Honors Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Michigan State University
1

<p>So, I got the invite, and from what I take, I DO NOT have to attend MSU even if I sign up for the honors college. Is this correct? </p>

<p>Also, I have some questions about what they ask in the response form.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I accept your invitation to Honors College membership. (Y/N)
^So, I can say 'yes' but not commit, correct?</p></li>
<li><p>I yes to Honors Housing, residence hall preference, if any.
What is the best residence hall? I would be a premed. I don't want to be around party animals and would like a quiet place to study along with friendly, cooperative students. Yet, I don't want it to be ultra nerdy. Food is important to me too. I want healthy food with a good variety. Also, I would like a gym and preferably be close to my premed classes. A good library would be great also. I might be forgetting stuff or posting to much, but this about sums it up.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>So which one is best for me? :P</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I will attend MSU, but I decline Honors College membership.
^I'm going to answer 'No' to this.</p></li>
<li><p>I will not enroll at MSU because I have decided to attend:
(blank)
** You must notify the MSU Office of Admissions if you are not going to attend MSU.
^I don't understand this. So, I leave it blank for now and then if I do chose to attend a different university, I just call them and let them know?</p></li>
<li><p>Major Preference:
Animal Science sounds like an interesting major. Is it really popular? How is it? I put down 'Biological Sciences - Interdepartmental' at first...but I want to change.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I am also considering Chemical Physics and 'Biochemistry and Molecular Biology'. How are these majors, in terms o difficulty and competition?</p>

2

<ol>
<li>I don’t believe you are committing by joining the Honors College. You commit when you send in your deposit, but even then, you can attend a difference college or university, you will just lose your deposit money.</li>
<li>Mason/Abbot/Snyder/Phillips is known for its studious students and great dining hall, The Gallery. </li>
<li>I am an Animal Science major and freaking love it! Our professors are simply amazing! I don’t know how popular it is, but there are probably ~500 students in the major. Some of our classes tend to be “hands on” getting experience with livestock and other animals. You mentioned that you are pre-med-are you pre-med or pre-vet? Most pre-med students choose other majors other than Animal Science, but I’m sure there are a few.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Animal Science, I will be more than willing to help you out!</li>
</ol>

3

<p>^Yea, I looked up animal science and it seems really geared towards more pre-vet. I’m now really looking into Genomics & Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, and Zoology. Genomics & Molecular Genetics and Zoology appeal to me the most of the three but I can’t find any more information on these programs. I tried searching on MSU’s site but didn’t find anything. Does anyone have a link that can help me figure out which I’d like more?</p>

<p>Also, could someone describe Zoology in a greater extent? I get a general idea of what it is off Wiki, etc. but if any current university students/high schoolers with knowledge could expand on it that’d be great. I like to learn about physiology, different animals, evolution (natural selection, etc.), and I’m for some reason drawn towards learning about this. Not entirely sure why, but it’s just ‘that feeling’. But, I’d like to know more before I get myself into anything.</p>

<p>I’d like an interesting major that is fun to study. Zoology seems to fit that bill, but I really enjoyed my grade 11 Genetics unit in Biology class. However, I’m just afraid that Genetics at the university level will be very hard and cause a real hit to my GPA. So, I’m flip-flopping between the two. If any current students majoring in these 2 fields can shed some light, that’d be great!</p>

<p>Which of Mason, Abbot, Snyder, and Phillips is the best though? (considering what I’m looking for) Any idea or can you not go wrong at any of them? I’m sure that there are nuances between them and one might fit me better, so I’m looking for that one that is best.</p>

<p>And for number 4, I just leave it blank for now right? </p>

<p>Thanks! I’m really thrilled about the awesome majors at MSU! I was seriously thinking ‘Wayne State MedStart or U of M’, but now, I realize that MSU is really an awesome option. These majors are so cool and interesting!</p>

<p>EDIT:
Oh, and I see ‘premedical’ as a major on MSU’s site. Is this for real and do people actually chose this? I don’t think I’d chose this anyways because I want to go to university to learn things that interest me and not use it as a stepping stone for med school, but I’m just curious about this.</p>

4

<p>It is my understanding that you can not request a specific hall if you accept Honors Housing. You could end up at an honors floor at any of residence halls that have them.</p>

