<p>Is there any real long term benefit to enrolling in the honors college of a university. I know there are short term benefits - smaller classes etc. But does having 'Honors college' on your degree mean a lot in the real world?</p>
<p>In the long term having any name on one's diploma is of little value. A name on a diploma might get one in the door, but after that it is up to individual performance. Though the anecdote wars have argued for and against this position, the data indicate that the primary variable is the person, not the school.</p>
<p>I think having smaller classes and more attention in a big U environment can have long-term benefits (and if that's all it did, that would be OK). Beyond that, I think it depends on the school. I would check with each program to get success rates on admissions to grad schools and job offers. I know that the honors college my son attends has a great track record. One of the advisors told us that many of the "plum" internships and job opportunites are funneled to the honors kids. Some employers will "cherry pick" by asking for honors students only. So, I think it can make some difference. Plus the social environment can make a huge difference for the students - honors dorms tend to more sedate and the students are more focused on studying than the general population.</p>
<p>Yes the smaller classes sound appealing. But there are, I believe, quite a few extra requirements. She has really pushed herself her last 2 years of high school by deciding to attend a very rigorous math and science school. Not only very stressful but also has reduced her confidence a lot. So is reluctant at this point to risk taking on too much extra. I don't want to push her - but think she might regret not taking this opportunity when it is being offered to her.</p>
<p>At our state university, you MUST be enrolled in honors college to (a) receive merit awards/scholarships (versus need-based aid); (b) graduate with honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude).</p>
<p>Honors dorms are not necessarily more sedate. According to my son, the one he was in had quite a reputation for partying...</p>
<p>Personally, I think it would be worthwhile to be a part of the Honors College. If it turned out not to be helpful, or to be too stressful, she could always drop it and just be part of the regular university.</p>
<p>Once you graduate, no one will ever look at your diploma. With a few years of graduation, no one will care where you studied (OK, Harvard folks care if you went there :) ). and so on.</p>
<p>So I would say the direct benefits of an honors college are within the college years. But the impact of those benefits may last a lifetime. </p>
<p>Think about it. If a U sets up an honors college, one reason is that they want to provide something extra to the "star" students. You can reason it out from there.</p>
<p>Sometimes Honors College students get priority in registration. That can be a big plus in getting into oversubscribed classes.</p>
<p>That is true in this case ellemenope. We have a friend whose child enrolled in the honor school just for the first semester so he could make sure he got into a class he needed the second semester.</p>
<p>D was in the Honors College of her undergrad U.She needed to write a Senior Honors Thesis in order to graduate with Honors designation.The Thesis formed the basis of the research project she presented to Grad school Admissions committees,and the mentorships she developed through the thesis process provided the references she presented.She was accepted to her first choice program,with a full fellowship.Im sure the connections were of help.
Also, her Honors College provided the students with another level of counselor (as does S's who is currently enrolled in an Honors College program). Therefore the student has two counselors,one in the major area and one in Honors.Every little bit helps in navigating the system.
She also attended an Honors only Study Abroad program,where professors from her home U travelled with, and taught the classes.The credits were full University credits and were geared to fufilling Gen Ed requirements.She also had priority in registering,which can be a help in a large U, and graduate level library priveleges.</p>
<p>Honors programs vary from school to school - some easier to navigate than others. There are usually perks that go to the Honors students - early registration - preference dorms - Honors courses (for Honors students only) - some schools have Honors dorms - some tend to isolate the Honors students by housing and classes - some are sprinkled thru out the school - some non-honors classes can be contracted with the prof for Honors credits - department and Honors advisors - special opportunities - internships/abroad/research opportunities/etc..... - open only to Honors students, etc.........</p>
<p>I think you have to really look at the benefits for the student depending on exactly what the school offers to their Honors students - My gal was invited into the honors program based on her application and test scores - tho she did not have to have all Honors courses on her schedule - she could pick and choose - which she felt was less intimidating than a pure Honors program. She also choose not to live in the Honors dorm because of it's poor location on campus - which I really had to agree with :)</p>
<p>Take a close look at the Honors program or Honors College to see if it really is a good fit for your student - could be a perfect fit - or it could be a program that is not - good luck</p>
<p>I think it's interesting that many univeristies automatically offer honors programs to students with top profiles. At the honors college my son attends, students must complete a rather extensive application (including essays and recs) and admission to the program is very competitive (many do not get in). There is a strong emphasis on leadership and ECs. I think this makes for a high caliber program since the students are motivated to be in the program and hand-picked. They know it can be extra work (harder honors classes and thesis requirements) but since they applied, it's likely that this is what they want. Honors dorms are optional but most choose them since they are very well located and very nice.
