<p>I have pretty good grades (not Ivy, but better than decent) and I will probably have the opportunity to choose between going to an Honors Program at a large public school such as Ohio State or go to a higher ranked private school. Which is better (disregarding location, price, preference, etc) ? I want to go to law school so which help me get into a higher law school?</p>
<p>Go to the school where you feel you fit. Given your criteria, it’s not an either/or but a which one. Get to as many campuses as you can while class is in session, and then when you get your acceptances go to any “accepted student” days. You may have the luxury of knowing pretty much how you fit in at a number of schools before you decide on which one. Good luck.</p>
<p>Law school is very expensive, and the job prospects for most grads are not great. How much are you prepared to pay for your undergraduate education? Unless you or your parents are in a position to pay the full cost, consider applying to private schools where you might attract merit money (i.e., where your stats place you in the top quartile) and a range of public colleges, so you can compare the bottom-line costs when the time comes. </p>
<p>Law school admission is stats based, so going to college where you can excel and saving money for your law degree is the most important thing. I would also recommend considering what will provide you the best education should you choose not to go the law school route in four years. There is much debate about the value of the degree, and you may find it makes more sense to hold off applying to law school until the job market improves or skipping it altogether.</p>
<p>One thing has remained the same for a generation: The rank of the school you attend and where you rank within that school will determine your future job prospects.</p>
<p>Good article below, but don’t let the headline mislead you!</p>
<p>[Report</a> shows law school is still a good investment | Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/17/report-shows-law-school-still-good-investment]Report”>Report shows law school is still a good investment)</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>GPA: 3.8 unweighted and 4.17 weighted.</p>
<p>Class rank:18 of 287.</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars: Baseball; Mentoring Middle Schoolers; National Honors Society [Vice President]; Honor Flight (Helping War Veterans); Mentoring 2nd graders; Youth at the Booth </p>
<p>SAT: 690 CR, 630 M, 680 W, 2000 Total</p>
<p>ACT: 28 (Haven’t gotten my latest scores back yet)</p>
<p>Essays & Recommendations: Both are pretty good.</p>
<p>In college I plan to major in Political Science and Pre-Law and do Air Force or Army ROTC. </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>What’s OSU’s req’ts for their HC? </p>
<p>Is OSU instate for you?</p>
<p>Go where it’s most affordable.</p>
<p>Warrior, are you a junior?</p>
<p>It depends upon the private school. It also depends upon how much your parents will pay for you and what financial aid you are eligible to get. Friends of ours with twin DDs had the same situation. They got no fin aid from OSU and enough from private colleges so that the cost was comparable, maybe a little bit more, but close because the expected contributions came just about to what OSU in state cost for them. One twin went to OSU honors, the other went private, because she like the smaller school better. She got a nice package from Hobart/William Smith and just loved the school. A third one turned down OSU later on to go to Miami of OH< because she liked it better, and their youngest has a very nice package from Denison and is going there. All 4 had OSU honors as an option.</p>
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<p>cptofthehouse, any chance those girls were identical twins? Would be really interesting to compare their outcomes and experiences so we can have our own anecdotal “twin study” here. So many people agonize over choices like the one the OP posed, but it’s all conjecture without any controlled studies.</p>
<p>In general (just my opinion, many at CC would disagree), I would go for the higher ranked private school if money is not an issue at all. But you really should assess the following factors: 1) Is there one school where you feel most comfortable and where you feel you will have the greater chance to succeed? 2) Are finances an issue? If so, that should be a factor in the final decision especially with three years of law school afterwards. 3)What benefits does the honor program provide? – this varies widely from school to school.</p>
<p>If your concern is simply which will help you get into law school I don’t have anything to offer. However if you are concerned with your education then I do have some advice. </p>
<p>Honors colleges can be a great choice for those attending a larger school. Honors colleges offer valuable perks and let you meet some of the top students at your college. However they are often oversold with glossy pamphlets implying a small LAC has been set up inside the larger university giving ann elite private education at the public school price. On this forum you’ll read posters who also say/imply that.</p>
<p>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 special discussion section of the regular class (at many U’s you meet 2-3x a week in a large class with the prof, then everyone meets weekly in a discussion section with a TA). You really need to dig in to find what a particular school offers.</p>
<p>Keep in mind honors programs typically offer the small classes and hand-picked profs only the 1st two years of college. They can do this because doesn’t take that many classes to come up with a set that will meet the lower-division requirements for most majors. It is 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 major(s). So the last two years most/all classes are taken with the rest of the students in the regular U’s classes. The teaching of the profs will be geared towards the normal U level, the discussions and student involvement in class will be dominated by the regular students, and so on. Class sizes may balloon, too, if you’re in a popular major.</p>
<p>Peer effects are big, too; when almost everyone around you at school is a strong student you have lots of good student to emulate in class or outside it such as doing research or internships. If the top kids are a few hundred strong dispersed among tens of thousands at the U then strong examples may be harder to see. When it comes to finding a job, employers are less likely to send recruiters to a campus with a limited number of honors seniors when they can get a campus-full at more highly regarded schools.</p>
<p>Honors colleges DO offer some valuable perks, in addition to the classes. Typical ones include registering for classes before everyone else so you get the classes you want (a perk worth its weight in gold!), special counselors, guaranteed housing, special library privileges. They will mark your diploma with special recognition. But I would be dubious about attending a college for its honors program in place of a more highly regarded U if finances are not an issue.</p>
<p>There are lots of pros and cons–I’ll just note one thing: make sure you really understand what the honors college at the public university offers. They aren’t all the same. Do you get preferences in course selection? Are there courses open only to honors students, and if so, are they in your likely major? Is there an honors dorm? How many students are in the honors college?</p>
<p>Cross-posted.</p>
<p>I’m a senior right now and I plan to major in Political Science. As far as finances, I am planning on doing ROTC and if I get a scholarship I won’t have to worry as much about paying for school. Another question I have is if the “Honors” on the diploma will actually help when trying to get into a good grad school/job or is it just a formality?</p>
<p>You should know from your other threads that if you didn’t get your ROTC app in before 1 Sep it decreases your chance of a scholarship, as does majoring in Poly Sci. You really need to ask your parents what your family can afford for school.</p>
<p>Another question I have is if the “Honors” on the diploma will actually help when trying to get into a good grad school/job or is it just a formality?</p>
<p>Well, if you’re applying to grad school during your senior year, you won’t even have a diploma yet. That said, you’d have honors on your app/resume.</p>
<p>Yes the Honors courses on your transcript will help you for grad school.</p>
<p>For now, apply to a variety of schools. Make sure there are two where you know you can get in, can afford, and like.</p>
<p>As Erin’s Dad said, if you’re yet to apply for your ROTC scholarship, odds are that you won’t have a scholarship or that you’ll have ROTC without a scholarship for your first year, with a possibility to get the scholarship sophomore year as long as you do well in your ROTC class, training, and obligations freshman year.</p>