<p>From cc, and especially this forum, I get the idea that Pitt's honors college isn't much to talk about. If my memory serves me well, I've read:</p>
<p>The dean of the medical school feels free to dis UHC in public.
Anyone can get into an honors class.
Honors housing admission is run as a popularity contest.
You are penalized for every honors class you take in that the work is harder.</p>
<p>A glance at the university's website quickly takes you to the following up to date information:</p>
<p>“contrary to popular belief, honors college at pitt is a state of mind, not an object of membership. If you want to be part of the honors college you can be regardless of your GPA. Your GPA only plays into whether or not you live in honors housing and whether or not you receive honors college scholarships.”</p>
<p>bird rock, I wish I could. I don’t know about the med school dean dissing UHC in public, but I can tell you that it has many problems imo. The dean of the UHC was unresponsive to my son when he had a problem several years ago. Your second and third points are absolutely true. Finally, whether you feel penalized or not is a personal opinion. My son took the honors physics class (taught by the dean, coincidentally) and he enjoyed the extra challange while getting A’s. I think the grades you get in any class depend upon your aptitude for the subject, your willingness to work, the ability of the teacher and the grading policy. An honors course is not necessarily going to hurt your gpa.</p>
<p>I think that for Pitt’s sake, the UHC needs to be reorganized and have more of an identity. There needs to be more perks to be competitive with the likes of Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College. Even for UHC-designated students, all are not created equal. </p>
<p>If you are going to Pitt ONLY for the honors college, think again. Pitt is a great school and has lots to offer; just be sure that you don’t base your decision on the UHC.</p>
<p>If you live in Forbes, you will receive a really cool Honors College messenger bag…
SHAC runs some fun activities, and you can get discounted/hard to come by tickets through it, too.
I’m not 100% sure, but I think honors housing (especially for Forbes) is less popularity-based than before.
Anyone with a GPA of 3.25 or above can ask a professor (dean, maybe?) to take an honors class. As far as grade “penalization” goes… honestly, any class, honors or not, is what you make it. If you do the work (well), you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I asked a question about honors housing in a different thread but didn’t get replies so I thought maybe this would be a good place to post it again. It has to do with the “popularity” thing and what seeemd like a lack of space in the past in Forbes for freshmen. Does it appear now that if you are in the honors college as a freshman that there is enough space in Forbes for all who want to be there?? This seems like a big thing that Pitt should consider, as well as some other improvements that other schools honors colleges include (such as priority scheduling, etc) There should definitely be enough space for those who would like honors housing in my opinion. Especially for freshmen but ideally for subsequent years as well. My daughter will be applying for next year but I’m curious if anyone has any info about this year? Thanks!</p>
<p>Therefore, I think that back in the day when only 50 freshman could get it, the competition was stiff. The article does say that the acceptance rate is 50%, but it’s not clear whether that refers to the old system or new one to me. Based on what I’ve heard from another student, though, only one student did not get into Forbes that wanted to (others were apparently “waitlisted” at first but then brought in).</p>
<p>My daughter is going into her junior year at Pitt. The year before she got there, honors housing consisted of four or five floors in Towers (maybe Tower B, not sure). Then it was moved to Forbes, for D’s freshman year, as PittPanther says. </p>
<p>Back then, honors eligibility started with SAT scores of 1350 and above (CR/M). That year, the kids who wanted Forbes housing had to write an essay. The essays were judged by a committee. Based on her essay and maybe other factors, my daughter didn’t get Forbes housing. When I called to inquire, I was told that 135 other kids didn’t get it either. Since then, the criterion for honors was raised to 1400 SAT. That means fewer kids qualify, and fewer kids are turned away. Also, sophomores were moved out of Forbes at some point, making more room for freshman.</p>
<p>My daughter took an honors course for the first time last semester. She said it was terrific. The prof was scary amazing. A small group, seminar style, with lots of work, lots of critical thinking, a 20-page paper, oral presentations, etc. She loved it.</p>
<p>Thank you both for the replies. That clears things up a bit. I remember reading about the 135 kids who didn’t get honors housing and was hoping they had rectified that. It sounds like it has been improved. Not that every student who gets in the honors college would want honors housing, but it seems like it’s a good start to have it available,as far as trying to make the honors college experience into more of a “community.”</p>
<p>My daughter is a “non-joiner” from way back. During freshman year she hung out with some Forbes kids and spent time at the dorm, but she was very happy to live in Towers, for the convenience. In fact, she chose to spend sophomore year there, in a single. I’m sure other honors kids are taking advantage of the social outings, but my daughter wasn’t interested.</p>
