Lindner Business Honors?

My S was invited to interview for the business honors programs at UC. I understand that there are three separate business honors programs at Lindner, and the university decides which program it will offer admission to, if any.

Can anyone provide more information about the programs? Would acceptance into one of them make UC more competitive with OSU (Fisher) or Miami (Farmer) in making a decision about which school to choose?

Good question! We are in the same boat. My S was invited down for Circle of Excellence interview this Saturday. My S will also be visiting OSU, Miami, IU and Penn State (business schools) over the nest 6 weeks. When I look on the website, it states that they are interviewed for one of the business honors programs but, his email specifically stated Circle of Excellence. Too me it seems like most college honors programs give you early class registration, classes and (some) housing. The cincinnati programs have a number of “requirements” linked to them. The Circle requires a 3.4GPA, work aspect, volunteer, study abroad/international service & leadership requirement. From the start, I think cincinnati offers some great resume building. My son does quite a bit of service and not many other programs have this type of requirement. With that said, the other business schools rank higher and are considered better. Cincinnati’s new business school will be done Fall, 2019 and I anticipate rankings will rise. My son is interested in the interview and what the programs have to offer. He is accustomed to doing these types of things already so going somewhere where he does not have to find “the group” is appealing to him. My husband is taking him on Saturday (we are from NE Ohio) and I will be interested to hear their take on Saturday’s events.

I checked the email, and saw that my son’s invitation is specific to the CoE, too. So, I guess I should re-frame the question as, “Is CoE worthwhile?”

Again, I don’t have specifics since we are doing the same. My S was not admitted to honors for Farmer at Miami. He was admitted to the business schools at Miami, OSU, Cincinnati, Indiana and Penn State (UP campus). At Miami, the class of 2021 has to have a 3.65 GPA accum. to receive the honors distinction. Anyone maintaining a 3.65GPA out of college with OR without an honors program will do well. Many kids will be accepted into honors programs and not stay in because they will not be able to maintain the requirements. I wouldn’t base any decision on an honors program at a school. I think the student (or parent ;)) needs to look at each honors requirements and (assuming) the student can maintain and get through the program, is it worth it to them in the end? The CoE looks like it is service focused and is a “program”. A student involved in this program has a lot laid out for them for the next 4-5 years. Some may like that, some may not.

I read about another parent who’s D interviewed last year for business honors and was accepted into the top business honors (maybe Lindner +?). According to the Cincinnati website, students will be interviewed for business honors, giving me the impression that it could be for all the different programs. With that said, our emails state it is specifically for CoE. I don’t know what to think. My S is scheduled to go down tomorrow for his interview. I will be interested to hear their take on the whole process/program.

@BasicOhioParent I messaged the parent I mentioned in the above post. The daughter/situation was unique. The D was heavily recruited by the University due to her application/circumstances. She was OOS and interviewed via computer and was offered the Lindner+ and Presidential Cincinnatus. Although they liked the school, the program did not fit and she ended up going elsewhere.

Thanks for the posts. Perhaps CoE is a good way to meet other students w/o going Greek.

Were you going for the interview or doing an interview? Keep me posted on your thoughts.

@BreakfastClub1 @BasicOhioParent Any info from today’s interview?
Any new info to provide?
Thanks!

@CWAE182025 My son visited (again) and interviewed today. There were approx. 30-40 students there for his session and they were interviewing for ALL three business honors programs. There were three scheduled sessions today. According to the handout, 25 are selected for Lindner Plus, 40 for Kolodzik and 60 for CoE (125 students across the 3 programs). The students met each other, had a planned activity and 'group" interviews. I found having group interviews interesting since some may have issues answering questions confidently in front of their peers.

I’m not sure how many students came to interview. They did give numbers and I believe they extended invites to 400 and 200 accepted. Maybe some interviews were done online? I understand that students will find out if they were selected around mid-March. They, also, explained the programs and what was required/optional for them. Parents had a question/answer session.

Were you invited or looking at the school?

@BreakfastClub1 My son was asked to participate/ interview in COE but did not go today. Apparently, there is a makeup day that he may schedule. Not sure yet.
If asked for COE in invitation, any chance to get into one of the other… or is only choice COE.
It is weird everyone interviewing together, but for different groups.
Am I understanding that correctly ?

