<p>Hello,</p>
<pre><code> At my college, you have the option of either doing a regular major program or an honors program. An example is Physiology or Physiology Honors. Is an honors track more attractive to medical school admissions committees?
</code></pre>
<p>Thanks in Advance. :)</p>
<p>Medical schools will not care whether you are in honors or non-honors classes; however, an honors class or being part of an honors program may confer benefits you’ll find worthwhile during undergrad-- like smaller class size and priority enrollment.</p>
<p>What I meant by an honors program is the type where your degree reads Bsc (Hons). You also have to complete 132 credits instead of the usual 120. </p>
<p>Medical schools still won’t care one way or another. </p>
<p>Different schools require different numbers of credits for graduation. Even different programs/majors at the same college can require different numbers of credits for graduation. Also students who have double or triple majors, or who enter with substantial credits from high school (AP/IB/dual enrollment) often graduate with more than the minimum number of credits. So the absolute number of credits earned doesn’t matter at all.</p>
<p>The one thing that might be an advantage is if you are required to complete a research-based senior thesis as part of the program’s requirements. Evidence of individual scholarship will help if you plan to pursue a PhD or MD/PhD, or plan to apply to research-intensive medical schools. (BTW, at most colleges you can complete a senior thesis and earn departmental honors without enrolling in a formal honors program.) For MD-only programs–having a senior thesis won’t make much of a difference, if any.</p>
<p>An honors designation/Latin honors (summa, magna or cum laude) can be listed on your AMCAS application. (But it’s usually lumped in with other honors/awards a student has earned along the way because you only have a limited number of slots for all activities, honors, work experiences, leadership positions etc on your app.)</p>
<p>tl;dr–if you’re looking to make yourself “stand out” from the rest of the pack of applicants for med school, honors alone won’t do it.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your insight. I am definitely aware that honors alone won’t make me stand out, I was just wondering if it would give me a slight advantage.</p>
<p>@OP, You are in college to learn, right? To the extent that the honors program will enhance your ability to learn more while in college, is one advantage you’ll get. There can also be collateral advantage in that you may have better teachers some of whom might be more inclined to give you that plum research position or write you a better LOR. You might also have access (as it is at my school) to seminars and classes open only to honors students. Perhaps your school gives out awards and scholar designations? Being in honors will probably increase your chances. I can go on, but I think you get the idea. There is more to consider than any “direct” advantage from just being in honors. </p>
<p>Whatever your degree is named is irrelevant. Honors college’s biggest advantage (as pointed out) are smaller classes and priority registration. These could make (have made in my D’s case) huge difference, including but not limited to your college GPA. As additional benefit, you will be in a group of very high caliber students. Again, in D’s Honors college, they accepted only top 200. These were mostly valedictorians, who were the same caliber as the ones accepted to Elite colleges.
Again, at the end, it is your decision. I am not sure why you even ask here. I bet that Honors are different from UG to UG. More so, Honors at the same UG are different from year to year. So, learn specifics of your Honors.
D’s participating in Honors indirectly had some impact on her Med. School applications/acceptances. The fact is that Med. School requirements are also fluid, they cahnge from year to year. D. had to change her senior year schedule completely AFTER she has applied to Med. Schools and has registered for the first sememster of senior year, because one of the school has change requirements. I am not sure how it would all played out if she was not in Honors. It may not make any difference, but maybe it would have been much harder. </p>