DD, pre-business from PA, thrilled to receive acceptance to Calhoun and now weighing a couple of opportunities, most of other schools are in the 6-8k range, so bit smaller than clemson. One of the mid size schools honors seems to be primarily focused on research while Calhoun seems to offer additional ambassador and leadership opportunities. We imagine that Calhoun helps make a larger school with tons of school spirit and facilities smaller. We visited last spring but unfortunately had limited focus on Calhoun. 2 categories of Qs
- Academics. Anyone with experience with honors program for business students can share some insight about classes, career development, advising, alumni network?
- Social/leadership opportunities. How about social acclimation with campus if living in honors community? DD is potentially interested in exploring sorority, club field hockey, business clubs. Do most who live in honors tend to primarily socialize with honors students? What % of honors students live in community and for how many years?
Thx
- The way that the honors academics works is that students are required to take at least one honors course (any subject) per semester. This can be an honors section of a regular class, an honors seminar, or the student petitions for an honors contract in the case there isn't an honors section. There isn't an "honors program for business" per-se. The honors classes are smaller (although most classes at Clemson are pretty small anyway) and tend to be different in nature (like more discussion or projects for example). As for Career development etc there are a few lectures, an Honors pre-law group for example, but the bulk of all that will be done through the business school itself and the Career center. They have honors advisors that help as well.
- The honors community is whatever you student wants to make of it socially. There are social events held within the honors college that are totally optional. Some kids make it there primary group on campus others don't. I dont know the percentage, but there are about 400 who live in the honors dorms and many honors students who choose to live elsewhere. Most are freshman and some sophomores. The dorm is suite style, which can be less social since it's more like an apartment, students have to make more of an effort to meet hallmates etc.
Hope that helps! Congrats to your student!!!
I have a freshman mathematics major in the Calhoun Honors College and while I can’t provide much info on your first question, I can speak to the second question, piggybacking on to Baxter126’s answers.
My son is OOS as well and knew no one going to Clemson; the big attractions of the CHC were the availability/variety of Honors classes, priority access to class registration (this has turned out to be more important than we realized now that he’s been through one registration period) and lots of opportunity/funds for travel. It was also a ready-made community that welcomed him. He went through the Housing match program to find his roommate; they are in Core Honors housing. They like each other well enough to room together next year, but will move to Stadium Suites “because Core is mostly freshmen and we want to be with other upperclassmen,” my son says. They did not have suitemates in Core first semester, but do now (and they’ve all had some adjustments). He likes the food in Core; he and his roommate have dined a couple of times with Prof. Lasser, the CHC ED, when Prof. Lasser happened to go through the food line at the same time they did.
My son has taken advantage of some of the overall Honors program activities and likes living in the Honors community, but was very interested in pledging a fraternity, and did so in the fall. He has since become very involved in intramurals, both as a player and as manager of his his fraternity’s IM teams. His fraternity has some CHC upperclass members who’ve been generous with course help when he’s asked for it. And, for what it’s worth, he met his fellow CHCer girlfriend late last semester (after showing little interest in dating in high school). She’s a freshman biochem major and pledged a sorority this spring. He has indicated that other CHC students he’s met find a lot of ways to stay busy, both within the Honors program and through other areas that capture their interests, whether those interests center around sports, clubs within a major, Greek life or charitable activities.
If you have a chance to visit Clemson again before making a decision, I highly recommend scheduling some time to meet with CHC representatives. Our visit with them during Admitted Students weekend last spring helped cement my son’s decision to come to Clemson and join the CHC community. His experience has been positive and we are encouraged that he wants to continue it.