<p>I was surprised to discover the concept of "honors college" within the public universities w mega-sized student bodies.
<a href="http://www.petersons.com/college-search/honors-college-program-difference.aspx">http://www.petersons.com/college-search/honors-college-program-difference.aspx</a></p>
<p>Can anyone comment on about the dynamics of these colleges-within-a-college? Do they facilitate a small, selective university experience, or is it marketing hype? </p>
<p>The actual student experience difference probably varies between schools.</p>
<p>The marketing is probably aimed at those prestige-obsessed students who otherwise cannot fathom the idea of going to a big university that is not a reach-for-everyone in selectivity (e.g. Rutgers, Arizona State, Alabama, etc.). An honors program is a way to soothe bruised egos when such students get shut out of their reaches or cannot afford them and have to “settle” for the big university that dozens of their high school classmates will be going to.</p>
<p>Prestige aside, is the academic rigor there? </p>
<p>Honors colleges can be a great choice for those attending a larger school. Honors colleges offer valuable perks and let you meet some of the top students at your college. However they are often oversold with glossy pamphlets implying a small LAC has been set up inside the larger university giving ann elite private education at the public school price. On this forum you’ll read posters who also say/imply that.</p>
<p>Depending on the program offerings may range from separate honors classes to taking just one honors seminar per semester. And some of the “honors” offerings may just be a special discussion section of the regular class (at many U’s you meet 2-3x a week in a large class with the prof, then everyone meets weekly in a discussion section with a TA). You really need to dig in to find what a particular school offers.</p>
<p>Keep in mind honors programs typically offer the small classes and hand-picked profs only the 1st two years of college. They can do this because doesn’t take that many classes to come up with a set that will meet the lower-division requirements for most majors. It is rare to find more than a token amount of upper-division classes since the honors program simply doesn’t have enough faculty members to create entire major(s). So the last two years most/all classes are taken with the rest of the students in the regular U’s classes. The teaching of the profs will be geared towards the normal U level, the discussions and student involvement in class will be dominated by the regular students, and so on. Class sizes may balloon, too, if you’re in a popular major.</p>
<p>Peer effects are big, too; when almost everyone around you at school is a strong student you have lots of good student to emulate in class or outside it such as doing research or internships. If the top kids are a few hundred strong dispersed among tens of thousands at the U then strong examples may be harder to see. When it comes to finding a job, employers are less likely to send recruiters to a campus with a limited number of honors seniors when they can get a campus-full at more highly regarded schools.</p>
<p>Honors colleges DO offer some valuable perks, in addition to the classes. Typical ones include registering for classes before everyone else so you get the classes you want (a perk worth its weight in gold!), special counselors, guaranteed housing, special library privileges. They will mark your diploma with special recognition. But I would be dubious about attending a college for its honors program in place of a more highly regarded U if finances are not an issue. </p>
<p>I totally disagree with UCBAlumnus. The main factor isn’t bruised ego - the prestige is that of the university, except for a few “named” Honors colleges like Barrett or Shreyer, and even that is not that much compared to saying the name of the Top 20 school - but rather finding a better fit wrt to one’s goals for a college education and one’s personality. Some students do not want to be lost in a large university because large lecture halls with 400 or 500 students + large corwds everywhere + not knowing professors just doesn’t equate with “good academics” for them. The Honors College also provides an academically-centered way to create a smaller community. However not all Honors Colleges are the same: some offer smaller classes (check by how small: a 15-20 person seminar is nice, a 40 student class isn’t so much), some offer plenty of Honors Classes while others only have a handful, some offer priority registration, better dorms, access to research work as early as freshman year… Honors Colleges vary widely so while they’re potentially a good solution for students who want a more personal environment than a 30,000 student university, the actual situation on the ground may indeed be marketing OR be as great as promised.
Check out Barrett, Shreyer, USC(South Carolina)'s Honors program, UMichigan’s, Michigan State’s, Ohio State’s, etc. to have an idea of their offerings.</p>
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<p>At any of these big universities, there are academically rigorous courses and other courses that are less rigorous. Even very highly selective schools do not have uniformly high rigor in all of their courses. A student’s course selection and major likely have a lot to do with how rigorous the courses will be.</p>
<p>I am rethinking about Michigan for my son because he was not accepted to honors program</p>
<p>Worth checking out.
