Honors College Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pace University
1

<p>I’ve heard a lot about the Honors College at Pace, and am hoping to be admitted to it. If I am accepted, then I would definitely consider Pace as a top choice. What are my chances of being accepted?</p>

<p>I attend a rather challenging college-prep Catholic school. </p>

<p>Grades:</p>

<p>Classes are categorized as either honors (regular level) or advanced (higher level).</p>

<p>Freshman year:
-General English ADV: A-
-World History ADV: A
-Algebra II ADV: A-
-Spanish II ADV: A
-Biology (regular level; no higher level offered): A-
-Religion (regular level; no higher level offered): A</p>

<p>Sophmore year:
-English Literature ADV: B+
-European History ADV AP: B+
-Geometry ADV: A-
-Spanish III ADV: A+
-Chemistry ADV: A-
-Religion (regular level; no higher level offered): A</p>

<p>Junior year:
-American Literature ADV: A- or B+ (I’m not sure which; my last quarter grade may have brought my average to a B+, though I’m not sure since I don’t know my numerical grade, only the letter grade; my grades by quarter are B+, A, A, B-)
-American History ADV AP: B
-Pre-calculus ADV: A-
-Spanish IV ADV: A+
-Biology II ADV: A-
-Religion (regular level; no higher level offered): A</p>

<p>Here are the courses I’m taking in senior year:
-World Literature ADV
-Sociology (regular level; no higher level offered; chosen out of the following options: 20th-century history, psychology, and sociology)
-Calculus ADV AP
-Spanish V ADV
-Physics (regular level; no higher level offered)
-World Religions (regular level; no higher level offered)
I’m expecting to get all A’s in senior year.</p>

<p>Test Scores:</p>

<p>SATs: 1350 combined without writing; 2020 with writing
-Math: 660
-Critical Reading: 690
-Writing: 670 (I know the writing isn’t required, but is it considered if submitted?)</p>

<p>SAT IIs: (I know it’s not required, but is it considered if submitted?)
-Biology: 720</p>

<p>I will be retaking the SATs in October, I’ll be retaking the subject test (and taking more) in
November, and I’ll be taking the ACTs in September.</p>

<p>AP exams (not sure if considered):</p>

<p>-European History: 5
-US History: awaiting score</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-Girl Scouts (3 years going on 4)
-Spanish Club (3 years going on 4)
-Swim Team (3 years going on 4)
-Science Club (2 years going on 3)
-Math Team (2 years going on 3)
-Ski Team (1 year)
-Volunteering at a local hospital for a school year; will find a new location for next year
-Venture Crew, a co-ed scouting group that just started in my town, associated with the Boy Scouts (just started in May and I plan on sticking with it)</p>

<p>My school doesn't rank.</p>

<p>I can’t think of anything else I can say at the moment. I’m sorry if this isn’t enough information. Thank you to anyone who is able to answer or give any advice! I really appreciate the help and consideration!</p>

2

<p>did you get an email stating that you were in the honors college or inviting you to be a part of it? or have you applied to pace yet?</p>

<p>i know some people who were in the national honors society in hs but werent selected for the honors program because of some mundane and stupid detail but you seem to be in pretty good shape.</p>

<p>if you dont get into the honors college your first year, you can always reapply as long as you a minimum of 3.5.</p>

3

<p>but to be honest- a person with your stats could definitely go somewhere better than pace… its a hellhole with crappy food and an even crappier administration.</p>

4

<p>I haven’t applied yet. I’ll be applying in November, if all goes as planned.</p>

<p>Do you know what the detail was? Is it anything I can watch out for? </p>

<p>Ha ha, thanks for the concern. I’ve heard some pretty harsh things about the administration (and college food), but I’m mainly interested in the scholarships. I’ve heard that the school offers pretty generous scholarships. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford some of the more exclusive schools that don’t offer merit scholarships. I’ll still be applying to those more exclusive schools, but I need a more financially feasible option.</p>

5

<p>Try Westchester instead of Mahattan, the food did not kill me in 1972 so you will survive as well. Thought food is better in Westchester. in my days, Paul and Christina came from NC got the full ride, they also got into EY and PW after graduation from the CPA program.</p>

6

<p>That’s probably what I’ll be doing. As much as I adore New York City, I’m not 100% sure I would enjoy living there. I’m considering a few in the city, and haven’t ruled out the Manhattan campus, but I’d prefer an area that has access to the city without being in it.</p>

<p>And I’m sorry if this is a silly question, but would you mind saying what the acronyms mean (except NC–I’ve got that one ;D)?</p>

