Does Honors Make a Difference?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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<p>How much does the Honors Program affect the undergraduate experience? The Honors website is great, but I feel like I am not getting a firm idea of what Honors is at NC, certainly not as strong as an idea as I do from other schools, which seem to have a college-within-a-college feel with special housing, class selection, advising, overall opportunities.</p>

<p>I get that there are special opportunities at Carolina Honors, but all the Honors students don't live together, correct? And is Honors Carolina a tight community? At most schools it seems to be, but I get the sense that Carolina falls short of really claiming that.</p>

<p>How much would being in Honors Carolina affect the undergraduate experience, and should it be considered an asset that should tip me towards Carolina? I am looking for a really intense, engaging, challenging, and intellectual college experience....will I find this in Honors Carolina? </p>

<p>Does Honors Carolina keep most from feeling like a small fish in an enormous pond?</p>

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<p>Hey allgood,</p>

<p>It is hard to describe the honors program at Carolina and that’s because you run the risk of a. alienating people who weren’t accepted and b. under emphasizing how nice it is to be in it.</p>

<p>Here’s what I’ll say - when I was in high school, it was repeated to me over and over again how impressive it is to get into the honors program at UNC. Comparable to Ivy league acceptance, etc. And really, you should be proud. Getting in means that something other than your numbers stood out to adcoms. That’s a good feeling.</p>

<p>To continue on with the good feelings - there are many things that make our honors program great. The courses (honors first year seminars and others) are very interesting and personal, there are many honors events and receptions (food for thought events), and study abroad programs. Though there isn’t official honors housing, most honors students somehow wind up in Cobb or around there, though that’s not the case for everyone.</p>

<p>I’m a senior now, and when I look back at Carolina it would be a lie to say that I didn’t really reap the benefits of being in the honors program. Really, it was pretty great. I took Econ 101 and Bio 101 as honors classes so they were much smaller and just wonderful classes with outstanding profs (something you can’t always find even at higher ranked schools). One of my first year seminars was on DJing and actually got me into DJing more professionally. I went to the movies and the food for thought events, etc. Took honors fiction writing, honors linguistics, etc etc, actually, it was great.</p>

<p>That said, there are two important points to make. Most of my friends are not in the honors program or in any kind of special thing whatsoever. I actually kind of found that I didn’t like honors program people as much as “normal” people… I just met so many gunners. Granted, the honors program people had rejected Ivies and small LACs etc, it’s not like they weren’t impressive, but, they kind of had to let me know that… all the time. So I was turned off by that at first. But what I learned from that is that, actually, the general student body of Carolina is fantastic. My boyfriend wasn’t originally in the honors program or anything but is literally starting his own scholarship and has been a big leader on campus in the music scene. I’m not trying to out myself here, hah. None of my housemates were in the honors program but they’re so bright and engaged in the community. So, at the end of the day, honors is great for YOU, maybe not so much for making friends… though I know a lot of the honors people tend to stick together.</p>

<p>Point number two - I know if I were reading this and I hadn’t gotten into the honors program I’d be so put off. Special treatment is annoying. I say this where I’m getting the same treatment by some of the law schools I’ve applied to. It’s funny how that works. UT Austin accepted me but after that they really didn’t seem to care if I attend, whereas other applicants received stipends to come visit just because their LSAT score was a point higher than my own, whereas other schools are calling and mailing, etc. UT Austin was my first choice but… haha, it hurts my feelings!</p>

<p>If you are nodding your head at this, then I will tell you this. If you can keep your grades up at Carolina and be involved, you will be accepted into the honors program, and no one will know the difference. I know it’s less enticing now, but again, that shouldn’t be a reason to deny Carolina. Everyone here has the opportunity to do great things.</p>

<p>This went on far too long. As always feel free to PM me.</p>

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<p>Cloying, how is the honors program different from the Freshman Fellows Program?</p>

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<p>First-Year Fellows and the Honors Program are both run by the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, which serves as a physical “home” to many of the university’s academic enrichment programs (such as the Honors program, the undergraduate research office, and the Robertson program).</p>

<p>The Honors Program includes some co-curricular social and academic programming, but its key feature is priority registration for honors courses, which are small seminars taught by distinguished faculty. </p>

