1. Will a learning community limit my choice of majors?

No. Credits earned in learning communities help satisfy general education requirements that all students must fulfill. You will have the opportunity to work with an advisor to select courses out of the community that will prepare you for entry into your major of choice.

2. How is a learning community different from other first year experiences?

At large universities like USF, typical first year students select classes independently of one another, so that he or she ends up as part of a different group of students in each class. These classes are generally large, unlike many of the learning community classes. This can make the development of friendships and academic relationships difficult. In the learning communities, since a group of students take multiple classes together, there are many more opportunities for these relationships to develop.

Also, in most classes there are no explicit connections between classes, whereas the learning communities develop thematic links between courses, even in different majors and disciplines. Your classmates will be making these connections as well, so you can discuss ideas and writing from one class in your other classes.

3. I don't have a major yet. Is a learning community right for me?

Absolutely. Most students haven't chosen a major when they enter college. The learning community is a good place to experience many different disciplines, while still satisfying a portion of the general education requirements. But even if you do have a major (with a few exceptions such as Math or pre-med) a learning community provides a terrific grounding for your later years at USF.

4. Do learning communities help students succeed in college?

Yes. At USF, a six year-long assessment program has shown that student satisfaction with learning communities is extremely high, students who complete learning communities complete their degrees more quickly than do others, and that the writing skills of learning community students are significantly superior to comparable students not in the learning community program.

5. Are there disadvantages to a learning community?

Students in learning communities do give up some freedom of choice for the courses they take, since they must enroll in all the learning community courses. However, since learning community courses fulfill some but not all of the University general education requirements, community students will still have the opportunity to select from the broad range of course offerings available at USF.

6. Are students with college credit admissible to the learning community?

Students with Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP, dual enrollment credit and the like, may not be admissible to the learning community. Please contact Kennan Ferguson (kennan@luna.cas.usf.edu) for more information.

7. Do learning communities cost more?

No. The payment and fees and the use of various scholarships and financial aid can be applied toward tuition.

8. Will I be required to stay in a specific residence hall?

No. Your living arrangements are not tied to the learning community.

9. Do I choose my learning community?

Yes, you can choose between different learning communities offered each year.

10. I want to be a teacher. Is a learning community right for me?

Absolutely. The interactive and interdisciplinary nature of the learning community classroom provides an excellent environment in which you can develop skills that will help foster student learning in the future. In fact, “The Big Ideas” was developed in part to meet the needs of students anticipating majoring in education: it covers a wide range of issues and subjects that are vital to teaching and further learning.

11. Do learning communities exist at other universities?

Yes. Learning communities are part of a large number of institutions, public and private, throughout the United States. In Florida, institutions with learning community programs include the University of Miami, University of Central Florida, and Florida International University.