<p>Hi!
I will be an undergrad freshman this fall, and right now, I am having some trouble choosing colleges. Here's my dilemma:
I got into a very selective honors program at U Maryland - CP called Gemstone. People accepted to this particular honors program have an average SAT score of 1500, and an average high school GPA of 4.31. My SAT score and high school GPA is nowhere near these, so I was really surprised that I got in. On the other hand, in U Illinois - Urbana, I got into a less selective, and less intensive honors program (James Scholar). now my problem: do graduate admissions committees prefer someone going to a mediocre honors program at a better school, or a stellar honors program at a lesser school? Do grad schools even care if you were in an honors program? Do they even know the rigor and selectivity of certain honors programs? I.e., If I graduate from U Maryland having gone to Gemstone, will they understand how rigorous and selective that honors program is compared to other honors programs? I have a feeling that grad admissions ppl can't possibly know where each and every honors program stands against each other. Or am I wrong?<br>
Thanks for reading this!!</p>
<p>Has your choice been narrowed down to only these two honors programs or are there other schools to which you have been accepted, perhaps not honors? You would probably qualify for some very selective colleges. BTW congratulations!</p>
<p>they care you were in an honors program, but they probably don't know that much about each program in the country (as you surmise). What is going to matter a LOT is the personal recs you get from the faculty, and they are more personal at any honors program because you're in smaller classes and one of the intent's of these programs is to allow you to get to know the faculty better.</p>
<p>As for grades, it won't really matter. Honors colleges don't want students to feel penalized in GPA for being in the honors program compared to the regular students in the college, so you're pretty much going to get A's and B's if you do the work.</p>
<p>For most majors, I would pick UIUC (unless you are in-state Maryland). It's better in most areas than UMD, and typically the better a school is in general the less importance it places on honors programs (not to say that UMD is bad, far from it).</p>
<p>thanks guys, your answers really helped!
I'm planning to be a psych major. I also got into UMich-ann arbor, but I don't think I got into any of the honors programs. I also applied to Carnegie Mellon, but I won't be hearing from them until April. I also applied to UPenn but I should have known better... I'm from new jersey. It's tough thinking ahead. So. I guess my main question is, for grad admissions, is it better to be a mediocre student at a great school, or a great student at a mediocre school? because although i really like UMich, I'm afraid my application will look a little empty for grad school (e.g. no honors program, 5000 other psych majors). But will the name compensate for this?</p>
<p>I think you would be better off going to U Penn for psych (if you get in). Why did you say you "should have known better" about U Penn? After that, U Michigan or Carnegie Mellon would be good choices...they are very different from one another. You could distinguish yourself form the other psych majors by taking a lot of biology/neuroscience and a lot of math/statistics. A high gpa and good GRE scores combined with a strong background in neuroscience and statistics should make you a desireable grad school candidate. </p>
<p>I am not a fan of Honors programs. Students who are accepted into an honors program could probably get into a more selective school. I view Honors colleges as a marketing technique for second-tier colleges...to help them attract better students. Often, the honors program is not very advantageous. You still have the name of the less selective college on your diploma. I doubt that an Honors program would be a wise choice. Better to go to a more selective college with a better reputation.</p>
<p>i agree with collegehelp, honors programs are useless, they don't really provide u with anything special, except a few humanities class with better students. More and more second tier and even 3rd and fourth tier schools are establishing honors colleges to boost their rankings mostly, High school seniors like the concept of "honors colleges" and many will often fall for things like this, because they feel they will be in a circle of the best students and it would be a different school somehow. Don't fall for it.</p>
<p>Despite what some people may think, there are some excellent honors colleges out there at state schools and you've already been admitted to one in Maryland. I've looked into the gemstone program and know that it has produced some excellent students who come out with research and close faculty mentors. A lot of the times the honors colleges aren't all they're cracked up to be, but I know Maryland's and Michigan's are both well-regarded. Personally, I think you'd be better off choosing Maryland and taking advantage of the oppertunities they have there to do research and participate in their gemstone projects. </p>
<p>But don't rely too much on the opinions presented here; I advise you to carefully explore each school's honors website and see what you'll get out of each program. Will you be paired up with a faculty mentor? Do students typically conduct undergraduate research? Is there an honors dorm honors students can live in [i know UMaryland has one]? These are the kinds of questions you should ask the honors coordinators at each school and then compare the responses you get. Most of the time these people are more than happy to help and can be a wealth of information.</p>
<p>However, college costs enter the picture as well. Yes, my son likely can get into a higher tier school (and would love to go to one), but the top schools only give need-based aid. Since our EFC is considerably higher than what we believe we can pay, an honors program at a less prestigious school that gives merit aid is our only option</p>
<p>UMich is supposed to have one of the overall best college town environments. If its right for you (the big-time sports, etc) then it should be an attractive option.</p>
<p>When you write "I'm afraid my application will look a little empty for grad school (e.g. no honors program, 5000 other psych majors)." I think you're misunderstanding how students get into grad school. Simply having the name of an honors program or a prestigious college on your diploma does not get you admitted. Its actually a relatively small factor compared to the rest. Grad schools look at your essays, your GRE scores, your recs. These all SWAMP the name of the school you attend. If you go to UMich and are not in the honor program, you will have to make the attempt to get to know your profs so they can write a strong letter of rec. </p>
<p>And there is a network that works in grad school admissions. The profs often went to the top schools for their PhD and they have close ties to at least their advisor, and probably others they studied under. A phone call to one of their mentors on your behalf can get you in. But they'll only be making that phone call if they know you and respect your abilities, which means you need to be doing well in class and making the effort to get to know the profs.</p>
<p>But don't take my word for this. And the following is the most important thing I can write. To succeed at a large public (which all 3 of your options represent), you need to be the kind of take-charge person who will approach profs, work the bureaucracy, etc. You need to make decisions on your own since you won't have the personal guidance given at a smaller private, and if you don't have the info you need to make the decision then you need to go out and get it. Shyness, intimidation by authority, etc., all these will kill you at a large public. In the present case, you need to get more info about what it takes to get into a good grad program to help you make your decision. You need to confirm for yourself how much advantage (if any) the honors designation gives, or if you can succeed from a place like UMich. What you need to do is start calling. Call the grad admissions office at a prestigious college or two, explain your situation, get their advice. Ask how they evaluate candidates applying to their school. Call the undergrad psych advisor at Umich, at Maryland, at UofI. Ask them what they tell their students. at This is going to the horse's mouth, getting the true word from those who KNOW. If you can't pick up the phone and make those calls Monday then a large public is not a good fit for you.</p>