Just a little background - my daughter is looking at 3 schools: FSU, UF, UCF. We are from NY so she hasn’t grown up hearing anything about these schools and we have a lot of research to do. So far she loved the tour at FSU and it was her 1st choice until a recent visit to UCF. She wasn’t expecting to like it but was really impressed by the campus and loved the feel of it. It feels more like a mini city than a college campus. UF tour is still pending. She has a 1510 SAT and 4.4 GPA.
My question right now is about Burnett Honors. If she is accepted into this program how does that affect which classes she takes? She is very much undecided on a major so she wants to explore a little of everything the first year. Is this possible with honors? Are all of her classes with honors students or will she take just a few core classes at honors and the rest together with the whole student body? I don’t think she would enjoy being all honors, all the time. She is certainly smart enough but not as disciplined as I imagine most honors students are and likes to have fun, too. I have another daughter in an Honors program in NY and she only takes one honors seminar within that program and the rest of her classes are just regular classes. It’s not super easy to find information from the UCF website and emails to the school have gone unanswered (which is another concern we have about UCF). If anyone can share your experiences I would be very appreciative. Thanks!
We met with someone at BHC this past summer and the program they described sounded similar to your older daughter’s program in NY—students take one honors interdisciplinary seminar each semester, and the rest regular courses. Perks include early orientation and registration and the option to live in the Honors dorm, not to mention the smaller community within such a large student body.
My daughter has been accepted into both UCF and BHC and is also undecided about her major. If she chooses UCF, she thinks the seminars and ability to take a range of courses will be helpful to her as she decides on her course of study.
Thank you, this is helpful. Did they happen to mention housing? I’m wondering if housing is guaranteed for honors students. At the tour last weekend they recommended signing up for housing ASAP as space will run out. But the deposit is $250. That’s pretty steep considering she may not choose to go there and needs to wait until at least Feb 1st for the other decisions. UF housing deposit was only $25!
I believe the deadline for housing is May 1. If the Honors Tower is filled before then, they said they would place BHC students in a different tower. It does seem that all BHC freshmen get on-campus housing one way or another. But I do know that after that first year, there are no guarantees for on-campus housing for BHC students.
Of the $250 deposit, you will be refunded $150 if you decide not to attend. So you will only be out $100. Still not chump change but a bit more palatable than $250.
Hi! I have a current freshman in Burnett Honors. Burnett honors program is awesome. My daughter loves the small classes which are maxed out at 20. I have a friend who is at UF and her classes are huge and mostly online which apparently is becoming more standard with UF. If she is interested in UCF put down the deposit real soon for housing. My daughter was a top ten knight which guaranteed her housing for one year however the earlier you put down the deposit the better their room selection choices will be. Also, I believe if she chooses to not go to UCF she will receive I think 100 dollars back in a refund. The towers are a great place to live. - and yes if they fill up she will be placed in a different tower which is not a big deal in my opinion. I do not believe the honors program really has anything to do with her choice of a major other than her advising will be much better and as often as she wants. She will also receive priority registration for her classes. This is huge as many classes fill up. The requirement for Burnett is that she takes 8 classes within the honors program and if she chooses to take more than great if not then she takes them with nonhonors students. She will also have to take a freshman symposium course. Tons of study abroad, networking, internships and scholarship opportunities available through Burnett. All I can say is that my daughter loves UCF, joined a sorority and is very happy with her college life right now. So far she likes her honors classes more than her regular classes. Lots of activities for the students going on throughout the semester. In my opinion way more activities than the other FL state schools. Right now lightupucf is going on … ice skating, shows, Santa and ferriswheel on campus to start off the holiday season. Good luck to you and I hope this helps.
Thanks, this is all super helpful info. My daughter is leaning towards accepting. We’d love to find out if she has earned any Pegasus scholarships-- hopefully that info will come soon.