<p>Every student is different in how they use the resources of the honors college. Top professors teach the courses, which I believe are Ivy-level in terms of depth and scope. But I’m basing that only on the one course my daughter took. I’m sure others are better informed.</p>
<p>To me, the best thing my daughter received from Pitt was the four-year full-tuition scholarship, which I believe is awarded by admissions, not the HC. That has been such a blessing to our family, I can’t even convey how much.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses so far. This is very helpful to us and will play a big part in our decision making. For now, I’d just like to say that it’s mind boggling that with so many views, and some responders who have been there, that there is so little good to say about the program.</p>
<p>My daughter’s experience with the honors college was positive. It’s just that she isn’t that involved with it, as I explained. She thought the class she took was terrific.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t hurt for you to look at the courses offered by the honors college, but you really have to judge Pitt as a whole. Does Pitt have a strong department in what you want to study? Does Pitt suit the student in other ways? </p>
<p>Here’s the online course catalog. Choose from the drop down menu on the left to select the department you’re interested in, then choose “2101” for the fall semester. The honors college is the fourth one down. </p>
<p>At the risk of offending any department or the UHC, I would like to add that the value of the honors courses might depend a bit on the course of study. For example, my son was in engineering. There were a few honors courses for freshmen, but that was about it. However, it really didn’t matter that much because the engineering school had a very prescribed set of courses and they did a great job of advising their own students. I imagine the same could be said of other schools within the university. If I had to guess, I would think that honors courses were the most helpful for students in the College of Arts and Sciences.</p>
<p>Our daughter lived in Forbes freshmen year and Forbes/Craig apts soph.year and will return to CF as a junior. We had hoped that living in Forbes would provide the best opportunity for meeting and living with like minded students. Set the tone, if you will for the college experience. Our daughter turned down an IVY for Pitt and we wanted to do our best to make it a challenging and motivating experience. She did indeed bond with a great group of girls and guys. Could that have happened in Towers, sure. As a freshmen she did take advantage of honors activities/ trips/dinners etc. The honors living community seemed to have a pretty good budget. I have heard the rumor that there will be no separate honors/Forbes orientation this year so the budget must have been cut. Academically, she has only taken one honors class and it was not easy. She would only recommend taking a course that you were REALLY interested in. The idea of a popularity contest was not something she experienced. Like LNMonster our biggest plus from PITT was the full OOS tuition scholarship. As the employment situation in our house has changed dramatically, we thank our lucky stars for that bonus. The honors community and classes are the icing on the cake.</p>
<p>Ok, I am an incoming Freshman in Forbes so I will admit that I haven’t experienced Pitt’s UHC much yet but since a lot of what the OP is saying came from stuff I said on other threads I think I have to respond.</p>
<p>The “dis the UHC in public” is likely not correct. What that came from is me saying that my honors advisor quoted the Medical School dean saying he would rather see a A in a regular class than a C in a honors class. He probably said that to the UHC people not to the public. It is the UHC announces this actually. </p>
<p>Getting into Forbes is in no way a popularity contest. Its an essay and almost everyone gets in. Your other two points are correct only if you maintain the world view that this entire post comes from.</p>
<p>If you think that education is all about getting into increasingly selective groups which exclude others based on SAT scores and GPA’s then what you say is correct. If the goal of your entire college career is to get a better job or into a better grad school, yes, the UHC is probably not worth your time. No one, not employers, not grad schools care if you take UHC courses. ANYONE can take UHC classes if they, in the view of the advisors, are interested in the material. The UHC is not some elite group that you can say your were a part of on your resume. It is not PRESTIGIOUS or SELECTIVE or EXCLUSIVE and that is entirely intentional. </p>
<p>I however firmly believe that the UHC is great. That is because while i do plan to go to med school I do not see this as the sole focus of my education and because I am not part of the UHC for the sake of being in an elite group. I am taking 3 UHC classes next semester not because they further my ambitions more than equivalent regular classes but because I enjoy learning and I enjoy a class that goes into greater depth. I realize that I will have to work harder and I know that the only way I will be rewarded for this is in terms of the greater knowledge I gain. I am part of Forbes mainly because I want to meet other people who enjoy thinking and learning. I plan to do UHC activities because I think I will enjoy them . </p>