Perks include better advising, early registration, exclusive housing, and special lectures/classes. Honors programs make life a little easier and make the student feel special. Freshmen can meet other highly motivated and studious kids early on through these programs.
I had never heard of honors programs before either, except for those tied to big scholarships. I don’t know if they are a new thing, or an old thing that is growing.
It is a balm to the ego of the kid who has to go to a state school, but going to a state school is often a balm to the parental pocketbook as well. </p>
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<p>Thanks for the tip. I took a look at Shreyers-- very intriguing! :-? </p>
<p>University of Michigan is a GREAT school, whether your student was accepted into an honors program or not. WIth top programs in business, engineering, etc., a degree from there will carry a lot of weight. I’m not an alum … don’t even live in MI, but it’s a tremendous school!</p>
<p>I also disagree with UCBAlumnus. Bruised ego had nothing to do with our ds’s choice. After meeting the other finalist students and upperclassman already involved, all whom he believed were definitely his academic peers, and after weighing his other options, he believes that the research opportunity available to him as part of a specialized honors program meets his needs as a student. No sour grapes. He is excited about being part of the program.</p>
<p>Eta: but I agree with Chardo that students do need to investigate the actual honors program and its benefits.</p>
<p>Honors programs vary greatly. Really need to evaluate each one individually. Some have great benefit, some are rather worthless. I’m just wondering how OP has over 4,000 posts, clearly a long-timer, but is just discovering the concept of honors colleges. Have you been hiding out in the Ivy section?</p>
<p>No, I’ve been hiding in the Prep School section.</p>
<p>They’re good options to have. You get a lot of the perks of a selective private university at a public school cost, often with merit scholarships. The downside is that usually only about 25% of your classes are within the honors college so you aren’t avoiding the drawbacks of a big state school.</p>
<p>OU also has a named Honors program and unlike some Honors Colleges is open to all majors. Some school’s honors programs are really for the LAC or Humanities majors. Be sure to look into the details at each school.</p>
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<p>Welcome to the grown-up table! </p>
<p>My DD is at University of South Carolina Honors College - just finished her 1st year. All but one of her classes were Honors and her roommates were all honors (the honors section didn’t fit in my dd’s schedule). She really saw the difference in the non honors section (although it was in her strongest subject). She enjoyed the Honors Dorm, small honors classes (max at 30 I think) and having 2 advisors - one for major and one for honors. USC’s honors college has many more requirements than her friends who are at other honors programs. I think USC Honors College is ranked #1 in Public Universities Honors Colleges (I am not much for rankings).
It was the perfect fit for my dd because while she likes to have challenging classes she wanted the big university experience - and SEC football! Plus the merit scholarship was very nice too!</p>
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<p>this may be true if you arent coming in with AP credits, but if you are coming in with AP credits and can skip many/most of the GenEd courses, you do avoid the so-called drawbacks of a big state school (which I’m guessing means larger class sizes).</p>
<p>My boys each came in with about 45 AP credits, so the only Gen Ed courses they had to take was Fine Arts and Literature (and my engg son didnt have to do those).</p>
<p>So, if you come in with AP credits, you rarely (if ever) have to take a large class. Upper division courses are usually small and typically populated with students who are strong in that subject - which is why it is the chosen major. </p>
<p>the combination of small honors classes and smaller upper division classes, the large school drawbacks are largely avoided.</p>
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If the university is already among the best in the nation, the Honors Program is there mostly for the smaller classes and the perks (which should not be overlooked). At some universities, where kids may not bother coming to class (even to their finals), or may be drunk or high, and where NOT having done the reading is the norm, Honors Programs are much more important if your child is academically serious and driven.
Yes, USC(Carolina)‘s Honors Program is considered one of the best if not the best in the country.
You can find details on this website dedicated to public universities’ honors colleges (most flagships + 15 regional universities)
<a href=“http://publicuniversityhonors.com/”>http://publicuniversityhonors.com/</a></p>
<p>@KatieMom2018 and @MYOS1634 I appreciate your input! He is so confused between georgetown and Michigan </p>