I was wondering if anyone has been through the honors program at LUC, I’ve been accepted but don’t really know what to expect. Does it make it more difficult to manage standard classes, how much extra work is it, what benefits do you get out of it?
I’m in my second semester of honors. I’ll just list some pros and cons.
Pros: You actually learn a lot in the courses and the papers force you to critically analyze the books you read. No essays are easy. The tests are pretty difficult and there’s a lot of studying. I’m taking this as a pro though because you turn into a better student.
Cons: Lots of reading, but you get to manage your time. Tests allow you to skip books though if you dare. The honors dorm is pretty bad though and the people are very loud, obnoxious or introverted. If you want to have any fun that involves not staying in the dorms and playing board games or video games, I suggest not doing the honors program. That’s up to you though. The class overall is an easy B, hardly anybody gets C’s, but an A is VERY difficult. Contrary to what the grading scale says, it’s not very lenient. You need to put some work in. Your paper grades do depend on your professor though, some are more difficult than others. To give you a good scale of difficulty, on our first semester midterm only about ten percent received A’s, and only a handful got straight A’s out of 300 students.
I’m taking 17 credits now and it’s not overwhelming, but that’s because I have good work ethic and nobody goes out on the weekend. It’s up to you. If you have more questions ask away.
Like umbra505, I’m in my second semester of the honors program at LUC. I have to say that it is not nearly as stressful or boring as they have told you it is. I live in Campion Hall, which is the freshman honors building this year, and though it is most definitely the worst dorm in Loyola, the people here are great. If you find the right crowd, you can still go out and have as much fun as you want and still manage your time and get an A in honors. It might be pretty difficult first semester, but the program gets easier as you go. Honestly, it helps if you’re a good writer and reader.
I agree with umbra505 in this course does turn you into a better student and exposes you to important and enriching material. However, you honestly don’t need to do as much reading as they claim, and being a student with a strategy will help you way more than being just a “good” student. You can still go out on the weekends, find good people in the dorms, and still get good grades. It is definitely about time management, and being a shut-in is not the answer.
Hi, I’m a junior at Loyola and I’m in honors. In the end, I’m glad I did honors. It is definitely hard on your gpa because freshman year it counts for 12 credit hours and it is basically impossible to get an A or even A- (I know one person who got an A-). Its going to be pretty hard to get magna or summa cum laude if you’re in honors and also have a difficult major. The community for me is what made it worth it. I’m not really a partier, so being in honors helped me meet more people who were the same (Not to say people in Camp don’t go out, there are groups that do). Campion in retrospect did suck in some ways but its awesome to live and suffer together with your friends. Now its harder to see everyone.
Academically it is hard, but after freshman year gets easier. Kind of a weeding out process. Honestly a little silly, but you’ll still feel proud of yourself for making it. I learned a lot. Also early registration is amazing. People will just hate you for it lol.
So, if you’re a serious studier and you want that to be a part of your college experience regardless of how honors hits your gpa, go for it. If not, maybe honors isn’t for you.
Concerning Honors classes at Loyola, does anybody who is in this program now, has IB experience in high school?
Can you say that the rigors of IB program are somehow similar in the amount of work load to the rigors of Honors in College? Any input will help.
It doesn’t really matter what you’ve had to prepare because the level they expect is going to challenge you- no question about it. What would be 100 in high school is now going to be about a B+ at best. It’s good because it challenges you to think and write in a new way, but if all you care about is getting an A I would advise against it.