<p>We got this invitation to apply to the Honors Program yesterday, and though I know it's quite competitive I figured what the heck? until I got to the essay question, which is about comparing a literary and historical figure blah blah and I couldn't help wondering how the typical prospective engineering student, such as my son as you've probably guessed by now, and whose HS curriculum has been much more weighted towards math and science, could possibly stack up against the legions of kids with much more liberal arts focus?</p>
<p>I'm sorry for that grotesque run-on sentence. I couldn't help it.</p>
<p>I mean, engineering students CAN be in the Honors program, can't they? And given that their curriculum at Marquette has a thimbleful of English, let alone literature, isn't it just a wee bit weird that the Honors app is so heavily based on a literary analysis? Maybe I don't get it. Maybe the prospective MU Honors student is supposed to be so bloody well-rounded that they write the analysis with one hand while doing a physics problem with the other. But I can tell you that our hopes for the program pretty much went out the window at that moment, in spite of my son's ACT score putting him in the top 12% of MU's typical freshman class.</p>
<p>When I looked over the Honors App I was relieved that my potential math-major son had taken both AP English courses and had very solid honors classes in world and us history. But even my older son (current AE major, who chose his college specifically for its “no essay” application and minimal humanities requirements as an undergrad) probably could have strung together a coherent essay about some historical science figure and a character from a book read somewhere during his 4 years of high school english.</p>
<p>Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in and reassure parents that the essay is just one facet of the Honors App.</p>
<p>Voting ( and whining, I guess) with Beastman. </p>
<p>My potential engineer passed on the Honors app. With so many essays and applications around that due date, and no FA offer yet in hand, he chose not to invest the time required to string together that coherent essay. It’s much more difficult for some kids, even top students, to write those prize essays. </p>
<p>Could be it would have been time well worth spent. S was content to attempt the regular curriculum and get comfortable that first year.</p>
<p>My nursing student is going to take a crack at it. Her brother (in a pharmacy school) is in an honors college at another university. </p>
<p>Science majors typically have GPAs lower than the requirements to stay in an honors program. Engineering students appear to be very happy if their GPA is above a 3.0. My secretary’s kid is studying engineering at Case Western (top of class in HS, Math and Verbal SATs over 700, committed student) and has about a 3.2. I also have a kid in law school whose roommate was a math major with a GPA around a 3.0 at Cornell. Anyway, my point is that math-science majors have a different mind-set about what constitutes good grades. They get knocked out of honors programs with GPA requirements. I’m not saying that they can’t do it, only that it’s rare.</p>
<p>At least in my kid’s school, the honors seminars also have a bent towards the liberal arts kids. They tend to be in the areas of government, sociology, English, etc. My pharmacy kid actually likes writing as much as science, and considered adding a BA in English during the 6-years of pharmacy studies. Fortunately, his scholarship isn’t tied to the honors program since I doubt he’ll be able to keep his GPA above a 3.5 much longer with all of the biochem/physics and other science classes. </p>
<p>I tend to agree with Itgmom. I won’t stop D from submitting an application, but I’m ok with her sticking with the regular curriculum. I just want her to be accepted (with some money, please please please)!!!</p>
<p>University wide honors programs generally are honors in the liberal arts. Most places you can also pursue honors in the major or school by following different requirements. My son is encountering the same issue with scholarship essays. For one there is a choice of a business question or a social science/humanities question. My son is a math/science guy though he’s done very well in English too, including AP this year. Everyone should be able to string together sentences in a coherent manner that answer the question posed with proper grammar and composition. Your son will have to be able to do that in engineering too. The essays don’t need to be literary masterpieces, just avoid run-on sentences. I would think that basic gpa, rank, test score stats will be more important in the end. If it’s something he wants to do, then have him do his best and see where the chips fall. I wouldn’t give up out of fear of the application process. If he feels he’ll be unsuccessful following a liberal arts honors program, that’s a different story.</p>
<p>annoying, you make a great point (nothing ventured, nothing gained). At this point I’ll leave it up to my son as to whether he applies or not. With respect to the essay, I’m thinking it probably requires more than basic composition skills as this honors program only admits, what, 1/6th of its applicants.</p>
I would think that basic gpa, rank, test score stats will be more important in the end. If it’s something he wants to do, then have him do his best and see where the chips fall. I wouldn’t give up out of fear of the application process. If he feels he’ll be unsuccessful following a liberal arts honors program, that’s a different story.</p>