Honors Housing vs. Non-Honors: Help?

<p>Can’t decide if staying in Honors housing is worth it. I’ve gone to “special” school (gifted, not the other kind of special school hahah) without athletics or anything non-academic really. My mom thinks Honors housing will give me people that will motivate me to continue to do well in school, but my dad and my brother think I should do regular housing to get a real college experience. Any one care to give me their opinion? Any pro’s or con’s to either that I have though about it? Anything? haha :)</p>

<p>Let me give you my daughter’s perspective why she plans to choose Honors Housing at Auburn. It’s located in the Quad, and I believe at least one of them has an Honors study hall on the bottom floor. She would like to be surrounded by students with similar ambitions however she plans to participate in 3 groups at Auburn which are not defined by academics.
Marching band, intramurals, and her college church group along with anything else that peaks her interest at Auburn.
Thus, you maintain the academics while enjoying the full benefit of a well rounded college experience at Auburn.</p>

<p>Well, my son has decided on the Village/Talon Hall if he ends up at Auburn. He’s not a partier, so he wants to be able to study when/how he needs to without having to go to the library. He’s also outgoing and athletic, so he’ll do IM soccer, find a cool church group and play his guitar/do band stuff somehow. (ie: electric guitar, keyboard, drums) He has a good friend who is also going to be in Talon and she’s fun, personable and outgoing, too.</p>

<p>You never know what you’ll have as a “real college experience”. haha We liked the Village a whole lot better than the quad, btw.</p>

<p>Yeah, when I put my housing in I listed Village first (with Talon as my first preference). I was just debating whether to change it because almost everyone I know going to Auburn are not Honors students so I was just fretting a little bit. I think ultimately I’ll just end up going with Honors housing.</p>

<p>We really asked around about the whole honors dorm thing from many different people. Yes, there will be some kids who are not fun and outgoing socially. For the most part, what I am told over and over is that there are plenty of fun kids in honors dorms who just happen to be smart and care about their grades moreso than the general pop. During the weekdays esp., they have more discipline than non-honors, in general.</p>

<p>The cool thing is that living in an honors dorm is that when you choose to be around the craziness and other students, you can. Then you can get away from it when you need to study, sleep haha etc… It won’t stop you from a very active social life with those who you already know. People also tell me that many of the honors kids are those who you will see in classes more and get to know better due to smaller class size. So it’s nice to be near each other for studying and some will become new friends with similar priorities. I don’t think every school’s honors dorms necessarily have a good mix, but based upon what I hear about Auburn it seems like a worthy gamble.</p>

<p>My daughter is a very serious student but is not singularity focused. She is a great student due to being naturally smart, well-read, organized and having a genuine love of learning, but she is also interested in the arts, outdoor activities (varsity athlete), is very social and loves to get with her very large group of friends. Is she a nerd? I don’t think so since I can’t keep the guys away (it is great to go out to dinner with her when there is a male waiter - talk about the service and freebies she gets with just a smile) and she has friends in many different high school social groups who consider her a dear friend. Not all honors students fit the “boring, nerd” role.</p>

<p>She wants to live in the honors college because she wants to surround herself with more serious students who may be better prepared for college academics and a little more mature. In addition she is well aware of the extra opportunities the honors college offers its members that the general population doesn’t get. She fully understands that no matter where she lives it is her responsibility to seek out students with similar interests and form her social groups.</p>

<p>D picked Village Talon as her first pick, for most of the reasons already listed. She sounds just like most of the other kids that have picked it this year, so this thread is incredibly reassuring! She’s athletic, friendly, and looks forward to the social opportunities of the school, but doesn’t want screaming drunks outside her room at 2 AM when she’s studying. I know that’s a stereotype, but you really can’t get away from some of the party stuff in dorms.</p>

<p>I think there are some threads on CC regarding how difficult it is to get some sleep and try to study in college dorms. I am hoping, as is my daughter, that an honors dorm will be a healthier living environment. In addition, every college student I talk to complains about registering for classes. Honors students are given first dibs on class registrations and that is a very valuable asset to the honors program!</p>

<p>Proudmom and sherigmom,
It soulds like my daughter is a clone of your two daughters. Maybe the three of them could room together? LOL. Anyway, we have never visited Auburn, but plan to do so during Presidential Scholars Day. Can you only request a apecific dorm if you first put down the $200 deposit? Also, how soon would you have to apply for housing to get your first choice-is it first come first served? She has appplied to eight other schools and probably won’t make a decision until she hears from the other schools in March/April.</p>

<p>We paid the housing deposit shortly after my daughter’s acceptance letter, but like your daughter, she won’t know for sure until March or April. Auburn is very much at the top, but there are some other possibilities that may afford her better opportunities. If your daughter, sherigmom’s daughter and mine are that much alike I am sure they will hook up. I guess we will all know for sure in a few months.</p>

<p>We did the same thing as proud_mom regarding the housing registration. A current student at AU and also other posts on CC reco. doing this ASAP, since there are not enough on-campus housing spots for everyone. Plus, the Pres. Schol. get their first choice on dorm above non-P.S. honor students.</p>

<p>Nice to hear of some fun, smart, outgoing girls who may go to AU. Sounds like a group my son would appreciate and vice versa.</p>

<p>hey i haven’t made my decision yet (trying to chose West Point vs. Notre Dame vs. Auburn with scholarship!) but I’m from California and know next to nothing about dorms. I know for sure that I want to be in honors dorm if I go, but could someone tell me what to request? best accomodations??? from what I’ve seen the Quad looks really nice! (that’s the new one, right?)</p>

<p>thanks for your help :)</p>

<p>The new dorms are in the Village and Talons in the Village is for honors students.</p>

<p>I wasn’t trying to knock the people living in the honors dorm, it’s just from my experience of going to an extremely academically rigorous school that a majority of people who will chose to do honors program right off the bat are more focused on academics vs. social life. Not that this mindset is a bad thing, I’ve just always been the type of person who is very social while maintaining my grades. :)</p>

<p>When selecting honors dorms, in the Village you will have your own single bedroom. It is a lot easier to study in your bedroom when you do not have to share it with another person. Something to consider, Quad vs. Village.</p>

<p>If you are accepted into the Honors College - do you automatically get a spot in the Honors dorm???</p>

<p>When we toured, a few weeks ago, we were told that nobody is guaranteed a room…Auburn has more freshman than available rooms.</p>

<p>^^
okay. thanks!</p>

<p>I know that Presidential Scholars are guaranteed a room, not sure about Honors students. I thought they were since their are Honors’d dorms, but I would have to look.</p>

<p>When you submit your housing deposit, there is a screen that says you are guaranteed some time of housing. We put our deposit in way back in October, so maybe they’ve reached capacity. I saw something about Presidential Scholars receiving priority on honors housing, so hopefully everything will work out.</p>