@skib We will be there that weekend too!!
@Cheapdad00 same here except she got 2K. I did the comparison and weâll be paying more for USC than UNC or State. However, we did the admitted students day in January and she fell head over heels in love with the campus & the people. She did not make it into honors Carolina nor does she seem that excited about UNC so pretty sure sheâs going with USC. It is hard knowing sheâs turning down great in state schools but she seems comfortable at USC and for me, that is the important component. Congrats to everyone.
@Hummingbird56 - my daughter got the same deal as your daughter and we are in NC also. The honors college and IB kids were the shi# even when I was in grad school there when dinosaurs roamed the earth so knowing my kid will be one of them makes me very proud. We love UNC but just having an overall better school ranking doesnât mean much and the honors college makes a great transition into college life from all I hear. My wife and I met while tailgating at the USC vs UGA game alsoâŠso maybe Iâm somewhat biased. She has committed to USC. Go â â â â â !!!
@1Goober we are also super proud and I agree with you about the transition. Congrats to your daughter! On another note, maybe youâd know this @LuckyCharms913: does anyone know if there is a certain week of orientation for honors college? Trying to finalize some summer plans, but afraid as soon as I do it will be the same time as orientation. I am wondering if you can schedule any week or if HC is a certain week. Thanks in advance
@Hummingbird56 Havent been to Columbia yet, but DS did accepted students day at NCSU last week and he liked the breakout sessions we attended and the campus tour. Going to the one at UNC in March, but wife and I are both alums and live in the triangle so he has spent a lot of time in Chapel Hill and on campus. There will be 50+ people from his graduating class at both UNC and NCSU, so I have some concerns that it will be high school extended. But then again USC targets Wake county fairly heavily, so probably a fair number of people from his high school at USC as well. He didnt get into Honors at UNC, but reading about the program, it seems like more of a hassle than benefit due to few classes offered.
@Cheapdad00 I was also impressed with the program at NC State when we went a few weeks ago. She would be in the college of Natural Resources and their program is top notch. They have all the kids taking the same first year program in general environmental science and then branching out into their specialties 2nd yr. They also seem very well connected for internships; and the study abroad looked impressive as well. She just did not like the campus as much and she thought the students were less excited than the USC kids. She definitely did not like the learning and living housing she saw (eco village). Also, she is worried if she wants to switch majors at NC state that sheâd have to deal with that whole switching colleges thing. Considering most kids switch majors 2 or 3 times that is a valid concern. One of the benefits for her at USC honors is the plethora of their honors courses. I think the exposure to those will be neat. We also are doing admitted students day at UNC end of March. I wont let her commit until she has visited one more time, but honestly I am worried about dealing with housing and classes there, so I wonât be upset to not have to deal with those if she chooses USC. She has expressed the same concern about going to college with the rest of her high school if she goes to UNC. Definitely more of a mix at USC.
@Hummingbird56 You might call the Honors College to double-check if specific dates are recommended for Honors. I donât think there were any limitations when we went four years ago. Hereâs what I recall:
The first day was at Colonial Life arena. The morning session(s) were attended by student and parent(s) together (not everyone had a parent there). Lunch and afternoon were separate events for students and parents. Canât say I really remember what we did. Students stayed in a dorm that night (stuff had been dropped off that morning) and had some type of social event. Some brave parents stayed on campus but I opted for a hotel.
Second day started at Colonial Life and again, I canât remember what was discussed. Then the Honors College students and parents split from the rest of the orientation group (I think Capstone did, too). We had a separate lunch with the HC Dean and some administrators, at which Iâd estimate there were 40-50 students, plus parents. Since each yearâs HC class is about 400, I have to think there is this type of Honors College breakout session at every orientation session; some are just likely more heavily attended than others. After lunch the HC students (without parents) met with an Honors advisor and picked classes, which went pretty quickly (I think all the other students were doing the same thing elsewhere on campus). I walked around campus until she finished up mid-afternoon.
Although I canât remember too many specifics, I do recall that it was a pleasant couple of days and I was glad to have been able to attend.
