<p>What do you know about the Hilltop Scholars program? Does an invitation to that program preclude University Honors? Is it more/less prestigious? The program sounds great but also sounds like it ends the first year. Are Hilltop Scholars able to join University Honors as sophomores?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>From talking to my admissions officer during my interview, I understand Hilltop Scholars and Honors Program to be separate. Your application is looked at by both parties, then they decide where you would best fit. I don’t know that one is more prestigious than the other. Hilltop Scholars is just one year, Honors is all four, I believe. I don’t know about going to Honors afterwards, but I don’t see why you couldn’t.
I hope this helps. That’s what I know about it. :)</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>I have a friend whose son is currently a Hilltop Scholar. She told me a few things about it in an email yesterday, and she said I could share it with CC. I’ll cut and paste here:</p>
<p>“He is in Hilltop Scholars. He says the best thing about it is the dorm. They are a better blend of students. They are not the party dorm and not the nerdy dorm. He likes it that the police stay out of their dorm they are off the radar! As a Hilltop Scholar, he went on a one week backpacking trip this summer in New Mexico. No other program at SMU has the backpacking trip. He made friends on the trip and felt so much more comfortable starting school with so many familiar faces already in his dorm.”</p>
<p>“There is a Spanish teacher that lives in the dorm, so they seem to have a lot of Spanish themed activities, which my son does not partake in.”</p>
<p>“I do think that the Hilltop Scholar classes are a bit more demanding than the regular freshman classes. He took English and International Relations. He actually is very challenged at SMU, and studies a lot. With Hilltop Scholars, you take 2 classes in the dorm there is a classroom in there. The only disadvantage to that is that you are limited to a choice of classes. But it is nice to wake up, and go in your jammies to class if you want. The whole dorm is just really homey like a sorority house. There are full kitchens on each floor. He has friends that live in other dorms and they are crazy and loud.”</p>
<p>I was grateful to receive this information from her since my D received the invitation to join the Hilltop Scholars just yesterday. As a theatre major and having spent one night last fall in the Arts residence hall, she was really looking forward to living among the arts majors. But it seems Hilltop would also be a great choice. We’ll try to find out more about each so she can make the right choice.</p>
<p>Thank you, Violetsky, for sharing this information. Decisions will need to be made soon!</p>
<p>SMUd] has some great programs and things seem really well thought out. Within the next month I suspect we can line everything up on the table and make decisions. </p>
<p>So, Hilltop Scholars just join the main campus come sophomore year, do you think?</p>
<p>Hilltops is a first year program. It is not exactly as prestigious as it sounds. Basically the students that are part of it live in 2 certain residence halls. They have classrooms in one of the hilltops residence halls, so the hilltop scholars take some of their classes there (English, psychology, etc) are some of the class options. At the end of the first semester, the students have an option of joining the university Honors program. Oh and you don’t have to be a hilltop scholar to apply to the honors program. Any student that has the required GPA should be able to apply at the end of a semester. </p>
<p>I would also like to mention that the Hilltops Dorms are the cheapest dorms on campus. With that being said, they obviously aren’t the nicest dorms. So it all depends on the person. These dorms are also ONLY for first years, so you won’t find any upperclassman living next to you. I personally would not want to live in an all freshman dorm, but again that is a personal choice. </p>
<p>Joining the Hilltops or not joining it, you can’t go wrong either way. Anything with the word “Scholar” will surely sound nice on the resume if you don’t mind the living situation. </p>
<p>P.S I am a student at SMU. If anyone has any other questions/concerns about anything, I will be more than happy to answer :)</p>