<p>Dean's Scholar's program for Natural Sciences @ UT Austin is phenomenal. I would have gone if Rice hadn't given me more cash.</p>
<p>Do some research on University of Georgia's Honors Program. They really cater to the honors students. My daughter is starting there this fall (out of state... we are from TX). We have been amazed with the personal attention that she has gotten so far. And, even though she didn't get the Foundation Fellowship scholarship, she got the Charter. It changes out of state tuition to in state ( crazy cheap!) and gives another thousand to boot. It will cost us less to send her to UGA than to UT in state. We are very happy so far with what she has been offered and the way she has been treated. I will respond later after she has begun classes there. I think the program there is a hidden gem. And, besides the Honors program, they offer many great scholarships.</p>
<p>collegehelp,</p>
<p>I often agree with you but I think you're way out of bounds on this one. Michigan's honors program is one of the great bargains in college education, especially for Michigan residents. Small classes, tons of interaction with a cohort of students who are competitive with those at any school in the country, exposure from day one to leading faculty who are easily comparable to any faculty in the country, and superior to most. For OOS students, maybe not such a bargain, especially since Michigan doesn't give as much financial aid to OOS students as do a lot of privates. But it's an option well worth considering. </p>
<p>As for others, I wouldn't want to generalize one way or another. Some give terrific financial aid including automatic tuition remission to in-state levels for OOS students, plus merit aid. But I think it depends on the quality of the faculty and the particulars of the program. </p>
<p>Your blanket dismissal of these programs is unfortunate and suggests a closed mind as to the possibility of educational quality at public institutions. Cambridge and Oxford, by any measure two of the world's great universities, are publics. At their best, Berkeley and Michigan approach that level. The honors program at Michigan is a uniquely attractive opportunity at public university for students to benefit from small classes, an intimate residential setting, and opportunities for close contact with one of the world's great faculties. That combination is hard to beat.</p>
<p>bclintonk-
I didn't express a blanket dismissal of honors colleges at public universities. Yes, some honors colleges are better than others.</p>
<p>I just pointed out:
(1) they are not all they are made out to be. the academic amenities are mostly window dressing.
(2) if you are good enough to get into an honors colleges, you can probably get into a better school with a better reputation. reputation matters.
(3) they lack the reputation and recognition of the elite private schools
(4) the cost difference is generally much less than people imagine
(5) the cost difference that does exist for in-state students is the ONLY justification for choosing an honors college</p>
<p>Why would anyone choose Michigan honors college over, say, Princeton?</p>
<p>I grew up not far from Princeton and it does not walk on water and neither do their grads. If you wanted to study social sciences or bio sciences or engineering there would be no good reason to pay lots of extra $$$ to go to Princeton. It's really kind of a stuffy place. The town is small and not as interesting as AA. The hire their faculty from the same pool as UM. UM has better library and engineering resources and probably as good in sciences.</p>
<p>I don't think anybody was saying that Michigan's Honors college would qualify in the top 5. That doesn't mean it can't be a better option than lots of other higher ranked schools.</p>
<p>(2) if you are good enough to get into an honors colleges, you can probably get into a better school with a better reputation. </p>
<p>Go back 4 years and tell that to Princeton/MIT/Harvey Mudd/Caltech for me. I'm sure they don't think they made a mistake, and honestly, based on my high school stats, I don't think they did either.</p>
<p>reputation matters.</p>
<p>There's only a handful of schools that have a better reputation than Michigan at what I do, and as previously mentioned, most of them didn't want me.</p>
<p>The Plan II Honors Program at The University of Texas is probably in the Top 5 if not the best all inclusive Honors Program for Liberal Arts.
