<p>Thanks--am waiting for a callback from Mike Rodriguez of Barrett Honor's College. He's the assistant dean in charge of recruitment & they said he could answer questions. Sounds like it has been a positive experience for your child.</p>
<p>Since this is the thread for the Honors College I should add a couple of links about the college and the academic resources the kids have.</p>
<p>The Barret Honors College:
<a href="http://www.asu.edu/aad/catalogs/2006-2007/general/ug2006-2007pdfs/2006-2007-UG-145-149.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.asu.edu/aad/catalogs/2006-2007/general/ug2006-2007pdfs/2006-2007-UG-145-149.pdf</a></p>
<p>Barrett Honors College student scholars <a href="http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200602/20060214_meritscholars.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200602/20060214_meritscholars.htm</a></p>
<p>Biodesign Institute
<a href="http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200603/20060302_biolab.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200603/20060302_biolab.htm</a></p>
<p>Interdisciplinary Science and Technology at ASU</p>
<p>Wow, sounds AWESOME! I'd like to go there! <grin> Our lucky kids!</grin></p>
<p>D lived in the new Hayden room her soph year.Nice thing is the desk area is separate from the bed area (in front of room near door..closets in between..making late night studying/sleeping issues easier.Theres room for a small bookcase next to the desk if you turn it to face the small window that's on the room entrance wall instead of the side wall.Closet does not have a door...dont know if a guy will care, the girls used shower curtain rods (tension kind) and then a shower curtain or curtains hanging off of it.Beds are extra long and are able to be raised two notches up.D and her roomate shoved the dressers inbewtween the beds under the big window..tight fit but it goes,leaving lots of extra room. Hayden is nice,has a beautiful kitchen area with tables and chairs and a wall of windows,and study rooms on the upper floors (wired).downside is laundry is relatively far away in the new Best dorm area.Best of all the new rooms have individual air conditioner controls.</p>
<p>Sounds very nice--I'm looking forward to learning more about ASU & housing options. Also trying to learn more about Barrett Honor's College. By the way, how long do most students live in the dorms? Is housing guaranteed as long as they want to live in the dorms? How easy/difficult is it to get housing on or near campus? Rental rates?</p>
<p>D spent two years in the Center Complex..the name given to the Honors dorm area.Then she moved out into the neighborhood.Its very easy to get housing,they are surrounded by apt complexes and private houses that are rented to students.D rode a bike to campus..there are tons and tons of bikeriders there..so she set a distance limit and had no problems..alot of housing is walkable as well.Housing ranges from pretty cheap to fairly pricey depending on how nice you want it to be.There are a # of parents who buy condos in the nicer developments and have their kid live in it and rent the other rooms.She rented an apt her junior year with one roommate (2 bedrooms..pretty nice with a pool,clubhouse,etc)senior year she was in a house with two roomates(3 bedrooms..pretty crappy but they wanted a yard and more privacy).Her current boyfriend lived in the dorms all 4 years..she says out of sheer laziness,as most juniors and seniors do not live on campus..they simply want more freedom and a private bedroom by then.She did know another guy who stayed in the dorms as an RA as a junior and senior.</p>
<p>I guess that's similar to my experience when I was in college. I lived in the dorms for 2 years just because it was easy--food & classes were very convenient. I was happy living off campus after that, but making/getting your food, more cleaning, etc. adds a bit more complexity. Glad to hear there are a lot of housing options--funny the kids wanted a yard--is there a yard service or do they actually do yardwork?</p>
<p>My S is currently looking for an apartment with a friend from high school that is transferring to ASU in the fall. This is his second year at the dorm and he is ready to move out. He likes the convenience of the dorm for classes, but can't wait to have his own place. He loves to cook and wants a pantry, refrigerator and kitchen to fix his own food and wants to have his own room so he can close the door when he wants to study or wants to have privacy.</p>
<p>Regarding your question about how long do the kids live at the dorm, it depends on the kid. Most of the kids are at the dorm the freshman year, make friends and move out with some of those friends in the second year. Other choose to apply again for the next year. </p>
<p>The goal of the new Honors dorm facilities, to be open in 2007, is to house all the students who want to stay at dorm for the four years. They are trying to put in place many attractive facilities/activities/features so the Honors community becomes their second home for the four years.</p>
<p>I can easlily see my son being comfortable living in a dorm for 4 years, especially if the honors community becomes the cozy haven it's being billed as. It does sound idyllic & son is happy if he doesn't have to cook or commute too far to get where he needs to be (more time for sleeping) <grin>. I can also see him moving out if he finds folks he'd be happy living with.</grin></p>
<p>HiMom
they wanted a yard b/c one girl had a dog.Also wanted private outdoor access for laying around ..its so nice there they want to be out all the time! Alot of the houses even have pools,though theres didnt.there no grass really in the yards,its the desert LOL.Mostly dirt and cactuses,some palm trees and some kinda bushes that get great big bright red flowers on them in the spring.</p>
<p>My nieces lived in houses when they were in college elsewhere too. I just lived in apartments, but they were nice & convenient (tho no pool). One niece had a roommate with a rabbit. I guess I don't have a good "visual" of Tempe, tho we have been to the N & S rims of the Grand Canyon & we have camped in Death Valley. I guess it's probably similar.</p>
<p>I just graduated from ASU and I had a roommate who started as an architecture major. I say started because it is a very good program that you have to apply to after I believe 2 years. It is very tough and competitive however and she didn't make it in. But she found another area that she really enjoys and is now getting her grad. degree there.</p>
<p>RATS! Son won't come to visit. He really wants to go to a school where he'll be among intellectual peers thru the entire student body rather than just at the Honor's College. He is most interested in USoCal at this point, but we'll wait & see.</p>
<p>HImom, you may want to suggest to your son to apply to ASU and the Honors College as a safety school. There is no commitment to the school, but it gives him one more option to evaluate when the true decision time comes. There is no decision to be made if the kids dont have an acceptance letter and a financial package. Once all the acceptance letters arrive and they have the financial packages from each of those schools, then it decision time. </p>
<p>You will be surprised to see how kids change their mind in the last second. My son always wanted to be a Husky (University of Washington) since elementary school. He attended summer programs there during high school, including the summer between the junior and senior year. He spent 6 weeks of that summer in a pre-med program for high school juniors offered by the School of Medicine. He didnt want to apply to any other school, University of Washington was it. Then, at the last minute he applied to ASU and UofA (December 1.) We went to visit Arizona and the schools in the spring while on vacation and he fell in love with ASU. He is now a sophomore there and loves it.</p>
<p>My parents wanted me to go to ASU, so naturally I didn't. In the end I chose to go because you really can't beat free school. Especially since I had to pay for it.</p>
<p>does anybody know if one can still have a good time while dorming somewhere besides the honor dorms? I have a buddy who had some strings pulled to get a really nice San Pablo dorm and doesn't goto the honor college. If I go to ASU, i'd be going to the honor college, but what to dorm with him. Does anyone know if this is common? And are the honor classes far from San Pablo?</p>
<p>and when i said good time i mean still get studies and papers done. i think san pablo is a pretty quiet dorm. i dont want to be too isolated from barretts, but I would like to still dorm with my buddy</p>
<p>san pablo is nice and new but is fairly far from the Barretts complex. The intro honors course will be on the premises.You may be able to pull your non honors buddy into the Honors Complex with you,D did this soph year with a friend who was non honors...give Res Life a call.</p>
<p>My D is considering the BHC since she has the Presidential Scholarship (AZ res.) and a dorm room reserved in Best Hall, however she still isn't convinced to go there. She is also considering USD or UCSB. Suggestions please!</p>