<p>mattmoose >>> My son was a freshman last year at the University of Delaware. The honors dorm was not the nicest, but its location was ideal. The honors program asked the students if they wished that their dorm was a different building and they said they liked the one that was assigned to them. I believe it was the central location that clinched it for them. <<<<</p>
<p>Yeah, I bet being in a central location is key.... kids like to sleep in as late as possible :)</p>
<p>I had forgotten to add that location was a perk of the Honors dorm for my S - whether by design or coincidence I do not know. He could almost roll out of bed into the dining hall (why he would care, I do not know; he is not a regular breakfast eater) and that dorm was the closest to the classroom buildings he used most.</p>
<p>My DD is a junior in the Honors Program at UD. The freshman honors dorm was pretty basic but the location was great and she enjoyed the Russell Fellows being there in addition to the RAs.
I'm of the opinion (not shared by many) that not living in the Ritz is a good thing for kids. Especially those with their own room and bath at home. Builds character!!</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin- Madison has an Honors Program but no Honors dorms. Students can choose to live in the dorms or off campus. There is no reason to segregate the students in housing by virtue of being Honors, especially since Res Halls there has such diverse areas and dorms available. There have been threads about this in the past. I never wanted the same dorm as my fellow Honors Chemistry friends and son ended up sharing an apt with a diverse major bunch of guys. You often make your best friends in your classes and can learn about many other facets of life from nonhonors students who may have chosen not to be in your particular college/division of your university.</p>
<p>thanks for all your input. no, the dorms are not the MOST important thing, but at this point, she probably thinks that the honors dorms are full of nerds. i agree that the class sizes and priority registration and best teachers would be huge perks. i was also worried that the classes would be harder, but if that is not the case, then that is good to know!</p>
<p>i am just trying to wade trough some of the options before i overload her with too much info!</p>
<p>Mike: >>> i was also worried that the (honors) classes would be harder, but if that is not the case, then that is good to know! <<<</p>
<p>I can't speak for all honors programs, but when we were researching honors programs, the "jist" that we got was that the classes aren't "harder," but they are more "in depth" and more interesting simply because the class is "geared" for smarter students (meaning that the classes don't have to be "dumbed down" to accomodate the lower achieving students.) </p>
<p>Because honors classes are small, they are often "discussion" classes. My son's (non math & science) honors classes don't use desks. The students and the prof sit around a huge conference table and discuss whatever the current topic is or whatever the assigned reading was - usually there is a "SmartScreen" (or whatever they're called) at one end of the room which the prof uses to show examples, film clips, or whatever.</p>
<p>But, seriously, the classes are not "harder" nor do they have more homework - they are just more "mind expanding." </p>
<p>My kids don't like classes that have been "dumbed down" and have to be taught at such a slow pace that they become bored. Even though one of my sons has NEVER been one to "speak out" in class, he does find himself speaking in his honors classes. I don't know if that is because the classes are smaller so he feels more confortable speaking, or if its because the entire class is filled with smart kids so he doesn't feel like he's "showing off" if he provides a good answer or insight because everyone is doing so.</p>
<p>I separate courses from dorm choices. By all means Honors couses are the way to go, especially in fields that interest your child. However, do not attempt to force her to take every course offered for honors, some courses may suit her better in the regular format- I took German without the added honors work eons ago, for me doing the extra work didn't meet my goal of reading German scientific lit and I wasn't into the culture. Honors courses are generally better- as stated above- material, depth and the peers in the class. If she is invited to join the Honors program/college she is capable of handling the work and should join it to get the maximum benefit from her college experience. Public schools serve both the regular and the gifted state residents, two tiers in one university to acccomodate the needs, utilize the options that give her an elite college experience at a state school cost.</p>
<p>I have never heard of such a thing…“Honors” dorms (being better and bigger?)…that just doesn’t resonate with me…it sounds elitist! I’m a pretty easygoing person but this is bizarre.