Plan</a> II Honors Program</p>
<p>i've heard that some kids turn down ivies or similar caliber schools for the echols at uva and the unc honors...</p>
<p>Wisconsin, as stated by another poster, doesn't want the elitism of a separate college within a college, there are Honors Programs in the various colleges and certainly no separate dorms. Pay attention to the overall caliber of the university- some public U's are better than many private U's, some tout their Honors College but have a mediocre overall student body. Consider that you may be taking nonhonors classes as well as honors- will the typical student be as high caliber as you wish? Go for a good fit of the overall university, not just any honors programs. Definitely do not overlook your state U, the grass is not always greener...</p>
<p>Regarding the post regarding why even have honors courses- they do not duplicate services. Honors courses and sections offer more than the average college student at that institution expects/needs/can handle. Some students, for one example, need problem solving calculus whereas theorems/proof based calc at a more rapid pace suits some math majors. Public flagship U's in particular need to educate their top students as well as the next tier- there isn't enough room at the elite private schools to accomodate all the students who would do well at them, not to mention all the other issues, including finances. One size does not fit all, different students have different needs, and the same student has different needs in different areas.</p>
<p>It surprised me when I found out how many elite college grads only get a bachelors degree. Also think of the many public U grads that attend grad school at the elite privates... I also checked on the textbooks used at some elite U's bookstores last fall- the authors represented a good cross section of public flagship U's- there's a lot of excellence out there beyond the Ivies... and they steal their professors, too.</p>
<p>I see where some posters have gotten their OOS tuition rates charged as in-state tuition. My D. is going to an OOS honors college. Do you think there is a way to ask for in-state tuition at this late stage in the game? Right now we are planning to pay the OOS rates and try to declare in-state after one year. PS, she really does plan to live in that state and has no plans to come home at all for the next year( at least that is the current plan)</p>
<p>I strongly agree with Wis that it's important to evaluate the fit with the whole university when evaluating honors colleges. Even in the strongest programs, student usually end up taking plenty non-honors courses.
I don't agree that having separate dorms is a form of elitism. At PSU, there ARE two honors dorms - but they both have about 1/3 non honors students. And the honors kids are not required to live in them. My son lived there the first year and then moved off campus. It seems a nice way to build community - similar to some of the other special interest dorms on campus (business, discovery, music/theater).
From what I've seen. The honors kids at PSU are well integrated into PSU, not an isolated bunch of privileged students.
Yes, overall , WIS is a stronger school, and that may mean a different structure for the honors program. But PSU and Pitt is what we got here in PA - and both choices are quite good on their own -especially for certain programs. The honors colleges just make them a bit better. Temple has a good program too!</p>
<p>What about the Honors program at University of New Orleans?</p>
<p>One of the most interesting honors programs we encountered was at University of Alabama. Here are some of the highlights:</p>
<p>Both Honors seminars and Honors courses in all depts are offered, so that a student has the option (but is not required) to take all honors classes, throughout college. Most honors colleges have a much more limited selection of courses.</p>
<p>There are three honors programs: University Honors, International Honors, and Computer-Based Honors, based on interests. </p>
<p>Honors students may also be involved in live and learn communities (Blount) as well as student-designed majors that span traditional departmental boundaries (New College). </p>
<p>The University of Alabama has been very successful in garnering graduate scholarships and fellowships (Goldwater, Truman, Fulbright, Udall, etc.)as well as academic all-American recognition for honors students, and is competitive with ivies in this respect. </p>
<p>The University Fellows Experience offers opportunities for 25 - 35 honors students each year to be part of an innovative, exciting program that includes special events and receptions with professors, mentoring, service opportunities, internships, a chance to create new programs and initiatives, etc.- much like UGA's Foundation Fellows. Fellows receive prestige scholarships, laptop computers, and incredible support from faculty and staff.</p>
<p>The GPAs and SAT / ACT scores of many honors students are on par with honors students at other state schools, and University Fellows' mean scores are competitive with those of students attending ivies.</p>
<p>Honors housing at Alabama is fantastic. The buildings are new and feature four-bedroom suites. Each suite includes 4 private bedrooms and 2 common baths, a kitchen with full fridge and microwave, and a living /dining room. One of the honors dorms even has a pool. Housing is guaranteed for all four years.</p>
