Personal experiences with one vs. the other. Son is considering engineering. Likely coming in with many of the general classes completed via dual enrollment - Physics, Chem, Calc 3, 6 credits in humanities/ social sciences. He was told that honors may not make sense b/c he’s completed many of the “intro” classes? Thoughts and insights?
If he is interested in FEH he should choose honors.
https://eed.osu.edu/node/5928/fundamentals-engineering-honors-feh
If he isn’t and finds a scholars program of interest Ohio State Scholars Program | Honors and Scholars Center, note that one could add honors later.
In addition to honors and scholars Housing also hosts an engineering living learning community.
https://housing.osu.edu/living-learning-communities/
There are other ways to fulfill honors requirements besides honors GE classes. Honors thesis, leadership, service, pursuit of graduate level coursework, etc.
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He has to choose Honors OR scholars on application. Feel like he doesn’t know enough yet to decide…
Scholars is only for incoming freshman. My oldest was drawn to a particular program and chose to apply to Scholars and was accepted. That scholars advisor was very helpful in career coaching and providing a strong LOR for internships/coops. Later, she applied to honors after having met the transcript and gpa requirement to do so. So she was able to do both.
My youngest was accepted to honors as an incoming freshman and had a great time in FEH. He was also accepted into the LEAP living learning community. He was living with students in many of his classes, but his program was not as involved as the scholars program my oldest was in.
If he is admitted to Columbus campus, but not to honors, he can apply again later.
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On his application he has to choose honors vs. scholars. Do you know if he can change his mind at any later point before school starts or is it now or never situation??
He would need to contact admissions about the ability to withdraw honors or scholars applications and ask if he’d be able to resubmit past the deadline. My guess is no, since they are sticklers regarding deadlines and they will have plenty of applicants to fill the programs.
It doesn’t seem like he’s interested in a particular Scholars program. Scholars has limited spots because the programs are constrained by the ability to house participants together (or be a freshman commuter student). It is designed to help freshman engage and build a network around a common interest.
For Fall’s 2024 incoming class there will be changes coming to the honors program.
https://honors-scholars.osu.edu/future-students/honors/standards
If you don’t want to continue to pursue honors, you don’t have to. Many students decide not to continue. However, if accepted to honors it makes sense to accept your spot, learn more about the program and have priority scheduling for spring of freshman year. If you don’t make progress on your honors diploma requirements you will eventually lose your priority scheduling privilege.
Apply to honors. If he decides he really wants group living with shared interests he can apply to a housing program later.
Reading through the FAQs may be helpful.
https://honors-scholars.osu.edu/future-students/faqs
The main difference between Honors and Scholars is that the University Honors Program offers a primarily curricular experience, and the Ohio State Scholars Program offers a primarily co-curricular experience. The decision of which program is better for you will typically come down to your personal preference. Consider the following when making your decision:
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The Honors Program is primarily a curricular experience. Honors students are required to take at least 18 hours of honors quality courses and pursue undergraduate research, culminating their academic experience in a thesis or other capstone experience. Honors students must maintain at least a 3.4 GPA (Business and Pharmacy require a 3.5). Interested students should have a desire to pursue a more rigorous curriculum and have a strong interest in conducting research during their undergraduate career.
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The Scholars Program focuses mostly on experiential learning outside of the classroom. Students select which of 16 unique Scholars Program themes they would like to apply for, which will guide their experience. Scholars students participate in a required residential community and participate in experiences based around their program theme including a seminar course, social events, service experiences, and career preparation. Scholars students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and should be passionate about the theme of a specific Scholars program and desire a small, close-knit community.
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What is FEH?
And it looks like with LEAP they take some Math, Physics and Chemistry classes together? My son will likely have finished all these classes via Dual Enrollment, so wondering what the impact of this would be. Would he miss out on a big part of the experience?
FEH is Fundamentals of Engineering Honors, details in the first link above.
My youngest also came in with a lot of dual enrollment credits, so he was a resource for floor mates in LEAP. He liked that the program didn’t have a lot of requirements. He’s also very outgoing and had time for an on campus job and to enjoy events on campus. He’d walk down the hall inviting people to join him for wherever he was headed (an ice cream social, outdoor concert, trivia night, etc.) He would have had a similar experience in any dorm because he’s the type to seek out those experiences.