Honors colleges vs more prestigious colleges

College Search & Selection
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Just curious what people’s thoughts are on honors colleges at lesser ranked schools, versus non-honors at higher ranked schools.

For example, Ohio State, Pitt, Univ of Georgia, Florida State, Univ of Arizona. Let’s say a kid has acceptances to some or all of these schools and into their honors colleges.

Now let’s say this same kid is still working on applications to Univ of Texas, Univ of Florida, UNC Chapel Hill, and UVA, but knows that for these schools the option will NOT be the honors college, just the regular freshman experience.

Does being in the honors college at the others, lower-ranked colleges bump them up to the same level, and make it reasonable or even advisable to choose that over these more prestigious and higher ranked schools?

I’m not saying this well, but I think you get my point.

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I think it’s very hard to generalize because there is so much variability in honors college structure and perks.

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Do you have to apply to the honors college specifically?

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A few comments:
–I know people who have done very well out of honors colleges and from more “prestigious schools”. There is not one right answer for everyone.
–As @momofboiler1 noted above, the benefits one has as a member of an honors program will vary greatly from college to college. You must do your research and understand exactly what the honors college will provide at each school.
–If finances are a consideration you could be more likely to get merit aid if you are a strong enough student to be invited to a particular college’s honors program.

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Yes, there are variations in what being in the honors college means, depending on the university. But, I will make a few assumptions (which you would need to verify are true for the particular college(s) in question):

  • All honors classes/sections are taught by a professor (vs. a grad student)
  • All honors classes/sections are capped at 20 or 25 students (or lower)
  • There are a large number of honors classes/sections that fulfill distribution requirements and/or classes in the major that usually run large

Those 3 benefits alone would have me preferring an honors college at the colleges you mentioned as compared to UT, UF, UNC, and UVA as a general student, with the possible exception of a student having sufficient credits upon entering college where they are jumping into more advanced classes and have fulfilled all their general ed requirements and are primarily interested in their own field and not as much in terms of exploring the college’s other academic offerings.

When combined with options like honors dorms (or honors dorm floors), priority registration, special honors-only events with special guests, etc, to me it’s a no-brainer, especially if additional merit aid comes into play which makes a nice price differential in the honors college’s favor.

That said, even large flagship universities can have a very different feel, so it’s important that whichever universities in question still feel like the right fit for your kid.

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I think it’s less about prestige and more about experience.

If you are at a UT or Florida, etc. your classes are likely going to be large. Honors typically isn’t all classes but some.

My daughter is at College of Charleston in Honors. She says the Honors kids are far more engaged than the non-Honors. That may be the case at other schools with more pedigree or it may not. But her classes are small and her professors know her. So that’s the benefit she desires.

So I think it’s the experience more than anything else - and each Honors program is different.

Now- if your question is, how does U Pitt Honors or U of SC Honors compare to UNC or Texas without on getting a job - I don’t think the Honors matters. It may on the interview but my son has filled out many a job app and he said not one job app has asked about Honors (or a Minor and he has two).

So you do it for the student - to optimize their experience.

So then to your point, is a UF or UT necessarily “better” than a Pitt or Arizona - perhaps in some cases, majors - but other than US News, is it really? Hard to say - but I’d argue for most out in the real world (i.e. recruiting), not really.

So go to the “right” school for your child and you - and perhaps the question is related to merit -i.e you got a better deal at a lesser “pedigree” school but is that deal worth it I’d go back to whatever is right for your student is what is right. Example - we’ve had many a parent on the CC communicate their concern on UF for business due to so many online classes that are forced in the first year.

My son is in Honors at his large public and he uses the early class registration but will drop out next semester, his last, because he’s never been interested in the Humanities requirements of his Honors program. And he’s pretty much done nothing within the program.

My daughter - she’ milking everything about it - and has met and had lunch with ambassadors and other dignitaries that other students don’t have access to. Her school is a mid size public lesser down the pedigree list - but she chose it over higher ranked schools and higher ranked Honors Programs (like UGA and U of SC).

So it really depends on your student and what fits their need.

One last thing - there’s lots of kids at the schools you mentioned - Ohio State, Pitt, Univ of Georgia, Florida State, Univ of Arizona. - that no doubt got into UVA and UNC but chose their school anyway - Honors or otherwise.

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There is no right answer to this question, as it depends on a variety of factors including the student, school, etc.

My daughter (graduated already) was also accepted to multiple honors colleges as well as schools such as UVA and UNC where she was not admitted to honors.

She chose one of the public schools (UNC) where she did not make honors and had an amazing experience. This does not mean she would not have had a great experience had she attended Pitt- there is no way to make that comparison.

I agree that it is less about “prestige” and more about the experience, what the student takes advantage of, etc.

My daughter had a research position one summer at a very well known children’s hospital. The hospital listed the students who were in the program as well as the schools they attended. A variety of schools were listed- some with more “prestige,” and many others that were “regular” schools. It’s really about the student, and less about the name of the school.

