<p>What is it like to be in the Commonwealth Honors College? How does it compare to the regular school in terms of living/working facilities, classes, work load, people, parties etc. Do people in the honors college feel isolated from the rest of the school? Thanks!</p>
<p>bump, i also wanted to know</p>
<p>Inquiring minds want to know</p>
<p>bump i’d like to know as well</p>
<p>So I’m a Comm Coll student, but I’m not living there currently(they over enrolled the Honors College this year and I wanted to room with someone who isn’t in the Honors College, so it wasn’t really an option). However, I do spend a good deal of time there, so here’s my two cents:</p>
<p>*Living Facilities: The rooms are really nice, but a bit too hyped about to tell you the truth. I think everybody loves them because they’re super new, so you don’t run the risk of finding gross things in the dorm room or bathrooms. It’s better if you’re a sophomore or senior, cause you get dibs on the suites and apartments which are nice. I also like Roots Cafe, which makes a mean hot chocolate. I like my space on the Hill more, because you get these little walk-in closet things in each room and they’re a bit wider, but it’s a matter of opinion.</p>
<p>*Classes: I like them. I’m taking two now, and I love that the classes have a capped size. Apparently, honors classes can’t have more than 25 kids in them, so it makes sense that my professors in my honors classes know me better than my professors non-honors classes because there are less students to deal with. </p>
<p>*Work load: This depends largely on the class, but for one of my classes, the workload isn’t that different from the regular class (in fact, it can be easier because we don’t have a final, just a large project). </p>
<p>*People: Intelligent and dedicated. This is a blanket statement, but I’m yet to meet an honors kid who defies the label. </p>
<p>*Parties: Work hard play hard. I think parties are largely based on the floor. Some floors definitely party more than others, but for the most part, partying people are not a nuisance in the Honors College. </p>
<p>*There isn’t really an element of isolation between the honors college and the rest of the school. A lot of honors college kids live in other places (a lot of them wind up in Orchard Hill) or off-campus if they’re upper classmen. </p>
<p>PM me if you have any specific questions</p>
<p>The thing about the new honors complex is that they are one of only 2 residence complexes that are air-conditioned. The suites are also carpeted–no cold tile floors. Don’t know about the freshman dorm rooms (assume they are carpeted as well).</p>
<p>The other complex with A/C are the North apartments (before anyone asks!!)</p>
<p>I’m a freshman living in the honors dorms, and I have very positive things to say about it! I’m living in a RAP, which I definitely recommend (it’s pretty self-selecting so people tend to have a lot of things in common).The new honors dorms are really nice–the rooms are large, the windows are big, and the climate control is pleasant. Personally I think they’re a little overrated, but for me it’s worth it because of the other people. I think the best part about the CHRC is the fact that other people are in honors too. I find it to be a more academic atmosphere than the places I have visited in Southwest or Sylvan–not that serious academics aren’t to be found there, too! People don’t judge you for disappearing to do homework, haha. There is partying and people getting drunk, but it is by no means everyone and rarely on school nights.
Despite this, I think that people in the honors college mix in with the rest of the school all the time. I’ve mostly made friends with people on my floor, but all the friends I’ve made at clubs and activities have been non-honors.
I don’t find the work load to be that bad. I had taken college classes before coming here, and the workload for those other classes was more stressful to me. To be honest, I don’t think that the honors classes are significantly more rigorous than the other classes at the university. They are smaller and more discussion based (which I find really enjoyable), so you definitely have to do your work, but the homework hasn’t been egregious. The biggest difference in honors classes are mostly the size and the fact that the other students tend to be driven and involved.
Overall, I really like it here and would definitely recommend it! Hope this helped! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the input everybody! It helps a lot!</p>
<p>Good thread! I’m admitted into CHC and really looking forward to my time.</p>
<p>I am also a first year student in the honors college and I love it!
The dorm rooms are not necessarily as great as they are made out to be… For instance the walls are really fragile and it’s very easy to mark them up/ dent them etc. Not that that is an issue, but they are often seen as like these perfect dorm rooms when really my friends have accidentally peeled off so much paint. Still, I do love the dorm rooms! It is nice to have carpeting and air conditioning (although the heat has been out of whack and our rooms have been ovens recently). They also have a relatively nice view. Also, they are a prime location. It sucks to have to walk to southwest to eat, but it is really convenient because they are close to a lot of classroom buildings. In fact, I am pretty sure my dorm is the closest dorm on campus to the library, which is really nice when I have to print stuff for class (versus if you lived all the way up on orchard hill, that would be quite a hike!). Also the bathrooms are not super gross, they are actually pretty clean, and there are motion sensor toilets, which I appreciate. It’s also really nice to have Roots right there. They have grab and go breakfast for a swipe, which is really convenient in the mornings before class. They also have some nice food if I don’t feel like walking far because of rain, cold weather etc. And like violet1996 mentioned, really good hot chocolate.
I also like the atmosphere because it can be relatively quiet on week nights and people will do their work. But it is also very loud on weekends. Or at least I live on a super partying floor that everyone goes up to. But even that is relatively controlled. I am not a partier, and I am able to find like-minded friends. Those who do party are willing to quiet down if we ask.
I am also in a RAP and I love it so mch because now I am close with my entire floor since we took a class together. I love everyone in it and I am so glad to have this experience with a pretty cool (and super easy) class.
My honors classes have actually been my easiest classes! I think that may just be the luck of the draw (my ideas that changed the world class is a joke, whereas i often hear my floormates complaining about their sections). I think they are fun because they are small and you actually get to know people and have discussion based classes. And all of my classes, “regular” or honors (well, minus one), have been an appropriate challenge.
I don’t think there is much isolation from the rest of the school. Honors students take mostly “regular” classes, live in all parts of campus, take classes all over campus, and eat all over campus. People make friends outside the college too.
UMass was my absolute last choice school, but I am loving it here now, and could not imagine myself anywhere else! Feel free to ask me any questions.</p>
<p>do you get accepted to the honors college right away?</p>
<p>@ging23 this week I spoke to admissions and the representative said that for fall 2015 admits invitations to the honors college are included with the acceptance letter in the admission packet. I think that in prior years they may have had invites mailed separately.</p>
<p>My honors college acceptance was in the same letter saying that I got accepted. This was last year and I doubt they would have changed it, especially considering what rgr717 just said</p>
<p>@Violet1996 Could you share what are the benefits of studying in an honors program? And about the Departmental Honors, am I automatically admitted to it along with the CHC or must I apply later? Thank you very much.</p>
<p>@ampharos The main benefits of the honors program is to add a more personalized dimension to your college education. Honors classes are smaller, thus the teachers get more time to pay attention to you and your work. I didn’t have to go to out of my way to have my honors teachers know me, they did that for me. For Departmental Honors, you sign up for it later on ( I believe junior year). I <em>think</em> they just look to make sure that you have a solid plan and that you’re reasonably passing your classes. Also, the requirements for each major are different, so that’s something you should look up for the department your interested in. </p>
<p>Honors College requires a capstone project senior year. Science or engineering majors get to do a small research project, usually.</p>