Hi, I was invited to the Honors College Interview Weekend and am very excited but also super nervous. I was wondering if anyone had any information about what to expect during this weekend? Thanks 
There will be essentially two main interviews, perhaps more if you’re interested in the International Scholars program. One will be a group interview and another will be individual. There will also be a dinner with scholarship donars, trustee members, deans, etc. Besides that there are information sessions and tours.
The weekend for me was the reason why I decided to attend Cofc! It definitely changed my perspective.
That doesn’t sound too bad thank you for your help!
@elizabethj1 My son also attended last year and is attending CofC as a William Aiken Fellow. The weekend sealed the deal for him as well. Will a parent be able to attend with you? They have a lot of great info regarding the program for parents that weekend . Which weekend is it?
@carolinamom2boys I’m on the fence about the school right now, so I’m eager to see how my perspective changes after the weekend. Both of my parents should be attending, and I believe it’s the first weekend of February.
I think one of the things that surprised us when we attended was the caliber of students that had been invited. Many had been accepted at very selective schools. The other thing that surprised us was the supportive and collaborative atmosphere. That was very different than other interview weekends my son had attended. In the end, there are many great schools out there. It’s important to attend the one that is the best fit for you. Good luck.
My perspective isn’t based on recent experience, but I graduated from the Honors Program at CofC back in the 90’s and it was an amazing experience and preparation for life. I loved our Honors courses that replaced the general requirements. They were small, mixed curricula (the history, art history, philosophy western civ class was a wonderful way to learn!) courses with discussion of the material being a large component of each class. The Honors College gave you a smaller community within the larger campus and although I made friends both in and out of the program, it gave me a comfortable sense of belonging. The Honors Program house was a great, quiet space to congregate and study or socialize. I appreciated being able to access the comfortable work space pretty much whenever I needed to. My degree from the CofC Honors Program allowed me to capture an offer of full tuition at a well-known University for my M.S. … I strongly encourage you to be open to the possibilities of the Honors Program at the College of Charleston; it was such an enriching, eye opening, wonderful experience for this small town girl from western New York State! Good luck to you.
D also received the acceptance package to honors and an invite for interview weekend. Unsure if we can attend that weekend, unfortunately. It’s a shame. Anyone have any idea how many invitees there are to the interview weekend in February? How many big scholarships are awarded? If any scholarships are awarded by the HC to kids who don’t participate in the interview weekend?
@MACncheez I believe that the invitation letter does say that attendance is required ( if my memory serves me correctly from last year) . The scholarship weekend is used to evaluate the top Honors applicants for admission into the William Aiken Fellows ( top 1% of all applicants) Acceptance into William
Aiken usually has the most substantial
scholarship opportunities, including the opportunity for a limited number of full rides. It is a two day process including individual and group interviews , individual interviews with the Deans of their desired majors, tours, a dinner Fri evening with former and current students and the scholarship sponsors , a required overnight visit with a sponsor and various writing assignments. It is a very comprehensive process. Last year, they had approx 70 students attend, 30 were offered acceptance into the William Aiken Fellows.
Just a little background regarding the caliber of students invited. There were students from all over the US including Texas, Georgia , Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois , NJ, NY, NC , etc. many of these students had applied to the Ivys , William and Mary, UVA, the UCs, Vandy, Tulane, Georgia Tech, Rice, Furman, Wofford, Clemson, University of SC Honors, Ohio State. These are very high stats students . One of the interviewees father’s taught at a highly selective school in Va. This interviewee also had legacy status at a well respected LAC. He and another family member both attend CofC as William Aiken Fellows. I would think that in order to truly understand what CofC Honors offers is to attend the weekend if at all possible. It helped my son to see the types of student he would be attending school with, meet current students, meet and make contacts with generous sponsors. I can’t speak for the school and say that it is required . The only way to know is to contact the school . I’m sure that people who don’t attend are at a disadvantage for scholarships. I’m sure that another purpose of the weekend is to determine true interest in attending the school vs people who are using it for a safety or who are merely chasing the money. I’ve enclosed a link to the Honors website with info regarding the named scholarships.
http://honors.cofc.edu/admission/FAQ.php#Scholarships
http://finaid.cofc.edu/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/institutional/index.php
Thanks, @carolinamom2boys. Yes, I know if D doesn’t attend Interview Weekend, she won’t be attending CofC, since money is a big part of the decision, but certainly not the only part. Unfortunately, it may be unavoidable. I was asking about numbers only to help understand the odds, and help make a decision (which, right now, may be no decision at all…we simply can’t attend parts of that weekend as things stand). There’s a possibility we could fly home Saturday afternoon early and still make our obligation here, but the letter strictly states you need to be for the ‘full’ weekend activities. I’ll call them next week and find out. I totally understand their motivation and decision on how they run their own interview weekend, no issues there. I’m just disappointed our weekend was not open.
I would definitely contact the school @MACncheez . I’m not saying that they will make accommodations, but we have had good experiences with them in the past. The events last year were over around 4:30 or 5:00 if I remember correctly. Classes don’t resume until Jan 11th, but I’m not sure when facility return.
@carolinamom2boys Yes, they say things go until 5pm on Saturday. We’ll send an email and follow up with a call sometime next week. Thanks again!
Anyone know the level of merit available to a student who is accepted to HC but does not attend Interview Weekend?
There is no set amount. Merit is awarded on a case by case basis
Thanks @carolinamom2boys. Do you happen to know when you are notified of merit awards? Accepted student weekend is the end of March, and I would need that information before making plans to attend from OOS.
I’m not sure for students not attending interview weekend. You can contact the FA office.
Hey guys! Your hosts have gotten your contact info and may be contacting you. Best of luck this weekend.
@Chopinspiano Dd’s host got in touch with her yesterday, 10 hrs in the car today, and excited about tomorrow!