FIG program
The FIG program, which stands for the Freshman Interest Group, is a program at Mizzou where 15-20 students are grouped according to their academic interests. The program has been around for ten years and is thriving to get students acclimated to the school.
For journalism majors alone, there is the Walter William’s Scholars, Journalism Honors and Women in Journalism not to mention the various FIG groups for the other majors as well.
The students that participate are housed in the same dorm, usually within a floor or two of one another and are co-enrolled in three courses. However, it is possible to drop one of the courses when selecting the classes.
The FIG program includes a one-hour “pro-seminar” each week led by a peer advisor. The peer advisor leads the class and decides the curriculum. The subjects vary from helping students get acclimated to Mizzou to various issues around the freshman experience including study habits and partying. The group is paired with “co-facilitator”, a staff member or professor, to gain greater insight about the school as well as a chance to network.
This year, I participated in the Journalism Honor Fig and we had 14 people who were interested in various types of journalism. It was a great experience to be able to meet people right away. Sure not everyone will get along, but it is a nice niche to get acclimated to the school. Living and taking classes with the same people offers a great opportunity to get more out of the learning experience. It makes it an easier transition especially if you go into college with knowing no one or few people.
To get into the dorm or FIG group you want, Apply early. I wanted to find out where I lived and since they are tied to the particular FIG, the information is available online if you are interested. My assessment was that the FIG program really helped and gave me a close group of people to do things with. Our group was particularly close and we did a lot together including going to parties and shopping together.