<p>How happy are honors students with the honors program? Do they stick with it? Do they feel there are benefits? Do they transfer to other universities? Is it comradery or competition? Does anyone have any info on retention rates by UGA? the honors program at UGA?</p>
<p>this is only from what i've heard, but apparently the grading curves are pretty generous (a grade below a B is unheard of). correct me if i'm wrong anyone!</p>
<p>As an honors program grad, I would say that we were a pretty ambitious and HAPPY group. I think that most people who are admitted to the program are committed to finishing. The benefits are awesome: top notch faculty (generally I was taught by only full professors in my honors classes), small classes (I took some with as few as 8 students), first choice when registering for classes, lots of research oppportunities, including the opportunity to work closely with a professor, great study abroad opportunities, etc. Although I stayed at UGA for my master's, I know several people who were admitted to the Ivies for law/medical/graduate programs. And I would agree with trance0i2, it is relatively rare (though not unheard of) to earn a grade below a B. That being said, honors classes expect a lot out of you: heavier reading assignments and more in-depth papers. I highly recommend the honors experience, though. To answer Atlmom's question about the atmosphere, I would say that it is a competitive environment but that the competition is more self-inflicted. The honors experience further encourages people to pursue projects that are collaborative in nature. So there is both comraderie and competition in the honors program. Finally, re: retention rates, I have no idea about the honors program, but 93.9% of UGA's 2005 entering class returned the following fall. Graduation rate is about 77% (according to the common data set).</p>
<p>I echo what katdawg said and would add that a major reason for the higher grades in honors classes is that the students really want to work hard for their As and rise to the challenges that teachers set for them. Honors professors are almost always willing to go the extra mile for students from meeting with them individually to discuss a grade or helping you find a research topic. </p>
<p>The feeling is definitely more comradery than competition. Honors students, especially those who live in Myers, tend to form really close friendships with the other honors students in their classes and work together on all sorts of projects, from Habitat for Humanity to Relay for Life. </p>
<p>Check out the honors program's website and handbook for indepth info on all this at <a href="http://www.uga.edu/honors%5B/url%5D">www.uga.edu/honors</a> .</p>