Should've gotten into HHC, should I still go to IU?

<p>Hi, I'm a senior this year and I applied to IU among many other schools, thinking I wouldnt go there, but now have decided its a pretty good option, since its pretty much free with the IU excellence scholarship; I'm an Indiana resident. So, the problem was that despite applying before the necessary deadlines for everything (late october, deadline was nov 1), IU screwed up my file and after hours on the phone with them over many months, they finally got it sorted out and I got accepted just a week or two ago, in late March. I still got the IU excellence scholarship cause I applied before Nov 1, but when I contacted the HHC, it was a very different story.</p>

<p>When I called, they transfered me to the lady in charge of admission to HHC apparently. I told her what happened, and she pretty much told me, "tough." I asked her what the automatic admission criteria for HHC were, and she told me 3.9 weighted gpa & 1340 CR/Math. I have 4.1/1550, obviously well above the necessary requirement. And I applied before November 1. Following the trend of adamant unaccommodation I've found at IU, she pretty much told me she sent the stuff to the office of first year experiences on March 1, so I cant get in [despite having all the requirements].</p>

<p>Should I bother w/ going to IU not HHC? I've heard its very difficult to transfer to HHC when you're there, and its almost not worth your time. My honors classes in Highschool probably have a higher average CR/Math than 1340, so even the HHC seems like it might be on the lean side in terms of challenging me; what will the regular classes be like? Can you take the same honors classes if you arent in HHC? It seems like it would make HHC pretty pointless then...</p>

<p>It is difficult (although doable, especially for someone as bright as you), but honestly HHC is not a make-or-break part of IU. I’m in HHC and haven’t found the benefits to be overwhelming, and I certainly would have done just fine without it.</p>

<p>It is actually pretty easy to get into HHC during your freshman year. All you need is a 3.7+ gpa your Fall semester taking a minimum of 14 credits. Then apply in January and you will be automatically accepted. 254 freshmen got in last year via this route. 988 got in the regular way.</p>

<p>[Information</a> for Prospective Students](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/admissions.php]Information”>http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/admissions.php)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/annualreport200910.pdf[/url]”>http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/annualreport200910.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, I would contact Jill Baker now about your case. Call or send her an email.
Jill Baker<br>
Director, Recruitment & Admissions admissions and scholarship information for prospective and incoming IU HHC students<br>
<a href=“mailto:babaker@indiana.edu”>babaker@indiana.edu</a><br>
812. 855-3570</p>

<p>Jill Baker was the one who told me i was out of luck. I did email the dean, asking if there was anything he could do to help; i didnt mention my conversation with Jill Baker in it. Thats somewhat reassuring that its easy to get in freshman spring, but am I not missing out on the most important part of HHC as a beginning freshman? Also, will my first semester classes be way too easy and boring? I’ll probably skip Bio, Chemistry, Calc I maybe Calc II, and also taking AP english, so that should test me outta something. I wont be in the classes honors students are, rt? Esp science, math, english?</p>

<p>My son did not apply on time and is planning on transfering in January. He received an immediate e-mail back from Jill Baker and she explained the requirements needed to transfer and it sounds like you will have no problem transferring. You are way advanced if you have already had Calc I and Calc II but I am sure you can find classes that are still challenging first semester. IU is a great school with great profs and does not always get the credit it deserves because of the easy application process and high acceptance rate.</p>

<p>Most people in Hutton only take one honors class a semester, if that many on average. There really is not a huge selection. It’s not like the HHC students are totally separate from everybody else. It takes seven honors classes and a 3.4 cumulative gpa to get the “honors notation” on your college degree. Yet only about 150 out of a thousand students each graduating class that are in Hutton get the honors notation. You can easily get the honors notation by taking only two honors classes one semester, and one honors class in each of the other five semesters starting your sophomore year. Most of the A&H and S&H honors seminars are very easy classes, much less difficult than the standard A&H and S&H one-hundred and two-hundred level classes, and full of Kelley students looking for an easy A.</p>

<p>[Honors</a> Course Descriptions](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blfal11/hon/]Honors”>http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blfal11/hon/)
[Honors</a> Course Descriptions](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blspr11/hon/]Honors”>http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blspr11/hon/)
[Honors</a> Course Descriptions](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blfal10/hon/]Honors”>http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blfal10/hon/)
[Honors</a> Course Descriptions](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blspr10/hon/]Honors”>http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/blspr10/hon/)</p>

<p>So? Petition for admission. I was very close to the cut off as well, and I applied and got in. What I’ve learned is that I am doing a lot better in my classes than students who got in automatically or even got scholarships. Whats a point on a standardized test, or a lower GPA in courses that are not the same.
[Information</a> for Prospective Students](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/admissions.php]Information”>http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/admissions.php) </p>

<p>By Petition: If you are not selected to apply to the Hutton Honors College, you may petition for admission to our program. We are especially interested in highly motivated students who have taken advanced placement, accelerated, or honors courses in high school, and who show evidence of creativity and leadership, as well as a demonstrated interest in participating in the HHC curriculum and community. If your petition is approved and you are selected for invitation, you will not be eligible to apply for the Hutton Honors College Scholarship, but you will be able to take advantage of all the other opportunities all HHC students enjoy.</p>

<p>Please send the following materials to Jill Baker, Director of Admissions and Recruiting, as soon as possible but no later than March 1 of your high school senior year:</p>

<pre><code>* A brief letter explaining why you would like to enter our program. Be sure to include your full name, address and IU student I.D. number in this letter!

  • A letter of recommendation from a high school faculty member who has taught you in an academic course.
  • A copy of your high school transcript.
    </code></pre>

<p>I’m planning on earning the honors notation, and I am highly involved in the HHCA, an honors student organization. Not being directly admitted will not hinder you in any way, minus the scholarship benefits.
However, that being said, everything bthomp said is true. You only take one or don’t take any honors classes per semester, they’re usually not too difficult and have a higher grade distribution, and the topics are always interesting.</p>

<p>Update: I actually got a reply from the dean very quickly and he seemed willing to help. He made a point to call me on the phone, and work some stuff out. The advice I can give to anyone who might be in a similar situation is don’t accept the quick nope you might get from the first person you talk to. If I had, I wouldve had no chance at getting admitted in there. Get a hold of the dean (his name is Matthew); he seems genuinely interested in helping students out, and he talked to me for about a half an hour at what I believe was 7 PM his time on a friday evening. I mean theres no promise you’ll get in, but its a lot better than an assured no I got when I called the general HHC admission. To be fair, she might not have had the authority to do anything about it, but neither did she, in our 1-2 minute phone conversation, suggest I talk to the dean or anyone else. Thats my take. And if this does happen to anyone else, send the HHC an email even if you’re not accepted yet (don’t know if this would actually be any benefit, but it seems to be their consensus that’s what I should’ve done. It cant hurt).</p>

<p>more updates to come later, I’m sure. Hopefully this’ll help someone in a similar situation some day.</p>