<p>I was reading some posts and was wondering what is the difference between the two. Is one superior to the other or are they just two separate programs?</p>
<p>Also, if it is no trouble, I would like to know my chances of getting into either of these programs and my chances of getting any merit scholarships based on my credentials and based on your experiences with how they are distributed. This is a brief overview of my resume:</p>
<p>Planned major: Engineering (Narrowed to a few types)
SAT: 700 Reading, 800 Math, 680 Writing
GPA: Unweighted: 3.9, weighted is 5.6 on a 6.0 scale, which is weird, I know.
Classes: 9 APs, the rest GT/honors when they were the highest available and only standard class was the required PE.
Rank: Top 5% (single digits in a class of ~240, it fluctuates and do not know exactly what it is now)
I am a senior, got all As on my first report card and sent it with my fee waiver (the worst they can do is throw it away :p) and will have all As on midterm report as well.
Extracurriculars: -4 years in wind ensemble
-9 sports season (including the one I will be taking this spring. Was injured 9th grade.)
-Class officer two years
-President of Science club and Historian of Key Club for a year
-Two years in the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band
-Other clubs and activities</p>
<p>Those links will tell you the difference between the two programs best. Generally higher stat individuals are invited to honors. Honors allows you to take small seminar classes on interesting topics (everything from Tolkein to terrorism). Mostly, these are lower-level classes that you can use to fulfill CORE requirements, though some upper level classes are offered. They allow you to take classes with bright, engaged kids and to foster closer relationships with profs (honors classes often segway into volunteer/internship opportunities). Nowadays, there are a variety of different honors subsets (see the box on the right hand side, titled “Honors Programs” and starting with Digital Cultures and Creativity). All involve the small seminars of any subject matter, but there are also now a few different themes that you can read about on the website.</p>
<p>Your stats would most likely qualify you for both honors and Gemstone, the most prestigious and only 4-yr honors subset program (others are 2 yr programs. All scholars programs are 2-yr). If you don’t know what Gemstone is there is a link for that too ([Gemstone</a>, Honors College, University of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.gemstone.umd.edu/]Gemstone”>http://www.gemstone.umd.edu/)). Lots of kids aren’t into something that takes that much commitment.</p>
<p>The best thing for you to do is to read up on all the programs and see what fits you best. With a 3.9 and 1500 SATs you will most likely get your pick of programs. They used to recommend you for a certain program but were very flexible if you requested a different one. I think they have gotten even more flexible about it. “Once students are admitted to the Honors College (typically in late January), students are then asked to rank their interest in particular Living-Learning Programs. Students will then be invited to join a particular living-learning program based on their levels of interest, program goals, space availability and other factors.”</p>
<p>In terms of merit aid, there’s another thread about that already. I had similar stats (slightly higher CR and M combo…by about 10 points…massively higher W score…perhaps slightly more interesting ECs) and got $5,000/yr. But I know kids who I felt like looked worse or the same on paper who got more, and people who looked better got worse (as little as $1500 for one year, not even all four!). So you really can’t count on anything.</p>
<p>Thank you for the links and the helpful information. I learned a large deal about the programs, Gemstone in particular, and they seem interesting. Do these programs make for close groups? I know the school itself is very large at a whole, and I noticed that each of the programs had different housing, so it seems logical that that would be the case. As for scholarships, it seems like it is just the luck of the draw based on other people I have talked to, which I do not mind since paying for it is not that large of a deal and the in-state saving make it even less of a burden (still, money is nice to save.) If there is easy access to Baltimore, I will probably just blow anything I save with a scholarship on Ravens games though…</p>
<p>I would say some of the programs make for closer groups than others. </p>
<p>For instance, “University Honors” which they describe as “being the most flexible” also does the least for community-building. While you have the opportunity to take small seminars and make friends with people in your classes, your dorm is HUGE, contains some non-honors students, and overall I’d say it doesn’t make the university feel much smaller socially (you have a similar experience to any other freshman, except the classes and a bit more self-selection in your dorm…mind you this is better than nothing - I was very glad to be in an honors dorm and found that I def. met more people I could identify with there - but it’s not the best program if you’re looking for a close-knit community).</p>
<p>I think Gemstone probably does the most for community building, since you’re with the same group of people for 4 years. </p>
<p>There’s not really easy access to Baltimore if you don’t have a car. There’s the Marc train, which is great (pick it up at CP metro and get dropped off right at Orioles stadium), but it runs somewhat limited hours. The last train back to CP from Baltimore is around 6:00pm on weekdays, and it does not run at all on weekends. Football games usually run later than that…you can get creative and find other ways down (carpools, metro+bus+light rail, etc.) but I wouldn’t call it “easy access”.</p>