wants to do the profiler.</p>
<p>I was in a non-residential FIG my first semester and absolutely loved it. Now, I didn’t make long lasting friendships like the program likes to claim…but the courses I got to take were fantastic.</p>
<p>It was really nice having a group of people you could count on for notes etc. But the highlight of my FIG was being able to take a class with the chair of the Geography Department. The class was a writing component, and only had the 15 of us FIGgers in it. As a result, we all really got to know the professor. (He even wrote me a letter of recommendation a while back…and not everyone can say they’ve got someone like that to write for them! :P)</p>
<p>Each FIG differs in the courses that they offer, mine was interdisciplinary…so essentially I got to take a bunch of cool and interesting classes 
The more major-focused FIGs do just that, and help students fulfill their freshmen requirements. However, there is usually at least one class devoted to the just the FIG, and that’s usually the best one.</p>
<p>The only con I really had was I had a time slot for a discussion section that I normally would not have chosen…but that’s about it. Plus, it makes registration REALLY easy because your AA does it all for you.</p>
<p>If anyone is wondering which one I took, it was a Film Studies one sponsored by the BDP program. (I am a part of this certificate program now and would highly recommend it to anyone with multiple interests) After looking at the material for the upcoming semester, it doesn’t look like it is being offered, which is a shame. However, Leo Zonn (amazing Geography man) is teaching a freshman only course on LA. I can only assume this is similar in format to the one that I was enrolled in, and would HIGHLY SUGGEST that you take it. His course was the best one I have taken so far.</p>
<p>Just in case…this was my FIG lineup for Fall 2007 I’m a BA Theatre and Dance major with a focus in Design and Technology…</p>
<p>RTF 305: Intro to Media Studies
BDP 101: Intro to Film Studies
F S 301: Placing Environments in Cinema</p>
<p>I also registered for
BIO 301L: Molecules to Organisms (REALLY EASY class if you need a science credit and aren’t a nat. sciences major.)
ANT 302: Cultural Anthropology
T D 316C: Design for Performance</p>
<p>I was planning on transferring to the RTF (Radio-TV-Film) department, in the Spring of 08. I was accepted, but declined my admission due to the number of opportunities offered in the theater department and Bridging Disciplines Programs.</p>