Hi - Son is trying to plan out some possible classes prior to upcoming registration (it sounds like they want you to have a decent idea of what you are taking for the appt). Is anyone able to help us out w/ these questions? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Is there a minimum # of 'honors" credits for Freshman yr? They say 6 cr in honors courses and then 2 other honors experiences/courses (how many do the other 2 have to add up to?)
He would likely take 2 sems of honors version math classes = 8 cr
and maybe 2 sems of the honors version of the wi physics = 8cr + lab
Is this enough for Yr 1 or does he need to find some other honors experience/course to take?
Do people generally find the honors seminars worthwhile or do most ppl get their credits through honors versions of classes?
Do students see both a CSE adviser and an honors adviser?
Does # of xfer credits affect how many honors credits you must take or is it based on what year of the 4 yrs the student is in?
He isn’t sure of what major/direction he wants to go and hoped to use his xfer credits to give him some leeway to explore. I hope the honors reqs aren’t going to tie him up too much.
Any other advice or helpful tips re honors is greatly appreciated! - Thanks!
This is Kajon’s son speaking- Having graduated with honors in electrical engineering on Friday, and I think I can help out here.
Your son will be just fine freshman year. If you take 4 honors courses, that will satisfy the requirements. I definitely recommend taking the Honors math / physics / chem because not only are these sequences very useful for knocking out those requirements (esp. if you take Honors calc 3 & 4 sophomore year, very handy)but also because those classes will all have the same group of people. A great way to meet friends! I met a lot of good people in those early honors courses.
The honors seminars have two attributes that make them worthwhile:
a. They are interesting and usually a light workload- a great place to explore a topic you like and have some fun. A reprieve from the grind of your other classes.
b. They count as honors courses. While initially it seems like you’re drowning in honors courses with physics, math, and so on, depending on your major (Engineering in particular) they really dry up once you get into your major courses. For example, in electrical engineering, there is ONE honors course in the entire curriculum, and that is the senior design course. So to meet the required 3 junior and senior year, taking a seminar or two really helps.
I will also mention that a lot of things count as honors experiences- I used summer internships and tutoring experience to fulfill some of mine. Also, the senior thesis counts as one for your senior year. I know it seems far off, but it comes sooner than you think!
Yes, you have both advisors. Once you get into your major, the CSE advisor is really going to be your main advisor, because they are the ones that know your major and will help you find pick out courses etc. The honors advisor is there to keep you on track with your honors requirements. They do different things.
In my experience, if you’re coming in and planning on taking the normal four year path, they’re going to treat you as a freshman when you start. I know the U labels people as fresh/soph/junior/senior based on xfer credits, but this is a separate bureau. I’m not 100% certain on this, but the req is 4 for freshman/soph and 3 for junior. senior, so it isn’t a huge difference.
Since all the CSE majors require calc, physics, chem, etc, and you can take all of them honors, you have plenty of breathing room your first two years. Some useful info to know is: the honors level you graduate with is based on your LAST 60 CREDITS TAKEN. However, your cumulative GPA is used to determine graduation with distinction. So if your heart is set on Summa, don’t sweat a B+ in that sophomore multivariable class too much. It happens.
Also, if he hasn’t chosen where to live yet, do give Middlebrook a serious thought. Most of the honors freshmen will live there, and as I alluded to earlier, they are also going to be your classmates and friends. It’s unbelievably handy to be able to walk down the hall and ask your buddy about that physics problem you’ve been puzzling over or study for a test in the common areas with all your classmates. (I also think everyone should live in the dorms at least 1 year for the experience.)
Oh and, shameless plug, but give engineering a try!