<p>Well, it's coming down to the wire on decision time, and was curious to get some opinions on the Honors College at Purdue.</p>
<p>My son will be attending Purdue in Engineering, and I've heard a wide variety of opinions on whether he should accept the Honors college invitation. Here is my take so far:</p>
<p>Pros: Priority registration, living in Shreve, smaller class size in some cases, and possibly more visibility/access to professors, might be advantageous for grad school acceptance</p>
<p>Cons: First year engineering honors class can be brutally hard (not my words), can't room with non-Honors student, value of "Honors" on a resume is questionable come graduation</p>
<p>I understand the program was revamped for the 2013-2014 school year, so does anyone have direct experience with the program (i.e. someone who is or knows a freshman in engineering honors this year?)</p>
<p>@Pitt13, what are your thoughts?</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>@DieselEngineer. There are two different Honors options:</p>
<ol>
<li> Honors Engineering: <a href=“Engineering Honors Program”>For You - College of Engineering - Purdue University;
<li> The Honors College: <a href=“Purdue Honors College - John Martinson Honors College - Purdue University”>http://www.purdue.edu/honorscollege/</a></li>
</ol>
<p>I don’t know much about Honors Engineering. The Honors College is new and is modeled after the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State (which is pretty awesome and about the only reason to go to ASU besides in-state tuition and scholarships). Purdue hired the Barrett Associate Dean just about a year ago. The new Honors dorm will be finished in 2016, if I remember right.</p>
<p>Anyway, confusing as hell.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son at Purdue or Ohio State (I think that’s the second choice)! My son is all set for A&M. He is just thrilled and can’t wait for August 25 and his New Student Conference. Dorms open the day before and classes start on September 1. He will be in the Honors College and Dormitory there, but is holding off on Honors Engineering and Aerospace Engineering.</p>
<p>I’ve enjoyed being CollegeConfidential buddies.</p>
<p>@Beaudreau, Agreed! - thanks for the insight and other comments these past few months - it is great to hear other parent’s viewpoints… I’m glad your son has chosen A&M - I’m sure he will do great!</p>
<p>My son has chosen to attend Purdue and the Honors, and I think it is going to work out well for him. He is looking forward to Boiler Gold Rush, but I think he wants this summer to not go by too fast!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son, and as I often tell engineering students on campus when I recruit…this is an incredibly exciting point in their life. He has chosen a field that will serve him well. He will be trained to approach problems thoughtfully and logically with a focus on the solution, not complaining about the past. He will interact daily with professors and students of a like mind, and will be offered opportunities to learn, work on projects, and use resources and tools that the majority of people in the country could only dream of. He will be surrounded by focused, driven people who will then drive him to do even more. When he graduates, he will find a position where he can make a good living, but more importantly will be a respected and significant contributor to society. I know I’m biased, but I feel that the solid foundation of an engineering career allows you to accomplish most any task in the future.</p>
<p>I would encourage him to not only focus on classwork, but also get involved early in some practical, hands-on activity. Things like Formula SAE, SAE Baja, or something similar in the Aerospace department will help him link his theoretical to the practical, and is something we always look for where reviewing resumes. An engineer with no practical knowledge is really just a scientist…and not all companies are looking for scientists!</p>
<p>Take care!</p>
<p>I was in the Honors Engineering program. I took a couple of Honors classes, then decided that the program was too much trouble. My honors COM 114 had a great professor, my classmates weren’t too special. My Honors Calc 3 professor was old and senile and not the greatest lecturer… It was a pretty horrid experience compared to my other non-honors classes. Sometimes the honors classes just sound like pet projects of a really important professor… </p>
<p>I decided that my other activities (EPICS, Co-op, various ambassador programs, Tau Beta Pi) were more beneficial and more important than an Honors Degree. </p>
<p>BTW, I heard that the professor who made Honors Engineering hell has left the program? Maybe? I heard this from one of my honors engineering friends.</p>