<p>S received a letter yesterday inviting him to apply to the University Honors program. I did a search and saw that several of you have experience with this program (either are students in it or have kids that are in it). If you could share what you feel are the pros and cons we would really appreciate it. </p>
<p>My son knows of one student from his hs that dropped out of it after the first year because he didn't really see the benefits and another who feels like it was a great thing to do. S will be going into the architecture school (with landscape arch as his designated major) and he is wondering if having to keep a 3.5 will be a bit too much in that hard subject area. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Well, yes, keeping a 3.5 gpa is going to be hard, that's what Honors is all about. That's why not too many will graduate with Honors. It's hard to do. S is on probation for Spring semester since he got a 3.47 (all As and 2 b-). But any semester you make a 3.5 you can apply for Honors. Any semester that you drop below 3.5, but still above 3.2, you are on probation. If you don't bring it back up the following semester, you are out. But you can still get back in.....</p>
<p>The benefits seem small, other than graduating with Honors, but you do get preference in signing up for classes, a major perk when you consider that some courses fill up within hours, if not days. Also, lots of academic and counseling help available, cushy dorms just for Honors students if you want (ac), the Course of Study Planner which helps you make the most of your time at VT. </p>
<p>Cons? It's hard to maintain great grades in classes you are having to take to fulfill requiremts. It's hard to maintain great grades, period! But you only have to take 1 Honors course a year. And you can make that course one that you would already be taking by asking professor. The pros outweigh the cons.</p>
<p>Last year, my D applied for honors and then got invited into honors housing (It's a two-stage process and a relatively small number get invited). It was that latter opportunity that was particularly attractive to her. The two honors dorms form a great community within the larger university (and come with a small housing stipend) and I'd have been thrilled if she had decided to go there. She decided to go to W&M, but her best friend--one of the most talented young ladies I know--did enter an honors dorm. She had problems keeping up her GPA and will probably be kicked out of the program.</p>
<p>That said, the aforementioned benefits of honors, which are slight unless the housing community is involved, clearly outweigh the pressure to maintain grades...maybe being in honors would even be an incentive to do so!</p>