<p>Is it better to be at a school that you are well above academically and be in their honors program or to be at a school with higher prestige, higher academia and just be an average, run-of-the-mill student among tons of other smart people?</p>
<p>Is it better to be a tiger or a polar bear?</p>
<p>Honors program, for me.
No university wants a run-of-the-mill student, one produced on an assembly line.</p>
<p>This is a frequent question debated on CC, but in our experience, being part of an honors program at a large university has proven to be advantageous over attending a high prestige school. Our daughter has had many more opportunities than she would have at a more competitive school.</p>
<p>It really depends on the honors program. Some add lots of value, with better housing, better access to professors and research, small seminars instead of huge lectures, etc. Others are really in name only, and might include one seminar per year. They just want you to feel special that you have that designation, so you will attend that school. They want to include your higher-than-average stats in their numbers. </p>
<p>Really do the research on the honors programs you are offered. See if what you’d be gaining makes them equal or better choices than the more competitive colleges you are accepted to.</p>
<p>Chances are, if you are not well qualified for the honor program, you will not get it or get kick out anyway. It is worth to give it a try as honor programs give you more opportunities.</p>
<p>Such blanket statements are ridiculous. Some honors programs give students more opportunities when compared to some colleges without them. Some honors programs provide fewer opportunities to students when compared to some colleges without them. To suggest that a political science major at say, Harvard will have fewer opportunities than an honors student at UC Davis is absurd.</p>
<p>It’s better to be a tiger in the grasslands or a polar bear in the arctic. What do you want to feed on? What habitat do you want to inhabit?</p>
<p>The trick is to match the offerings of the school with your own interests and inclinations. Choose a place that will make you happy, where you can thrive.</p>