@CWAE182025 Our invite stated he was interviewing for CoE. My husband and S attended a presentation and they stated that the students (if selected) would be put in 1 of the 3 honors programs, NOT just CoE. I did not know there was a makeup day but, that would make sense since it didn’t sound like all the students were there based on the numbers indicated. When is the makeup day?
My S had a group of about 10+ students and they did three 30-minute rotations. A get-to-know each other session, a business/product presentation and their interview. Their 10+ students were split down to 1/2 for the interview and yes they were together with 2-3 interviewers. Initially, it seemed odd to me too. My S didn’t have issues with it but, he also loves talking in front of groups. He said some kids were definitely uncomfortable having to do this and it showed who was comfortable speaking. There really is no way of “preparing” for the interview, just be yourself. I am not sure if this ‘set up’ would be the same on a makeup day but it very well could be if a larger group is scheduled for that day with time slots.
My S has been DA to some great business schools but, he likes Cincinnati and the possible opportunities for all the hard work he has done. All of the kids chosen to interview are very bright. No matter what happens or where he goes, the process of the afternoon was a great experience for him which he enjoyed.

@BreakfastClub1 Ok, that sounds hopeful. My son really loved the KBS program and will like that he still has a chance. The makeup day is a Monday so he will miss school, I think it is February 12. There are two sessions with a lunch. There was one post that spoke about group interviews a few years ago. I actually think my son, like yours, will find it fun. Thanks for the info!

I attended with my son. My understanding is that the interviews were specific to Circle of Excellence; if there was mention that the interviewees were eligible to be selected for the other two honors programs, I missed it.

UC invented co-op education, and my impression was that UC is VERY serious about getting its students working in internships/co-ops. That’s probably the biggest plus of the school, and one which my son found quite appealing. (There would be a lot more buzz around this university if you moved it over to the East Coast.)

The placement rate was claimed to be 86% overall and 97% for honors program grads. These figures are impressive, but my concern as a parent is whether the quality of the placements is equal to that of bigger-name schools. Because I am not involved in the corporate world, I don’t know the answer. Perhaps others can shed some light here. My son likes UC a lot, but I don’t want to feel that he’s starting his career on a “lower trajectory,” so to speak, than if he had gone to a place with a bigger reputation.

@BasicOhioParent My husband was at the meeting and they never specified in his session it was only for CoE. Also, based on the question(s) by parents, the speaker stated that everyone was probably going to be offered honors. The question/answer/parent session for him was explaining ALL honors programs which would not have been needed if it was truly for CoE only. I’m sure an email to the honors program could probably clear up this confusion. No one seems to have the answer.

We are from OH and Cinicnnati is known for co-ops and internships. Anyone going there knows it normally takes five years with all that you end up doing. Cincinnati does not “claim” to have the highest rated business school. This is a hard one because my S has some universities that he has been directly admitted to their business schools and ones ‘known’ for business. My son is a go-getter and likes to be the “big fish” and thrives in that atmosphere. He would do well anywhere. Cincinnati is a great place to get a 1st job and many of my friends who started there are not there now…they are in Chicago, New Jersey, Seattle, etc. It is really what your child does with their school and education. They have to feel good there, take advantage of there resources and do well. My S is visiting all his schools in the next 4-6 weeks. By then he should hear about Cincinnati and what is offered. Who knows where he will end up!

Mine is in the same boat.

I agree with this general outlook, but I also want my kid to take advantage of the best opportunities available to him.

Please keep us posted, and I will do likewise.

Did anyone find out about the honors program? My son was asked for COE, but he really wanted KBS. Also, we share same point of view. Is it better to go to a top 10 business school? Is it worth the extra cost of tuition?

I sent an email to clarify. I will keep you posted.

@BasicOhioParent @CWAE182025 I received a response from a program director. The students are ONLY being considered for the program stated on their letter (CoE). At the interview day, they explain all programs/aspects of the Business Honors due to the overlap of the programs.

Thank you for checking with UC. It is not quite the news we wanted to hear, but good to have real expectations:)

@BreakfastClub1 @CWAE182025 It seems as if it would make a lot more sense to make the decision about which program to offer after AFTER the interviews, not before.

But I think the website says that students can apply to transfer in to those other programs after their freshman year.