I am seeing a lot of Capstone with in state tuition and $500 and seeing some honors with the same or a little more. A little confused here. My daughter was turned down from the honors but received the offer from capstone but with in state plus $2000 a year. Was wondering if this was a norm for capstone? Thanks
@BigHerms if I am not mistaken the scholarships for capstone and honors both (minus top scholars) are based on a formula using test score and GPA. Your daughter has same offer as mine so not sure what distinguishes honors, maybe the essay, EC or something else? Who knows. I think Capstone is pretty much like honors, with different housing and no early registration. That is what is looks like to me. I think the scholarships are effective in drawing in top students. For anyone else on here who wanted to know the answer to my prior question about orientation, the honors college registration is done the same time as regular student orientation. I emailed the honors registration contact and she said that students register for orientation when it is convenient for them, and on the second day of orientation they will meet for the honors college for 1/2 a day. Prior to that, a phone appointment is made for scheduling classes. She said weâd be contacted in a few weeks for that appointment. Also, just FYI, your student (or you, if you are the student) need to take an online math placement test and language test about 3 days prior to the phone meeting.
CarolinaGirl3234: I really appreciate you taking the time to tell us about your experience. Unfortunately, my son did not get into Honors but got into the Capstone Scholars program. Everything you say about Honors is why he was excited. Now we are not sure if the Capstone program will be âalmostâ as good as the Honors program. Any insight? Thanks! Don '98
StrGzrMaryland: My son didnât get into Honors (and he fell in love with it!) and I really appreciate your comments. He loves the school; has for years; I did my grad degree there; and now he has been accepted in the Capstone Program. Does your son find the classes challenging? grad students/professors care about kids? is he going to try to transfer in? Thanks! From PA
Jimmym: did you son get into Capstone? Mine did. Is it a good program?
For anyone familiar with the HC, are there many honors courses available in engineering? what size do those classes tend to be? what has been your experience balancing the HC requirements with an engineering major?
Hi @lookingahead2023, you can use this link to find the honors engineering classes being offered in the fall: https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/honors_college/internal/courses_requirements/courses/index.php?term=201908&dept=Engineering&cat=all&honorsreq=all&corereq=all
thanks @grimss !
@KapNC1505 - Yes he is in Capstone and we went to accepted students day this past weekend and were greatly impressed with Capstone.
Does anyone know if the honors college accepts AP credit for honors requirements or not?
I am pretty sure that my D got credit for an Honors English class and for math (not sure if it was from Calc or Stats) via AP credit. Maybe a History class as well? Otherwise her APs allowed her to start out in higher level classes (not necessarily Honors), e.g., she didnât have to take Intro Micro or Macro but moved right into intermediate Econ classes.
Your kidâs advisor should be able to look at each AP class and steer your student to how best to apply them.
Except for the Senior Thesis, my D had her Honors credits completed 1st semester senior year, and I donât recall her having any trouble fitting everything in (and that is with a double major, a minor, and a concentrationâcluster of 4 or 5 related courses).
Your student will have an Honors advisor plus an advisor in his/her academic program, so there is plenty of oversight to allow flexibility but ensure everything gets taken in time.
My S has been admitted to USC HC, but has been admitted as well to Emory and WashU, wait listed at UCLA and Vandy. I know weâll save lots of money if he goes to USC HC, but at the same time it seems that he will get an incredible education and opportunity to network with students at Emory and WashU. We are fortunate enough to have the means to send him to Law School as this is his goal. He is still looking into UC Santa Barabara, UCSD, UC Davis and UC Irvine as he got into these 4 UCâs, in addition to HC at Baylor and Pepperdine. He was afraid he was not going to get admitted to any school that is the reason why he applied to so many colleges. I found out that USC HC was a great place to be as it is considered one of the top in the nation among public schools. he is traveling to visit Emory in a couple of days as they sent him the airline tickets, same with WashU, weâll go there in a couple of weeks. He is hoping to get admitted to UCLA, but being wait listed doesnât guarantee anything. Any comments that may help him decide where to go.
Well mine had a hard enough time deciding between four; his decision is certainly daunting. I would hesitate to have him attend anywhere he has not visited. Honestly all those choices will provide him âan incredible education and opportunity to network with studentsâ as he will get out of it what he puts in. What is his undergrad major? He can go to law school from any of these schools. Is there a region of the US that he prefers? Perhaps starting with a list of pros and cons with each school will help. My D had all really great options too, but ultimately what it came down to for her was her gut. She just loved USC during the the honors college visit and the idea of smaller, intimate experience at the honors college was appealing. He will probably have a better grasp after he does some visits.
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