7

<p>@artloversplus , in all due respect, you attended Pace during its golden days (over 30 years ago). Have you visited the building lately? Seen the dorms? Meandered with the students? everything has depreciated, this includes not only the quality of education, the building, the school spirit and inherently everyone’s morale. Many teachers simply do not care about your success- though there are a few “gems” (great professors) within pace- their classes fill up in mere hours. Teachers are almost all adjuncts meaning no office hours and often, no way to reach them. I felt like I should have and could have gotten more for the money I was and still am paying. </p>

<p>I understand that you feel very strongly about your alma mater but I, being a current student at pace, can attest that things have changed- and not for the better. Pace ran out of dorms last year and many upperclassmen were left homeless because of its 80 - 90% acceptance rate. This is what happens when a school is no longer interested in quality of the education and more interested in conducting itself as a business. Students are ignored and left out on the street.</p>

<p>@kaiserinsisi- the school does offer very generous scholarships and grants for its incoming freshman class but just watch out, i got a part of my financial aid taken away (without reason) for my sophomore year. I’d say- definitely go if you get into the school’s honor school, they offer ALOT of resources for those who do. But for those who have missed the mark just slightly (like myself), dont expect any special treatment or a full ride (like many honor students get).</p>

8

<p>Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind when making my final decision. Also, I do only plan on attending if I am excepted to the Honors College.</p>

<p>Would you be able to say if my scores would be able to get be accepted to it, or if I am more likely to miss the mark just slightly?</p>

9

<p>im pretty sure you would be accepted. if not, you can always go and talk to the advisors at pace & tell them that you wont attend if you do not receive an X amount of aid or be admitted into the honors college. They would love to have students like you and would bend over backwards to accommodate any rising stars (ie: thats why recipients of the honors scholarship receive massive amounts of aid and other small bonuses such as laptops, first to choose classes, honors classes with the best teachers and a study lounge) but like i said, they ignore the general population as if they were chopped liver.</p>

10

<p>I realize that I’m probably sounding like a broken record, but thank you so much! All of your advice and information has been very helpful. </p>

<p>I’m sorry to hear that the general students are ignored like that, though.</p>

11

<p>You’re welcome! I wish someone would have given me this advice </p>

<p>haha, plenty of schools do this (treat the gen population unfairly)- maybe i am more aware of this inequality because i saw it firsthand (being in the SGA and involved in a few other extracurriculars). I am obviously biased because of my horrible experience but i know plenty of people who loved it their freshmen year- partially because they dormed in Maria’s Tower and met a ton of people (most freshmen reside there) and because of NYC nightlife lol. I really wish i could have dormed because it would have made my time there more enjoyable, though i still would have transferred. Please note that Pace is party school - you’ll find alot of kids who go out Monday through Saturday- so staying focused might be hard (ex: a friend of mine was kicked out of the honors college & lost his scholarship because of his partying.) But the classes are fairly easy.</p>

<p>I strongly encourage you to go somewhere with alot more spirit and better professors but who knows, you might love it! Just cause i didnt- doesnt mean you wont (:</p>

<hr>

<p>BTW - Check out Florida State (: I visited last year and i absolutely loved it & is planning to transfer. Strong academics and strong spirit- beautiful campus and deelish food.This is propaganda btw :stuck_out_tongue: Dont limit yourself to the northeast (this is something i wish someone told me). You can go anywhere in the country or even out of the country.</p>

12

<p>@kaiserin, EY= Ernest Young and PW =Price Waterhouse, in those days we call it Big 8 accounting firms, now a day, they have consolidated into 4.
@honeyxtra, Sure, the situation 30 years ago is totally different from today. But we had our problems, you had yours. Golden Ages we were not, as matter of fact, Pace was full of part time professors and full of commuter students back then and I do not believe it has changed much. Perhaps your personal experiences were not good at Pace and you have been kicked out of the honor program. I am sure it gave you a bad taste and you wish to be transfered. But in any college, if you are looking for a full ride, you must act like one, that is your grade must be up to the standards. If you are not, you will be out and the opportunity will be given to some one else. In the real world, you will get the same treatment, if your bosses did not like your work, whether its real or not , they can fire you. I’d say schooling is the Golden Age for a person, when you leave school, the harsh environment outside of the acadaminc world is 10 times worse than when you are a student.</p>

<p>I am sure Pace is not the best school, if it is they will not accept 98% of the applicants. However, it is up to the individual to excel in an environment that is not sterling. The OP is a smart kid, she/he knows how to evaluate the schools, Pace is only one of her/his considerations. I am sure if she/he got in with the full ride and did her/his straight A work, she/he can still be successful after the acadamic career.</p>

13

<p>I never realized colleges do that. That’s really awful. I’ll definitely be living on campus. I don’t think that a 4.5 hour commute would be very practical. And I won’t be partying. My idea of a good party is getting together with a bunch of friends and having a movie marathon or learning to party Egyptian-style. I won’t be drinking, either. I trust myself to be able to find other options of things to do. And don’t worry: I am considering other schools. </p>

