Should I join Freshman Science Honors and Thematic Option?
By: Nathan Kim ‘24
As an incoming freshman, you might’ve received an email or letter, inviting you to join a couple of programs called Freshman Science Honors (FSH), only for natural science majors, or Thematic Option (TO). One year ago, I was in the same shoes, wondering if FSH and TO were worth it, and if you’re like me, a flurry of questions probably flooded your mind on what these programs exactly were and their various benefits and drawbacks. Although there are posts online talking about these programs, I wanted to give a complete, personal take on them as I am a part of both. Quick disclaimer: I took these classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
First of all, what is FSH? Freshman Science Honors is a program in which natural science majors take more advanced classes of general biology and chemistry, BISC 121/221 and CHEM 115A/B, instead of BISC 120/220 and CHEM 105A/B. Its key characteristics include a small class size of around 60 students, small labs, and a variety of events offered. Some highlights include are going on a 1-day trip to Catalina Island, the diverse bio labs, and a multitude of field trips. Personally, I learned a large amount of information that I felt was fascinating, I made a good number of friends and found some solid people, and I received quite useful advice and help from the SI leaders. However, I thought that there was too much information that I had to acquire in a short period of time, the tests were abnormally difficult, and the class standard was a bit too high sometimes, meaning there were usually no curves.
Asking a current sophomore, Korrie Han, about her own experience in FSH, she explained, “The positives were that I met a couple of good friends and that the labs seemed easier than CHEM 105A/B, but the negatives were that having all the classes online were extremely stressful, the professors didn’t seem to be putting in enough effort for our education, and the general chemistry classes were too difficult.”
Switching over to TO, Thematic Option is a broader program open to everyone in which the normal set of GEs one is required to take is replaced with a different set of GEs with a greater emphasis on writing and reading. This means that instead of taking GE A-H including 2 Cs and 2 Bs, a GESM, and WRIT 150/340, you would take CORE 101-104, CORE 111/112, and GE CAFE. Its key characteristics include a very small class size, a writing conference at the end of the year, and a variety of events offered as well. Some highlights include a Getty Museum trip, workshops, plays, and special types of office hours. Personally, I enjoyed the extremely small class sizes because I had a personal relationship with the professor, I made a couple of cool friends as well, and the writing conference we had at the end of the year was a refreshing culmination of work. However, I thought that the essays in my CORE 102 were too stressful, the content I learned was sometimes confusing and convoluted, and there was a ton, and I mean ton, of reading and writing.
When I asked current sophomore, Audrey Kim, about her personal experience in the program, she explained the positives by saying, “I entered T.O. because I wanted an intimate environment with professors and students. Seeing “small liberal arts education” within a school of 20k students was a haven for an introvert like me. I loved making personal connections + TO made me more in tune with my writing and myself.” However, on the flip side, she explained, “It was hard to connect with the professor and students because of Zoom. There was lots and lots of reading and writing, and you can feel left out if you’re not integrated within a group already.”
Joining these programs are simple! All one has to do is fill out an online Google Form application (which you can get through the programs’ email or by looking it up online) with a few essays and your stats and that’s it! Remember that FSH is only open to natural science majors. I recommend not stressing out on the essays too much and simply being honest as possible. One difference to point out is that FSH is more competitive to get into where stats have a greater bearing on your application while TO is less competitive to get into where essays have a greater bearing on your application.
Although these programs don’t have any inherent benefit in your application to graduate school or anywhere else, they are in place for a greater intellectual challenge and more so intangible benefits. Thus, people that should join are those that want to intentionally push themselves intellectually, become better students and members of society, want smaller classes, and have special events tailored towards them. If that’s not your cup of tea, that’s totally fine because there are an unlimited number of ways to challenge yourself at USC, and these programs are geared towards people that love specifically academics and learning. The deciding factor that made me choose to join both of these programs was certainly the small class sizes and the special events that they would hold. Even though the classes were more difficult and there was a higher time commitment, it was an unforgettable experience for me, and I highly recommend joining both programs because the experiences and friendships that you can gain are invaluable and are worth it. Handling both programs has taught me how to manage my time better, how to study and do homework more efficiently, and how to be a better college student in general. If you have any questions, I recommend reaching out to older students that went through these programs because they can give you an honest, realistic perspective as well as their time in these programs. You can learn more about FSH here and about TO here.
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