Hello! I am wondering what the difference is between honors college and college. Is it cheaper? Harder? Different room? Would it look better to be in honors college? Would it be easier to find a job? I don’t really know any information about it. Oh and also are they separate applications? Like let’s say I apply to Virginia Tech, is there a special form to apply for their honors college?
Every school is different. It generally means early registration for classes. It can mean housing preferences at some school or special dorms.
Some schools require certain core type classes with other honors students.
It always means some socializing and events for students in your honors college.
And it is mentioned as part of your transcript and resume.
Some schools have honors programs which are usually invite only in a subject. Say bio and it requires several bio classes in that major. Generally they are more difficult because of the quality of students against the curve. But same material.
Honors colleges offer valuable perks and let you meet some of the top students at your college. But too often they’re oversold with glossy pamphlets suggesting a small LAC has been set up giving an elite private education at the public school price. On the forum you’ll see posts that say/imply that. A real example – “The Burnett Honors College combines the intimacy of a small liberal arts college with the benefits of a large, research university located in a metropolitan environment”
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 discussion section of the regular class (at many U’s you meet 2-3x a week in the full class with the prof, then once a week in a smaller discussion section with a TA). You really need to dig in to find what a particular school offers.
Honors programs typically offer the small classes and hand-picked profs the 1st two years of college. It doesn’t take that many classes to come up with a set that will meet the lower-division requirements for most majors. But it’s 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 majors. You’ll take the rest in the regular U. This is reflected in the requirements for completing the honors college. At ASU you only need 36 honors units out of the 120 it takes to graduate, and you’ll likely find similar numbers elsewhere.
Honors colleges offer perks in addition to the classes. Typical ones include early registration so you get the classes you want (a perk worth its weight in gold!), special counselors, guaranteed housing, special library privileges, sometimes streamlined opportunities to be involved in research. Your diploma will proudly bear the honors insignia. But I would have reservations about attending a college for its honors program in liu of a more highly regarded U if finances are not an issue
Honors college benefits vary widely. There is no one standard program.