When students sign up for housing for the fall semester, they’ll have the opportunity to live in a place that lets them explore interests outside their residence halls.

Now in its third year, ThinkBig is Tech’s program for living-learning communities in on-campus housing. These groups of approximately 30 students enjoy activities with a professor and others on their hall centered on a subject of mutual interest. Students can choose to be part of one of 11 ThinkBig groups that have weekly coffee hours or activities, take trips and venture to other parts of the city to discuss topics such as humor, sustainable living, the “Colbert effect” or women in science and technology.

“I wanted to be more active in my community and have always enjoyed outdoor activities,” said Kaitlin Overstreet, a second-year student in the 2010-11 Urban Outdoor Adventures community, on why she chose to live in a ThinkBig community. During the fall semester, her community went geocaching, camping and viewed planets through the telescope on top of the Howey physics building. Overstreet also enjoyed getting to know a professor outside of a normal classroom environment, both socially and professionally, and the chance to make new friends with similar interests.

Students in ThinkBig live in either Fourth Street Apartments or North Avenue Apartments, depending on their community’s assignment, and in most cases may still room with others who are not part of the ThinkBig program.

The $150 participation fee includes all activities and outings for the year. Details for each community, as well as specific sign-up instructions, are available at thinkbig.gatech.edu; the deadline to sign up for ThinkBig and fall 2011 housing is March 2, and students may do so through BuzzPort or housing.gatech.edu.

Students may also learn more about the program by attending a Dinner with ThinkBig Faculty to talk with students and faculty currently involved in a community.