<p>I’m not interested in leaving the Northeast, actually. I love the snow too much, and I really like the Northeast region. The only two that I’m considering outside of the Northeast are Elon in North Carolina and Macalester in Minnesota. </p>

<p>Thank you for explaining the acronyms! I don’t think that honeyxtea was kicked out; I believe it was their friend. I could be mistaken, though. Thank you very much for the compliments. That’s very kind of you. Also, so you don’t have to keep writing “she/he”, I am a girl.</p>

14

<p>@ artloverplus - I had the same grades as the OP had in high school but i did not make the cut to to the honors program because of my SAT score. i was lured in by the school’s financial aid that was subsequently cut my sophomore year. I am a peer leader and an active member of the community (Student government, the newspaper & AmeriCorps member & over 300 hours a community service done in 1 academic school year). My current GPA is a 3.46- quite lofty in a school where most students go out every day of the week and rarely ever study enough to pass courses. I was not kicked out of the honors program. </p>

<p>Pace does not give enough to students who are in the general population- their biggest mistake. There are many students with the brains to be in the honors college but did not make the cut because of some measly detail (10 points off on their SAT scores for example). These students transfer to columbia and nyu- where they can be nurtured, they do not stay at pace because they are ignored. </p>

<p>I am by no means Albert Einstein but i am NOT chopped liver.</p>

<p>@kaiserinsisi - if you do get in, you’ll be living on the honors floor where most students share your goals and state of mind [thankfully] (: you’ll also have the choice to live on specialty floors like true green, health/wellness or females only. Elon is a great school- i know a few people from my hometown that matriculated from elon & loved it. But Again, everyone has their own niche!</p>

15

<p>Thank you, that’s very good to hear that about the honors floor. I find the idea behind it very nice. I’m glad to hear that those people liked Elon. I can’t wait to be able to visit it.</p>

16

<p>OP, getting into the honors college is pretty clearcut- 90 avg and at least 550 on English/Math SAT (min 1100). So it looks like you will be in good shape. They do make a fuss over you in the honors college, too. If you read Student Reviews - the Pleasantville Campus, it is rated very good. Lots of happy students. Beautiful area, very nice campus. I believe it was given a B+ overall. The NYC campus does have lots of complaints, though. I have one at each campus this fall, so we will see firsthand. Because they give such great financial aid packages/merit money you do get alot of very smart kids in the honors college - those that were accepted to schools like Fordham, NYU but could not justify the 225k to attend. My daughter just attended orientation in NYC and I can say that the honors college kids had some pretty impressive credentials. Good luck with your choice.</p>

17

<p>Thank you for the opinion. I’m glad to hear that I’m in good shape. I am probably going to be attending the Pleasantville campus. </p>

<p>And Forham is actually another one of the schools I’m considering. :D</p>

<p>Thank you very much for the good wishes. :D</p>

18

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<p>I am sorry your financial aid is being cut. Maybe its your GPA fall out of the expected range. Lets say it is 3.5, you may ask the school why it cannot be more lenient? You’ve only missed .04. Well, the school will talk back “why not your gpa be 3.6”? they are just enforcing the rules. It is a harsh world out there. At least at Pace, you still have some FA, if you transfer, I am not sure the other school will offer you any FA.</p>

<p>In another thread I indicated that the Big CPA firms will only interview students with GPA over 3.5, if you don’t make the cut, you have no CHANCE to work for them. It is that simple. Grew up! you are learning the real world and not under the wings of your parents any more.</p>

19

<p>Firstly, im not planning on becoming an accountant- so i do not need to make the cut. Thanks though. And i am certainly not going to argue with someone who went to school over 30 years ago and has no idea what pace is like today. I can attest that most of my peers would agree with me on the quality of life & education at Pace. </p>

<p>Secondly, if you have read my post correctly- i stated that my gpa was .75 OVER the minimum requirement for my financial aid scholarship. i suggest reading carefully if you plan to form a persuasive argument- public speakng 101. </p>

<p>Lastly, I understand the risks of transferring and losing financial aid- but there is no way in hell i am going to stay at a school that doesnt care about its students. In addition, I do not identify with the “party every day” mindset of most of my peers and their lack of motivation to succeed. Pace is not conducive to the success of its students (with the exception of the honor students).</p>

<p>BTW. the schools i plan on transferring to has offered me very generous financial aid- so no need to worry about that sir. I am sorry I am insulting your alma mater- in the words of Cicero , To each their own.</p>

20

<p>I’m glad to hear that you’ll be able to transfer to a school that suits you better. :)</p>