<p>First-Year Fellows is basically the reverse emphasis: it includes a guaranteed seat in one of your top choice first year seminars, but its key feature is co-curricular social and academic programming (see [The</a> First Year Fellows in the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence](<a href=“http://johnstoncenter.unc.edu/index.php/jcue-programs/first-year-fellows.html]The”>http://johnstoncenter.unc.edu/index.php/jcue-programs/first-year-fellows.html)). The most prominent such event this past year was probably a private tea with Nicholas Kristoff, who was on campus giving a lecture.</p>

<p>First-Year Fellows was new this year so it’ll be interesting to see how it progresses. Invitations to the two programs are not mutually exclusive – you can be invited to one, both, or neither – but in general, it seems like most people are only invited to one or the other (and the vast majority of admitted applicants are invited to neither).</p>

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<p>cloying, i have to thank you for one of the most complete, detailed, and generous replies i have ever read on CC. thank you so much, you certainly have helped me understand honors much more. tomorrow i go to Explore Carolina, to experience everything firsthand.</p>

<p>you are a wonderful representative of your school. if Carolina is full of people like you, i like it a lot.</p>

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<p>I’m going to Explore Carolina tomorrow too!</p>

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<p>Thanks! It’s nice to hear that. :-)</p>

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<p>cloying, did you live in the Cobb dorm? i was thinking about living there, but then someone at UNC said said i should reconsider because the students who choose cobb were extremely intense, elitist (!), neurotic, non-social (her words, not mine!). and she said cobb was so far off from other dorms i wouldn’t meet a lot of people. and that the area was deserted and dangerous at night, with no bus service.</p>

<p>could you please tell me about life in cobb? i was planning on being there bc i was going to request an Honors roommate, and i heard they automatically stuck all the Honors kids (who didn’t already choose a specific roomate) there. basically i am very social, but want to avoid an animal house scene, and i’ve heard from others that south campus can be crazy and very hard to focus on academics in. </p>

<p>are there dorms on south campus where more honors students tend to live? or do i not have a choice if i don’t know a specific honors student i want to room with anyway, they’ll just stick me in cobb anyway?</p>

<p>i really am hoping to meet lots of new people, and get to know LOTS of people at UNC…will cobb hinder that? what do i do if i am more interested in book and people than bottles? where is the best dorm for me?</p>

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<p>Cobb is actually in a really pretty part of campus (across the street from the Forest Theatre, etc), so the “deserted and dangerous” thing is way off. It is a little bit far from things but nowhere as far as the South Campus dorms are (Cobb is still very much a North Campus dorm). I have heard that Cobb is extremely anti-social as well (recently met someone who moved out of Cobb after one semester because she was not feeling the vibe at all - people wouldn’t look at each other or speak in the hallways/bathrooms, etc, even after she said hi).</p>

<p>allgood - cloying has written before about her housing situation, Cobb, etc, so you’ll probably find that info if you look under her past pasts. : -)</p>

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<p>Do people actually turn down Ivies for the Honors Program? I can’t imagine many would unless they were also Morehead or Robertson Scholars.</p>

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<p>Yeah they do even without scholarships. Ivy isn’t worth the hype, I say that with family members having gone to Yale and Dartmouth. For grad school yes/maybe, for undergrad it’s way overblown.</p>

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<p>Cloying’s experience notwithstanding, my answer to this would basically be that UNC Honors does not make a difference.</p>

<p>There are relatively few Honors classes and theoretically anyone can take them. It might be nice to have a few smaller classes your first year, but after that class size tends not to be an issue. And, if you’re really diligent as a first year, you can still get small classes (seminars, etc.) without the Honors Program. </p>

<p>I found, as most people I know did, that it gets increasingly hard to find honors classes that fit your interests and requirements as you move past your first year. In fact, of the people I know who started in the Honors Program, the vast majority dropped out sometime before senior year, mostly for this reason.</p>

<p>That’s not to say it can’t be a good experience. But I think Cloying’s experience is more the exception than the rule, at least from what I’ve observed and experienced myself. Quite the opposite of her, looking back on my UNC experience, I can hardly think of a single real way in which being in the Honors Program benefited me (though it’s possible this is my own fault). </p>

<p>I just wouldn’t make honors a major consideration in weighing UNC vs. an Ivy. It would be a mistake, I think, to give UNC with honors much more weight than you would otherwise give to UNC.</p>