<p>The honors program at Alabama offers very generous scholarships, even to out-of-staters. National merit finalists receive terrific packages. Other merit scholarships are available for tuition, housing, study abroad, and research.</p>
<p>There is a terrific study abroad program.</p>
<p>The faculty and staff of the honors and University Fellows programs are top-notch, and very enthusiastically supportive of their students.</p>
<p>Here are links to more info:
Honors College at Alabama Honors</a> College Web Site
University Fellows University</a> Fellows - The University of Alabama</p>
<p>Academic All-Americans at Bama University</a> of Alabama News
Recent Goldwater Scholars from Bama University</a> of Alabama News</p>
<p>With an exceptional honors program such as this, even students who have been accepted at ivy league schools often choose to attend Alabama as undergraduates, and save the ivy experience for graduate school. The current crop of Fellows turned down Princeton, Stanford and Yale to attend Alabama.</p>
<p>Just thought I'd weigh in on UMBC's honors program since it was mentioned in the OP.</p>
<p>UMBC has both an honors college and individual honors programs. All are separate applications from the one for admission to the university. The Honors college has a living-learning community where students can apply to live, but it is not required and is located in a dorm where non-honors students also live. Many of the honors programs also have similar optional living arrangements.</p>
<p>Academically, the honors college requires honors 100 the students first semester, 3 other honors seminars, an applied learning experience, and several other honors courses. The other honors programs may also have certain course requirements relating to the theme of the program. These other programs include the Meyerhoff & CWIT scholars programs designed for students in science and engineering, the Linehan artist scholars, the Humanities Scholars, the Soundheim public policy scholars, and the Sherman Teacher Scholars. A student can be a member of the honors college, a honors program, or both.</p>
<p>The honors students have a separate orientation weekend which is aimed towards getting to know the students and faculty in whichever program you're in better. Some programs also have retreats or several week long programs to lay the basis for what they'll be doing the next year.</p>
<p>re: umbc being a commuter/suitcase school: It is definately more of a suitcase school than a commuter school. Many students live close by and either go home for parts of the weekend or during the week to keep a job. However, there are also a lot of out of state students and MD students who don't go home. (I just got back from honors orientation, actually, and there were people there from Michigan, Colorado, Ohio, and other assorted NE states).</p>
<p>Sorry I can't compare it to College Park, I really have no experience with the school but I'm sure there is someone around who can explain it.</p>
<p>does one just apply to an honors college then? or just in one's application the schools will weed out who can attend honors college and who cannot</p>
<p>hindude - It depends on the honors college. In PA for example, you have to apply to the honors college at PSU - and it's quite an extensive application- essays and teacher recs are required. But at Pitt, they screen all freshman apps for eligibility for the honors college - and they invite you to join based on GPA/SAT scores/ranking.
Every program is is different so you'll need to research the programs you're interested in and follow their process. Many honors colleges have excellent websites - filled with useful information on eligibility and application procedures.</p>
<p>As toneranger said, not only do you have to apply to PSU Shreyers Honors - it's a separate application AND fee - an extra $30! Pitt does invite you to join based solely on test scores and GPA, but you have to write an essay to get into the honors dorms. Virginia Tech invites you to apply based on scores and GPA, but requires a separate application - no extra fee. Denison asks you to apply based on your initial application. The Univ of Michigan invites you to apply separately.</p>
<p>D is in the Honors College at College of Charleston (SC). She absolutely loves it, and while we are OOS, her merit scholarship covers the difference between In-state, and OOS, and nearly all of the rest. They did just raise the tuition, but its still a great deal at a great school.</p>
<p>thanks toneranger and quiettype, ill just look at the specified sites for more info, your help was much appreciated</p>
<p>I'm entering the honors program at Ohio State. While some may discount it because the school is viewed as a sports school, the honors program is great. To be in it, one must have an ACT score of 30 or higher, so everyone knows that their honors classmates are going to be at least somewhat intelligent...and are going to be present in large numbers. One huge benefit of the honors program at OSU is that there's thousands of kids in it, so, in essence, you have 2000 or so kids with at least a 30 on the ACT living and taking classes with you...which means the honors college and the classes it offers are much like going to school in an extremely selective and intelligent school (think dartmouth) inside of the largest research university in the country. Talk about opportunities...</p>