I understand that as long as one takes a minimum of 2 Honors courses/semester – with a GPA of >=3.7 – one should be able to remain in the LSA Honors Program.
However, could anyone share with me the pros and cons of taking & doing well in 3 “Honors Core” classes vs doing well in 3 other upper- or graduate-level classes that qualify as Honors (but not designated as “Honors Core”)?
My S is considering doing the latter which offers a whole lot more options of classes he’s very interested in, but would like to learn more of the impact on his degree/diploma and/or nomination for scholarships, etc, down the road.
More to-the-point: are there any benefits of taking 3 Honors Core vs 3 other upper- or grad-level classes that qualify as “Honors” classes. (Sorry for these disjointed posts.)
My S is in honors and my understanding is that honors students (beginning with this year’s freshmen) need to take three Core honors classes in first two years. So I am not sure what you are deciding, three Core courses are required. One of the courses satisfies the writing requirement so it is really just two extra classes. The other requirement is an “average” of two honors courses in each of the first four semesters. This often means just being in an honors discussion session of a regular class, such as Biology. Very easy to find these courses. And only a 3.4 is required. http://www.lsa.umich.edu/honors/currentstudents/academicinformation/honorsrequirements/lowerdivisionhonorsrequirements_ci
@2135ar, you’re right about the 3.4 GPA. (3.7 is min required for Sophomore Honors Award.)
I’m still a tad fuzzy in regards to the difference between Honors Program & Honors Major. S’ advisor told him that as long as he takes & meets the min GPA required in 2 or more upper- or grad-level courses/semester (at least one of them in his major/field), he’ll still be considered an Honors Major, and hence, he can return to South Quad his Sophomore Yr after taking only 1 Honors Core his Freshman Yr (i.e., no need to take 3 Honors Core by end of Sophomore Yr).
While it’s not explicitly spelled out on that page, do you know if at least 3 Honors Core classes are required for that award (since this is all part of LSA “Honors Program” page)?
Unless there are some significant benefits in completing the 3 Honors Core, I think it’s best for my S to just take other classes of his real interest (that still qualify as “Honors”) because he’ll find them a lot more enriching.
parentOf2018: I don’t know the answer. I did notice that the sophomore honors award discussion in your link said it applied to those who were freshmen before fall 2014, so the rules may change for next year’s sophomores. I thought that Honors Major did not begin until junior year. As a practical matter, you clearly can return to South Quad sophomore year after one Core course because you only have to take three in two years. Only one Core course was offered this semester so I assume many did not take it.
@2135ar, yeah, I thought the same too that Honors Program is for the first 2 yrs, and Honors Major is for the last 2. Hence, I thought he had to take all 3 Honors Core classes (plus other requirements) in his first 2 yrs to remain active in Honors Program. But perhaps he came in as a freshman with 60 credits (actually more, but capped at 60 by LSA) – which means he’s of Junior standing already during his 1st semester here – or perhaps he had finally declared his major in LSA (but not yet in CoE), that he’s now considered an Honors Major, and allowed to bypass the other 2 Honors Core if he chooses to. I’m not too sure either.
I just want to make sure that there’s no other repercussion by not doing all 3 Honors Core classes within the first 2 yrs, because one of the many benefits of being in LSA Honors Program (and eventually Honors Major) is the nomination for some prestigious scholarships/ awards.
As for South Quad, I suppose it’s for both LSA Honors Program & Honors Majors. So, being in either will qualify one to live there, space permitting.