<p>Hello, I was accepted into the Honors college (I actually don't think I'm that smart!) and I was wondering how different the Burnett experience is compared to the standard UCF. Are the classes harder or longer or do they require more work? What are really the benefits of being in Burnett and is it really a big difference? Thanks in advance</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptance! First off, I am a high school senior so I have no first-hand experience; however I’ve been to numerous Honors informational sessions and feel comfortable enough to answer your question. They are not harder, they are “different.” Or at least that’s the answer I’m always given. They are smaller classes with a slightly different curriculum than their non-honors counterpart. Supposedly, they are less about regurgitating information you’ve memorized and more about discussion and higher thinking in SOME cases, but generally they’re just structured for more individualized learning that is supposed to make the subject easier to grasp. The honors kids generally take more honors classes than required, so it seems to be true.</p>
<p>In general, yes. With such a small class size, the teacher will expect more from his/her students.</p>
<p>The professor matters more to the difficulty than the honors designation.</p>
<p>Szchowdary: What are your stats?</p>
<p>Demure: Did they mention stats of the most recently admitted freshman class??</p>
<p>I’m asking because I’ve looked throughout the Burnett website and they are very vague about stats, saying only top students.</p>
<p>My D is a junior, has a 4.0 unweighted GPA, got a 30 on the Dec ACT, but is retaking in February and probably several more times. She has all honors/gifted core classes, 3 APs this year and 3-4 next year.</p>
<p>I’m really hoping she would be accepted! We are OOS, not sure if that matters for Burnett, but will apply to admissions early!</p>
<p>@mom2them: The stats for the National Merit Scholars was a 4.2 weighted and a 31 ACT. They all get auto accepted to the BHC, but it might be a good guideline to what those in the honors college get. (And avg 1387/2046 SAT).</p>
<p><a href=“https://admissions.ucf.edu/files/2011/09/National-Merit-Newsletter-2011-12.pdf[/url]”>https://admissions.ucf.edu/files/2011/09/National-Merit-Newsletter-2011-12.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thank you. Actually, those are the stats for freshman honors college profile. Just what I was looking for. It’s just in a newsletter for NMSF, which I know my D didn’t get. She’s a few points under our state’s cutoff for past two years…</p>
<p>Thank you so much!! I love CC!!</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>My S graduated from UCF (and Burnett) in 2011. He’s now at UF (law school). He was an Economics major, and I think he had to take 8 honors classes for graduation for a B.A. in Economics (each major’s different on the requirements). He ended up taking 9 classes, one more than he needed. S came in having taken several AP classes in high school and all honors or gifted. He felt that the classes he had at Burnett didn’t require any more than those high school classes did. For the 4 lower level requirement classes he took things specific to his major, i.e. honors micro economics, honors speech, etc. For the upper level seminars/classes, he took some off the wall kind of things for him, i.e. rocket rhetoric (which he enjoyed, btw, because the teacher was so passionate about his subject). Being that he was getting a B.A. (even with his poli sci minor) he had a good amount of elective opportunities which worked easily with honors. </p>
<p>He loved the priority registration. He graduated on time and several of his peers who were not in honors (now, a couple of them are engineering students so it’s not uncommon to take longer) are still working on their undergrad degree and have had more difficulty getting classes they’ve wanted/needed. He loved the free printing at the honors center, as well as being able to hang out there when he needed a good place to study. He lived in honors housing (Towers) his first year and had 3 roommates he didn’t know. One flunked out and went home to NY. But S and the other two remained together for their sophomore year, but they traded Towers as the new roommate they pulled in with them wasn’t in honors. After that he moved off campus. </p>
<p>Overall, he felt the honors experience was quite positive. He loved the advising (Rex helped him out several times; don’t know if he’s still there). And the honors banquet at the end of his senior year was very nice (Mom and Dad’s POV). </p>
<p>Hope this helps. </p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>Thanks, I think just the priority registration makes the Honors college a great privilege, I did dual enrollment at Valencia so I kind of have an idea of the importance of choosing classes.
In my two years of college so far, if I had to choose THE most important thing it would definitely be choosing class times and professors. It will make or break you.</p>
<p>@mom2them - I don’t think OOS stats matter. I think I posted mine on one of the other threads we were talking in, and I got accepted to Burnett with those (being a theatre major like you’re daughter is considering as well!).</p>
<p>Some honors classes are a LOT harder than the regular classes. But then, some are easier because of the small class size. Be sure to ask around about what classes you should take in the honors section or not.</p>
<p>Hi, the Honors orientation is on June 7th so we’re getting close. I’m pretty excited. So, are Honors classes actually required if you are a Burnett student or are they just an option? And if you graduate taking mostly honors classes do you get a special degree or any other merit? I’m a bit fuzzy on that…Also, I’m 100% focused and determined to become a doctor, so would having honors experience help me get into Medical school? Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>Honors classes are required. You must have four lower level classes and usually 3 upper level. It depends on your major-you might need 1 seminar and 2 specific upper level classes…or you can take three seminars. If you meet all of the requirements and gpa, you graduate from the BHC and you get a special medal. I think you get a designation on your diploma. HIM (research/thesis based) might help you more than University Honors though. Although, I have become good friends with some of my professors. That makes it easier to get letters of rec.</p>
<p>They are required to “graduate” from the BHC (essentially graduate with honors designation). You need 4 lower level honors classes (1000 or 2000 level) and you MUST take ENC 1101 and 1102 honors if you don’t have credit for them already. You also need 3 upper division courses (3000-4000 level) including one honors interdisciplinary seminar. If you’re majoring in biomedical sciences (most pre-meds do), they limit your choices for upper division classes because they have so many options for that major…(Microbiology, QBM, Molecular Bio II, Genetics etc.) You also have to pass Honors Symposium (it’s pass/fail) your freshman fall semester.</p>
<p>On top of that, if your GPA is below a 3.2 or your honors GPA is below a 3.0 for more than one semester in a row, you get kicked out…which if you’re pre-med, that’s a problem in more ways than one.</p>
<p>As for getting into med school, it may help. Let’s say you and another student have the same major, GPA, etc. except you are honors. In that situation it may help. However, don’t expect a 3.2 GPA in honors to beat out like a non-honors 3.8 GPA of a similar major program.</p>
<p>I did two years of Dual Enrollment at Valencia…So I already have taken Comp 1 and 2 as well as other basic classes like Intro to Humanities and Introductory psychology…So basically from here on out its all science and math for me. So would I have to retake those classes to fulfill the Honors requirements…?</p>
<p>You don’t have to retake any classes that you have credit for for honors.</p>
<p>If you have EVERY 1000 and 2000 level class covered, then you can take more upper level classes to cover for them. However, as a pre-med, you have to take Gen Chem I and II, Biology I, College Physics I and II and Calc I, which all are 2000 level and can cover you in that area.</p>
<p>Ok, thank you so much for all your advice. So I think it’s pretty beneficial to take some of my med pre-reqs in an Honors setting, as I assume I can learn better and I heard Honors professors take good care of their students? </p>
<p>Oh, one more question! Can you explain what exactly is the Freshman Honors symposium I hear about? Is it a class? Required? I tried looking for it in the class search but didn’t find anything…do you get credits etc for taking it?</p>
<p>Symposium is a 2 credit pass/fail class. You have a guest speaker and then split up into breakout sessions to discuss. In the lab component, you volunteer at elementary schools through AVID or JA.</p>
<p>You have 2 papers and discussion postings (I think like one a week) due for the class.</p>
<p>Dance explained Symposium well enough.</p>
<p>As for the professors, some are good, some are awful. Honors won’t change that.</p>