5

<p>Pre-med is a track (aka a sequence of classes you have to take in order to get into med school) not a major. Most Pre-med students major in human biology/biology, but you can definitely major in others. There might be a pre-med advisor or something like that (I’m not certain of this) but it is definitely not a major you can declare anyways. Sorry, I can’t really help you out with choosing your major…I’m on the completely opposite side of the spectrum major-wise. </p>

<p>Mason-Abbot is mostly for upperclassmen (it is also kind-of dark, quiet and depressing in my opinion). I would go with Sny-Phi - it sounds like it would be a good fit for you (if you can get in, as you cannot choose your dorm). If you want honors housing Snyder has the honors floor for girls while Phillips has the honors floor for guys (they are connected). Sny-Phi is very close to the buildings where most classes are held. There is a small exercise room in the basement but the actual closest gym (IM East) is a short less than 10 minute walk away. </p>

<p>Accepting your invitation to the honors college in NO WAY requires you to commit to MSU. As for question #4, just leave it blank. You can change your mind on where you want to attend at the last minute - if so, you don’t even have to contact the honors college, only the actual university. There is really no reason to decline honors college membership. If anything, you can always decide to not complete the requirements later (but if you decline membership now, you likely won’t be able to get in later).</p>

6

<p>I have a different question about the honors college. I just got my MSU acceptance letter today, and on the website they say it takes four to six weeks to receive an Honors College invitation. However, I got my admission decision in much less than the 12 weeks they told me it would take. When should I start watching for it in the mail?</p>

<p>Also, I got a 1360 (math and CR) and my school doesn’t rank students. Would you think that I could get into the honors college? Thanks</p>

7

<p>Can anyone explain Lyman Briggs for me? I’m a little confused. Really confused. Is the residential college of LB something you apply to when you initially apply or after? I’m premed so would LB help me out? Sorta lost…</p>

<p>Also, what should I put as my other 2 options after Sny-Phi? And how is the Zoology major at MSU?</p>

8

<p>@snapebotherer: it completely depends. 1360 SAT (CR/M) is the minimum requirement for the honors college so you meet that, but I don’t know how they determine rank if your school doesn’t rank so I’m not sure if you would get in (they might measure it based off your GPA…so if you have a 3.8 unweighted or higher I would say you have a good chance of being admitted to the HC). Take a look at this, it has the most up-to-date info regarding being selected to the HC. [Honors</a> College Admission](<a href=“http://www.honorscollege.msu.edu./admissions/index.html%5DHonors”>http://www.honorscollege.msu.edu./admissions/index.html)
In terms of when you might receive the acceptance, who knows…generally you will receive it within 4 weeks (if you don’t hear within 4-6 weeks, you can petition the honors college and submit an extra essay for consideration…see the above website for details)</p>

<p>@ViggyRam: Lyman Briggs College is a residential college. Similar to other residential colleges, in order to be in it you must list “Lyman briggs college” as your major on your initial application (or ask the office of admissions to change your major to “lyman briggs college.” A large majority of the students within Lyman Briggs college are pre-med, so it would be a huge network of students/faculty that you could work with - I would definitely say that that lyman briggs could be an advantage to you as a pre-med student. In terms of the residential college atmosphere, you live in Holmes hall with other 1st year Lyman briggs majors, you take Lyman briggs intro classes (which are held in your dorm) and also have all your Briggs professors offices within the building in which you live. They also hold a lot of special within-college programs/career/extracurricular opportunities. In terms of other details of Lyman briggs, I would ask someone else (there’s another recent CC thread with a lyman briggs major). </p>

<p>As for your other 2 options after Sny-Phi, there are quite a few other options. Case Hall has an honors floor, gilchrist has an honors floor, some dorms of brody have honors floors, holmes hall (lyman briggs) has an honors floor, among others that I’m unsure of right now. I’d say a good second choice (even if you don’t want to do lyman briggs) would be holmes hall, because you will be by a lot of other pre-med students in the area (they like to study, but can be really social as well). Third choice - it’s up to you. Gilchrist/west circle is too quiet for my tastes. Case hall has a good amount of freshmen/social but it’s pretty far away from a lot of pre-med type classes (close by a lot of athletic facilities though). Brody is even further away from stuff. </p>

<p>I don’t know how is the zoology major at MSU…sorry. I have a few friends that are in it that like it, but beyond that I have no idea.</p>

9

<p>thank you!</p>