My daughter truly had an unbelievable experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. Does this mean she would have had a “lesser” experience at an honors college? Absolutely not.

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It’s important to look at class availability and advisor access for each school you’re considering. For example, while UNC is a highly ranked school, there are endless complaints from non-honors students and parents each year that it’s difficult for freshman & sophomores to get the classes they need, as well as get access to advisors. I’m guessing this is the case at many large public universities that experience funding issues (also could be major-dependent.) Students in the honors programs at most colleges are given perks such as priority registration and a dedicated honors advisor. After seeing how many large colleges struggle with having enough space in classes, an honors program at a college that is perceived as a lower rank, looks more attractive.

Also, as others have said, the additional perks are nice, assuming your student takes advantage of them. Too many people are caught up in the ranking of a college when they should be focused on the opportunities available for their student.

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Make sure you research the Honors Colleges as well. S21 was accepted to many Honors colleges but chose not to apply to UF’s. He was accepted to UF, even though higher ranked than the school he attends, fit was most important to him. Check to see that the program is a good fit for what your child wants to do.

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Totally agree with others that it depends on the school, what the student plans to study, and the experience they want.

One possible way to look at this is to ask "what is the “typical " experience the honors college was created to address and how much will it impact me?” Since the honors colleges confer different benefits at different schools, this can run the gamut from housing to class availability to professor access. I’ve known kids who didn’t want to live in the honors dorm. Kids in less popular majors (or those who want early morning classes) may not need much help in scheduling. Kids who have good "student entrepreneur " skills may be able to access profs and resources very easily on their own.

To me, prestige is not part of this. Honors at x, non-honors at y – all that matters is x or y.

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D20 applied to honors colleges/programs at each public; she liked the idea of the larger college atmosphere but wanted a smaller, close-knit, academically challenging community within the larger school experience. All honors colleges/programs were not created equal. Some programs didn’t have many options for classes or didn’t have many engagement opportunities.
What she looked at when deciding:

  1. Honors class availability across gen eds and her major; she tried to take honors sections in most classes, including her engineering classes. She knew these opportunities would become less necessary in the higher level engineering classes, but felt it would be most beneficial her first two years.
  2. Perks: scheduling priority, grants, study/lounge spaces with career and social events. She doesn’t live on campus and wanted a central spot on campus to use as a home base during the day. She also looked for social activities, seminars, educational enrichment opportunities, etc.
  3. Dedicated academic and career advisors for the honors college
  4. Good national reputation for the honors college
  5. Unique opportunities; for example she was chosen and participated in a research program for HC students as an incoming freshman, which gave her a jump start for networking and some great hands-on experience.
  6. No thesis required. Could she do one, yes; did she want to balance that and MechE, no :joy:

Overall, she felt it was very helpful her first two years. Now as a junior it’s less “important” to her, as she’s knee deep in her major with naturally smaller classes, but it definitely helped shrink the campus.

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It depends upon what one is looking for. At some schools, honors status really makes little difference in the academic experience. Sometimes it comes with an honors dorm, which may have less of a party atmosphere (in my kid’s experience, not the case), priority in class registration, access to smaller sections.

But when it comes to name recognition, having been admitted to the honors college at a less selective school really doesn’t mean much. So if one is choosing based upon prestigious reputation, better to go with the more selective, prestigious school than with the honors college at the less selective school. Usually, honors college comes with some merit money, which often makes the choice clearer.

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Some Honors are specific to a major/department, others are general honors programs. Depending on the student, that can make a difference for how well the honors program will fit them. We liked the housing to make a large college seem small, going through a set of classes with the same cohort and priority registration.
With a bit of digging, you can also find out how engaged upper classman are in the honors program. Is there any level of mentorship so a freshman has an upper classman to help with questions/class selection etc. Will the honors program provide opportunities to interact with professors if the student might be interested in research. Does it offer special recruiting opportunities.

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Honors programs are a good thing for parents to brag about.

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I agree with what others are saying about “it depends”. My son is applying to colleges right now and there are a couple of schools he probably would not be interested in attending if he doesn’t get to do the honors program. There are also a couple of schools where he isn’t even applying to the honors program. In general, honors programs seem to be a great way for a student to get more of a small cohort feeling at a big school, to get some nice perks, and to get to take some fun and challenging classes with engaged peers. The places where he’s not interested in honors are the places where he either feels like he’d get those things without the honors program, or the perks aren’t enough and it sounds like it would be more work without much benefit.

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This book is a great resource as you consider public university honors colleges

Https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Honors-2020-2021-University-Programs/dp/B08K4SYXQK/ref=asc_df_B08K4SYXQK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=467324501707&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15695128538393449770&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005931&hvtargid=pla-974332963323&psc=1

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We all look at this through the lens of our own experience. From my perspective, what I have seen in regards to career opportunities, I don’t think there is any tangible difference in potential career outcome from attending any of the universities you listed compared to any other in your list, honors college or not.

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