Congratulations! Very happy for him. Now he needs to get his act together and apply to the honors program immediately. 
I don’t think I suggested Pitt Johnstown specifically, just to look at programs at the Pitt branches, but thank you.
Is there an honors college at UPJ?
His engineering courses are going to be plenty rigorous, and class sizes should not be an issue either, most seem to be less than 40 students, except for an ethics and economics class, and Freshman Engineering Seminar.
It will be nice that he will have small class sizes, and easy access to professors.
I know there are honor societies, he may get an invitation to those later.
I checked their website and didn’t see anything about Honors. One thing we have to consider is that if he doesn’t maintain a certain GPA he can lose his scholarship. This is more important to me than being in an Honors program. We need this money for him to go there
It wouldn’t be for small classes (his classes would be small) nor rigor (engineering is going to be rigorous enough) but for additional scholarships and opportunities, plus indirect GPA boost.
Indeed, Honors kids tend to do better in their honors classes (there’s no curve and no weedout so plenty of As to be had) and if they have perks like priority registration it can help with GPA because they can avoid a bad professor or lackadaisical grader.
I know there’s no honors college but there should be an honors program. I I’ll check.
I didn’t see it either. It’s not going to be an issue at UPJ.
Even at Pitt main the honors college is a take or leave it offering, it is there for enrichment, but it’s not required for students to take honors courses.
Yes, at Pitt main the merit scholarships come from the honors college. But UPJ gives merit to its higher stats students too.
The important thing is that he can study computer engineering with small class sizes, as part of a small cohort, and that he takes advantage of tutoring if necessary.
Registration goes by class standing, at least at Pitt main. It has nothing to do with honors.
If he has AP credit, he might be able to use some of it.
At Ship I might have said, yes, he may benefit from being in honors. But even there the GOA required was higher than 3.0 I believe.
At UPJ and studying computer engineering, he will be challenged.
Ok, i checked - no honors program. It’s good, because it means he won’t miss out on perks (scholarships, special opportunities, special dorm, priority registration). He should be on the lookout for departmental scholarships then. I know the more money he can earn toward his tuition costs, the better it is for him.
Engineering will be challenging and he will have small classes regardless.
They have some videos about UPJ on YouTube. It really looks nice, and the professors seem to care about the students succeeding. Campus and student housing looks good too.
The important thing will be to join clubs and surrounding yourself with other serious, hardworking friends who can study together, and get involved on campus.
http://www.upj.pitt.edu/scholarships
info about scholarships for continuing students at UPJ
I also read that if the GPA falls below 3.0, the student has one semester to raise it back up.
So if your son has any trouble with his classes, encourage him to use the resources available to help him right away.
http://www.abroad.pitt.edu/germanway
They also have a summer engineering study abroad program, in Germany.
^ that’s terrific.
upj is very nice overall. Your son a good student and he made a smart pick.
Next step is figuring out how to decrease costs whenever possible.
Since extra ‘honirs scholarships’ aren’t in the cards, could he email the Engineering Dept, present his stats, and ask whether there are special Dept scholarships for freshmen admitted to the major?
Just a suggestion… call the financial aid office and tell them that pitt johnstown is his first choice but you need more financial aid to make it work. See what they say. He can still go without more money but you never know if you don’t ask. Hey- Even another 500 or 1000 would be great Best of luck to your son and you!
@naviance I had asked them before if there were any additional scholarships but they told me he is receiving the max amount. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask again thank you
@MYOS1634 Regarding #306 and # 311 Thank you. It is a nice campus and my son liked it right away. I asked about scholarships for the Engineering program and was told they are not available for freshmen but for upperclassmen. I believe he is receiving the maximum, Presidential Scholarship.
When you ask, just generally ask for more money… not specifically scholarships. You never know!! Good luck!
@mommdc I viewed a few videos myself and was impressed. I was told they plan activities for the students and they have an app they can download on their phones for event updates. They also get discounted movie tickets at the local cinema. I know the college doesn’t compare with Pitt Main but I do think he will be happy there. I was aware of the 3.0 requirement to keep his scholarship
@Collegefrazzled Finally got the chance to check out your update, so glad to see your son has chosen!
I have to say, I think he made the best choice. I wish this had been an option for DS back when he started, we might have very well considered it as well, even if we had to take out loans on top of the federal student loans.
Since he liked the campus, and made the choice himself, he should be happy there.
@laralei thank you! I think he did too and I think he will be happy there. Now I just have to figure out how to pay for it i
I hope your son is getting excited about starting college, I think he will really benefit from a smaller cohort and easier access to professors.
He can join clubs and study with fellow computer engineering students, and become part of the campus community.