<p>My son is at Ohio University's Honors Tutorial College. Those who say that all honors programs are similar or that it is not substantially different from the normal university experience are misinformed. What other program gives you no hours requirements for graduation other than what you work out with your advisor for YOUR course of study, or gives you one-on-one classes with professors in the courses in your major, or allows you to take ANY courses in the school - even graduate level - with no prerequisites. It is very difficult to get into. Unlike schools who accept 10% of the applicants into "honors," OU only accepts 60 people per year to HTC. Spread across 26 majors, that is an average of only 2 students per major being accepted into HTC.</p>
<p>However, it is not for everyone. The student must be VERY self-directed, independent, and have a long-standing passion for the subject. It is not for someone who is wondering what to major in. In my son's portfolio DVD (films), he included films made back when he was 9 years old, to show that this was a long-term commitment.</p>
<p>HTC is only for students who know what they want and have the drive (and humor, as Garrity said) to make it happen. It is certainly not a place to avoid attention. Being the only student in a tutorial (class) does not allow you to avoid discussion or hide in the back row. And even a B-minus in a course will get you called in for a conference with the dean. The perks are incredible, but the expectations and demands are incredible too.</p>