<p>As for UNC with or without honors vs. an Ivy, I think this is hugely dependent on what you want to do. There are some career paths that are very pedigree dependent, where name brand of undergrad absolutely matters. For example, if you want to do investment banking or consulting, you’re better off going to an Ivy. That’s not to say UNC people don’t get those jobs (I know plenty who have), but it’s still going to be easier from an Ivy.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you want to go to medical or law school, I would maybe go to UNC. Med/law admissions is hugely GPA/test score dependent, and undergrad name tends not to matter much, if at all. And all things equal, it might be easier to get that 4.0 at UNC than at Harvard or Yale. </p>

<p>Just my thoughts on these topics, others might disagree.</p>

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<p>Dartmouth is a second tier IV. As for HYP, most people who go there would disagree with you…</p>

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<p>i am not weighing UNC Honors vs. and Ivy, I am weighing it against a small LAC. want to know if the Honors Program helps make the university feel smaller, smaller class size, more intellectual opportunities outside the classroom, etc. </p>

<p>based on cloying’s reply, it sounds like it does.</p>

<p>based on luxlibertas’s reply, sounds like no. but – i say this with no malice – it sounds like luxlibertas maybe didn’t take advantage of the out-of-the-classroom opportunities the way cloying did. which is a big part of the program i think. i think to get the full effect of these programs you need to put yourself out there a lot and often.</p>

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<p>There are numerous in-state students who choose UNC over an Ivy. Those students tend to be very confidently that they believe (rightfully so) they can do well in any reasonable environment. The in-state tuition (put aside possible scholarships) and excellent opportunities available at UNC make it pretty easy for them to make the decision, especially considering many of them are from upper-middle class families and don’t qualify for enough financial aid from the Ivys. The existence of those students at UNC also debunk the notion that UNC OOS are vastly superior to the ISS. Because of the combination of excellence and low cost, a lot of top ISS go to UNC.</p>

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<p>Not necessarily true about the easier 4.0…there is far more grade inflation at both Harvard and Yale to the point that it has become a problem they are both starting to address. </p>

<p>UNC uses a very strict curve in most science classes which makes getting a solid A much more difficult. That said, med schools are also well aware of said curve so it doesn’t hurt on Med school admissions.</p>

<p>I certainly would not let the lack of an honors invitation get in the way of attending…you can always get in at a later date…many do just that but it also can be difficult to continue with two honors classes a semester as you advance in standing, especially if double majoring.</p>

<p>It’s been said here before but important to restate…being in honors does not mean you will graduate “with honors”…that requires writing an honors thesis and anyone can apply for that process. If you choose not to write a thesis you can still graduate “with distinction” or “with highest distinction” based on your GPA.</p>

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<p>EA Dad, you’re right that I should probably amend my statement at least about med school/sciences. </p>

<p>But grade inflation in humanities and social sciences at UNC is pretty bad. In fact, Andrew Perrin, a sociology professor, has been leading a charge to address it within the faculty council. A’s are the most prevalent grade at UNC and over 80% of all grades are As and Bs, according to this article: <a href=“Chapel Hill Campus Takes On Grade Inflation - The New York Times”>Chapel Hill Campus Takes On Grade Inflation - The New York Times; </p>

<p>My own experience in the humanities/social sciences at UNC confirmed that making As often doesn’t require much effort. I know I definitely have friends in math/science who are smarter than me and also work twice as hard as me and get worse grades. </p>

<p>Sorry to get so far off-topic. For the record, I think your honors program advice is spot on.</p>

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<p>All Good 2011,Have you found an honors roomate yet? Male or female?</p>

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<p>happyheels, not sure if i am going to unc yet…prob won’t know for another week at least. you going for sure? and i am male.</p>

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<p>All good 2011, yes I am for sure going. I have had all the same questions You had about the honors program. I also have accepted an invitation for scholars research program. I feel it’s going to be a great experience as long as I take part in what’s offered. I turned down an honors program at a large Univ. that has it’s program separate. It was a difficult decision. I guess you will be down to the May 1 deadline. Good luck with your decision. If you choose UNC maybe we should talk to see if we have similar interests & might want to room together. I think I’d like to be on south campus for the social aspect, more FR there. I’m not a partier, but like to have fun. I Know when to be serious about studies, and they are important to me. Bio. major, plan to be in the band (sax), service to community is important to me. If you want to talk, we could do that. I’d be happy to tell you anything I’ve learned about the honors program, etc. From making some calls to students etc. Did you go to explore Carolina? Remind me, are you in state or OOS?</p>