You do Honors because of what you get out of it, not because you want fancier dorms!</p>
<p>eye53, you’re right in saying that wanting a better dorm is certainly not the reason to do a honors program. (It would have to be a REALLLLLLLLY GOOD room to be worth all that extra work, lol!) However, bigger, nicer, better located dorms are a very common “perk” for honors students – along with registration priority, smaller classes, special mentoring/internship opportunities, etc. At many schools, honors students are definitely treated as VIPs.</p>
<p>Which college are you talking about???</p>
<p>You know who you are. No need to mention anyone by name, but the information you present would really be a lot more helpful if we knew what college you’re referring to.</p>
<p>not really related to the subject but, how does one get into the honor program?</p>
<p>I’m (generally) for honors programs but against honors dorms. It makes for an ‘us and them’ rather than a unified campus. When visiting BU they mentioned that they offered free tickets to places like Symphony Hall for honors students - that really rubbed me the wrong way. </p>
<p>As someone else mentioned, honors should be about academic achievement and academic options not about perks. What’s next reward miles?</p>
<p>ctyankee, what they were talking about is not “free ticket’s” but bonding trips to events. They start with a weekend away and then have a variety of activities that kids can choose to participate in. And at BU, honors is only for the College of Arts & Sciences so other colleges, like Communications, have their own bonding programs that include trips to the Red Sox, symphony, etc. It isn’t a perk and it’s pretty much what they do everywhere.</p>
<p>At BU, as at many larger schools - and some smaller - housing is priced by what you get. The brand new luxury-style, mid-rise apartments - seriously, they arguably have the best views in the city - are more expensive. Next are singles in small dorms with private or shared bath. And there are also special program houses, which you find at many schools, some organized by interest, others by language - and at BU, even one that’s essentially a co-op for poor female students.</p>
<p>I’d strongly prefer a dorm system segregated by level of academic commitment than one segregated by financial resources.</p>
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<p>No, what they are talking about is a segregated school. BU has decided that kids taking one honors class per semester should have ‘bonding’ events with other like kids while excluding the majority of students they have classes with in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). Where do the excluded kids go for their ‘bonding’ weekend away? Where are their free events? What exactly are honors programs “trips to the Red Sox”? Do they board buses for the two block ride from Commonwealth Ave? </p>
<p>My viewpoint is simple, when a school shells out money to treat one group of kids in a school to free social events and tickets while excluding another group of kids - they have created a two-tier social system.</p>
<p>Well, life is pretty much segregated by income/education/smarts so why should college not reflect reality? While some academics might wish otherwise college is not some utopian preserve. BU is just trying to keep its best happy and not looking to transfer over across the river. The B students are very easily replaced.</p>
<p>Oh this is nonsense. BU is not segregated; it’s just big - and, frankly, is more diverse economically, racially (except for African-Americans) and geographically than most large schools. Find me a large school that does this differently. Kids transfer in and out of every school and preventing transfers is not on anyone’s radar. </p>
<p>As for keeping the best happy, they’re discontinuing that program, the University Professors Program, which admitted a small number of students who then had separate housing and direct instruction from senior faculty with tremendous latitude for creating their own academic program. They’re instead putting more resources into honors, which for most people and most schools is considered a way to make a school better overall, not as some evil plot to oppress.</p>
<p>On that latter point, BU (& NYU) are among the very few schools with 2 year programs that feed into the 4 year school, so on successful completion you then transfer directly into a BU or NYU college and get that degree. (NYU this year renamed their program from Directed Studies to Liberal Studies and made it fit more completely under the umbrella of their CAS.) This means these schools put more resources than almost any other schools into kids who perform lower not higher than the school average. These programs draw fire from regular BU & NYU kids who feel the CGS - College of General Studies - and LS kids get a huge break when they transfer into the business, communications or other programs which have much higher 4 year admissions standards. But the point is that BU is actually very inclusive.</p>
<p>Preventing transfers is not on the radar…BS. Any high tuition private that is not named HYP is VERY concerned about losing students to transfer–especially their top ones. And the main reason they have the 2 year programs—$$$$$. Not some altruistic reason. The lower level classes are dirt cheap to teach using mostly adjuncts and they charge full tuition. What do both schools have in common–urban schools with very little endowment. They attract lots of kids and lose many to transfers out. Their graduation rates show the attrition.</p>
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<p>Transferring across the river? A. Harvard doesn’t accept transfers. B. A kid that has the ability to get into MIT but is at BU did so because he or she received a full-boat ride to attend not for some freebie Red Sox tickets. C. Most importantly, (moving on from schools in Cambridge) BU’s honors program ends sophomore year so it offers no incentive for a rising junior to stay at BU.</p>
<p>well, this thread has kind of gotten off track.</p>
<p>my original question had to do with honors dorms being something attractive. my DD has the stats for many honors programs, but i am not sure she is interested in joining due to the perception of honors being for geeks.</p>
<p>i have no problem with perks for honors kids, whether my kid is in honors or not. you work hard and get good grades, you get more goodies … just like in REAL LIFE!</p>
<p>it is not about an “us and them” thing. my kid more wants to fit in with people than be “above” them or different from them.</p>
<p>as far as different priced dorms creating the “haves” and the “have nots” … again … like in real life, not everyone gets the same thing. some people can afford a nicer dorm. some can’t. that has nothing to do with honors or no honors.</p>
<p>of course, if my kid is getting all or nearly all tuition paid, then i may spring for the nicer dorm, where otherwise i might not.</p>
<p>whatever.</p>
<p>so, the gist here is. some schools have nice dorms for honors. some don’t.</p>
<p>question answered.</p>