Regarding someone who is hesitant after getting invited, I would suggest giving it a try and then opting out if it's too much.</p>
<p>I also think it depends on the school. I know the honors colleges at Pennsylvania State schools do have the perks mentioned above. I would guess that graduating with honors must also be different at every school. My daughter will graduate with honors and while she is a member of her schools education honor society she is not in its honors program.</p>
<p>Honors college/programs are different from Honor societies - tho both are nice to have on a resume and can have a very positive effect on graduation :) Those cords they receive are certainly an indication and reflection of their hard work and recognition :D</p>
<p>Graduating with honors can also be a reflection of GPA at many schools - not just being a member of the Honors College/program.</p>
<p>I think anyone considering an Honors program of any kind needs to really research exactly how they work and what the expectations and benefits are - some work for some - but not for others.</p>
<p>swimcatsmom - some schools will let you apply for the honors program as a second semester freshman or sophomore. Perhaps that is an option at her school and would give her a chance to see if it is something she wants to pursue. My d turned down the invitation to be part of the honors program at her college because living in the honors dorm and taking many weekend field trips with the other honor students did not appeal to her. She received an email from the program director today asking her to reconsider her decision and join them next semester...("No")....my point is that maybe if she does not pursue it at this time it will be an option if she changes her mind.</p>
<p>A friend's D who graduated with an IB diploma from h.s ended up going to a small state u (not flagship) due to financial reasons. Parents were in the boat of making too much to get FA but had saved very little. This small state u offered full tution scholarship to IB grads. Had to keep a 3.0 to keep scholarship.</p>
<p>So this D has a little chip on her shoulder that after all her hard work in IB, she would not be attending a "name" school. At Freshman Orientation, she signs up for several honors classes including an upper level Eng. class where she was the only Frosh. Seems she thought the regualr classes at little state u would not be challenging enough and she wanted to show that she was really too smart to be at little state u. and only came there because parents pushed it. Wellll.... some of those honors classes kicked her in the behind and she barely kept her scholarship that first year. Parents were about to have a nervous breakdown because it was an oos u and there was no way they could pay oos tution. </p>
<p>Don't think she signed up for many more honors after that. So be careful what you're getting into if there's any $$ on the line.</p>
<p>Colleges have Honors Colleges only because other colleges have Honors Colleges.</p>
<p>DS is in an honors program. Brand new gorgeous dorm and smaller classes..think 12 in soc 101. The other advantage that he recently discovered was that when he was doing his online registration for second semester the servers were jammed. He went to the lower level of his dorm where the honors offices are located. An advisor helped him immediately even to the point of emailing a professor and department head to try to get him into a class that was full. So far, we have been very pleased with the honors program.</p>
<p>There is probably no long term benefit to having the words printed on your diploma or transcript, at least not like your hs record where it affects the admissions decision at some schools, however, I totally agree with cathymee's observation that some of the things you will pursue in a given honors program/college might well provide your admit ticket into grad school. The two schools my older kids are in would probably not deny you opptys if you weren't in their honors college, but it sure is easier to get them if you are in it. </p>
<p>The two schools my kids are in also run their programs very differently, so be sure to thoroughly check out the details of what your child's applying to or looking at. But here's an example coming up for my oldest in the spring. She is a communications disorders major, a junior thinking she wants to do audiology grad school. You can't get a job w/o grad school now in either speech path or audiology, so getting in grad school is critical for getting a job. She is going to "honors option" two of her spring comm-d classes in the spring, which will automatically let her do a project with/for the professor, who should then be in a position to know her and her work well enough for (hope) a good LOR to send to the schools she's applying to next year. If she's lucky, it might even produce a summer job/project that strengthens her appication even more. The two classes give her exposure to two profs, and at some of her schools that's all the recs she needs.</p>
<p>The long term benefits are a not apparent from the diploma.</p>
<p>Another thing, if you are going to "big state u" for whatever reason, including that's all you can afford, the immediate benefit of early registration for classes just cannot be underestimated. I am now finding out that inability to get a class you need to graduate or seque into a course sequence necessary for your major is one of the main reasons why kids at my oldest child's school don't graduate in four years. Some of the other guarantees at other schools, like housing, are not to be sniffed at either.</p>