<p>So i guess what I will have to say is that if you see education simply as a game to achieve the end of a better career or graduate school acceptance, then what you say is mostly correct. The UHC will not help you much. If you see the goal of education to become a more complete thinker and to amass knowledge and have a great time while doing so then the UHC will serve you well.</p>
I think this is the source of disappointment for some people. In most other schools, the honors program IS elite, prestigious and selective, it DOES offers meaningful perks, and it DOES mean something on your resume. Indeed, it may even offer significant assistance in job and grad school connections.</p>
<p>There is certainly nothing wrong with the way Pitt’s UHC operates; it just is not what is normally expected relative to other programs.</p>
<p>Pitt UHC is not prestigious and will not impress your co workers or relatives… if that’s what you’re looking for. </p>
<p>UHC is not an elitist group of “smart” students…</p>
<p>UHC does offer very nice housing at Forbes… you must write an essay. </p>
<p>UHC classes bring you together with more motivated students and professors and smaller classes. and how is there a penalty? there are no additions to GPA… this is college. you take the honors classes because you want a challenge.</p>
<p>UHC offers a special degree that honors programs do not offer. </p>
<p>Getting into UHC usually comes with a nice scholarship, which i think is what reels most kids in. Pitt is generous with its scholarships unlike Penn State and Shreyers which barely gives any money for even getting into SHC. </p>
<p>UHC has 2 special floors desginated for it in the cathedral of learning.</p>
<p>I just want to clarify that neither I (I’m the dad) nor my wife, nor my son care at all about prestige. We are looking for the best experience for him for the next four years. I didn’t ask anything about how prestigious UHC is, but somehow that’s being addressed a lot, sometimes in what seems like an accusatory manner.</p>
<p>Bird Rock, sorry if this has gotten a little heated. But when you write stuff like, “I get the idea that Pitt’s honors college isn’t much to talk about” you have to remember that some people have a lot invested in the Honors College. As a winner of the chancellors scholarship I know that the UHC has made a big difference to me. I have benefited enormously from the spectacular advising they offer, which has allowed me to challenge myself with courses that few other colleges would have let me take as a freshman. At every step along the way, they have been supportive of my goals and have made me more excited to go to Pitt than I have ever been at any point in my education so far. In fact, I turned down a good financial aid deal from the University of Chicago to be part of the UHC.</p>
<p>I am glad you are not concerned about prestige and I would like to suggests that if this is the case several of your concerns are unfounded. Your concern with anyone being able to take an honors class clearly suggests that you wish the UHC excluded certain people. There could be two reasons that I can think of why you would desire this. Either you wish the UHC to be more exclusive so that it would seem prestigious OR you are worried that including the wrong type of student would take away from the UHC experience. Since you don’t care about prestige, your motive could only be the later. However, as you state, there is a certain penalty to UHC courses. They require extra effort and offer no reward beyond the enjoyment of gaining a deeper knowledge of a certain subject matter. Therefore while anyone CAN take a UHC class the only people who have a reason to do so are people who enjoy learning enough that it outweighs the penalty of the extra work. I would suggests that ANY Pitt student who enjoys learning this much is EXACTLY the right type of student for a UHC class. </p>
<p>Your other major concern is that you are penalized for taking UHC courses. I would say this depends on your perspective. I can’t speak first hand but from what I have heard UHC courses are in fact more work. There is no reward in terms of future grad school admissions. The reward is purely intangible. If that intangible reward of deeper understanding is NOT enough to outweigh the extra work then there IS a penalty. If that intangible reward IS enough to outweigh the work then there is a REWARD for taking an honors class. It is simply a matter of cost benefit analysis. Also, from what I have heard the grading isn’t harder so much as the expectation is higher. If, as a student, you rise to the occasion i don’t believe that your GPA will suffer. Whether the UHC courses offer a reward or penalty to you son is a question only he can answer. </p>
<p>With that said I would be happy to talk to your son this fall after I have experienced some of this first hand. Perhaps i will find out that the UHC really isn’t worth much. However, from the commitment I have personally seen of the students and faculty who participate in and run it, I doubt this will be the case. If you PM me I would be happy to give you my facebook, phone number, and email so you can contact me. Good luck in the college admissions process. It can be tough but there are a lot of great places out there to find. I certainly believe I have found one.</p>