I got into this program and don’t know much about it. Can anyone fill me in on pros and cons of the Honors College? Thanks!
Our son’s greatest TU experience comes from participating as a honors student, living in honors housing, and associating with like minded students.
I didn’t know much of honors program. My son got in to Tulane Honors program and I found this url:http://honors.tulane.edu/
It has necessary info. I am sure by now you also know about it.
Looking at the website, it seems that the school require honors students to have 3.8 GPA. That is like 4As and 1 B. It seems that there will be too much pressure to maintain the average unless there is grade inflation at Tulane. Any comments?
@GammaDelta What I remember reading said they can have a 3.6 as a freshman and sophomore but have to pull it up to a 3.8 by junior year to remain in the program. I agree that sounds awfully high, but some people must manage to do it…right? I think that it’s probably doable provided the student remains as dedicated to their studies as they have been in HS. Not easy at such a fun school. Hopefully being in the Wall honors dorm helps keep them a little more focused.
Anyone know if Honors gives priority registration for classes?
@dadinga The invite to the admitted honors student weekends events in March said they pick their classes with a counselor during that weekend(assuming you have already decided to go there I guess). I’m not sure about the rest of the time. I’m really hopIng that getting classes at Tulane is not the big hassle it is at public schools.
My daughter is sophomore in the honors program. Whenever she has needed a class with a full section, she has always been able to email the professor or the dean and get into the class she needs. She has found Tulane to be really responsive to the students needs.
Honors students are able to register for classes during the honors weekend regardless of whether they have enrolled or not. It is a nice perk. In future semesters, registration is done by the number of credits a student already has, I think, including AP credits, Tulane credits and even dual enrollment credit. The early am sections usually have more openings than the later sections of a particular class, but when my daughter has had a class conflict, she has been able to take “full” class without much trouble. It is a nice benefit of a mid -sized private university.
My son was just admitted EA and is not in the honors program. If your student is not in the honors program, I wouldn’t worry about it at all. The students really don’t make any sort of distinction between honors and not in honors. Most of the students at Tulane are really high caliber. Plus the freshman TIDES classes that are not honors are probably more interesting and definitely more fun than the honors TIDES.
@X22011 That’s great info! Would you say that the honors dorms are much different than the other dorms in terms of kids being able to sleep and to study? My only real reservation with Tulane at this point is that it sounds like it can be a little too “fun”. It’s my son’s first choice though.
The honors dorm is quieter, I think, just because it is suite style and smaller. The largest freshman dorm, Monroe, is louder, but all the dorms have quiet hours and quiet study lounges. Also, it is common to see Tulane students studying outside, since the weather in New Orleans is often really nice, but also in the LBC/student union, library and even Audubon Park. The kids seem to end up being partial to whichever dorm they live in. All the dorms have minor advantages and disadvantages. My daughter thinks my son should request Monroe.
Tulane is a lot of fun and there is literally always something happening on campus and obviously in New Orleans. But, the kids for the most part seem to really be serous students. I have been impressed with my daughters Tulane friend group and their activities. They seem to balance academics, community service and fun well. It is an ambitious and interesting group. We visit often and end up taking several of them out to eat. We feel very fortunate that we will have two kids attending Tulane.
@X22011 Two kids there, that’s really awesome! Thank you for all the insight. I can’t wait to go visit in March.
@EDHDAD I agree with you that some students manage to have 3.8. If they have 3.6 in Freshman and Sophomore, to get up to 3.8 after that, the students almost have to have A’s in all courses. I just worry that are the honors students put into high pressure. Curious how many percentage of honors students finish as honors student. Sorry to be a pest about this topic.
@GammaDelta I’m sure you are right that a lot of people don’t finish as honor students.
My son is pre-med so I don’t really care about him finishing with a 3.8 to graduate in the honors program as much as I want him to finish with at least a 3.6 so he has a GPA that is competitve for med school. Also, you don’t have to stay in honors to keep the scholarship so that’s good.
My daughter, who was accepted to the Honors Program, was also confused by the 3.8 GPA requirement.
Her siblings worked very hard and excelled at top twenty universities.
None of the three had a 3.8 or above (STEM).
So …grade inflation maybe? Otherwise it’s very odd.
This is probably a big generalization, but the larger freshman and sophomore classes like chemistry 1, cell biology and then organic chemistry tend to be really difficult classes that have maybe 150-200 students. By the time you are a junior or senior in a particular major, the classes can be really small. 10-15 students. I would not say the classes are easy, but they tend to be something the student is more interested in taking and is more proficient in taking. If you are not that great in chemistry, but still get a B you should be fine as a premed for many medical schools. For example, if you are more a humanities person and major in history, you might find it easy to get all A’s in small history classes and have a very good gpa.
Let’s suppose someone has 3.6 up to sophomore year. What is the chance to get up to 3.8 in junior year?
((3.660)+(4.030))/90=3.73 ; Impossible! Even if he/she gets all A’s in 30 credits.
What is the chance in senior year?
((3.660)+(4.060))/120=3.8 Possible but has to get all A’s in all of Junior and Senior year!
Extreme pressure!!!
@GammaDelta I have not found any data relating to the number of kids who graduate with their honors designation intact. If it’s just the top few percent of the graduating class then that says to me it’s truly worth something. If most students could do it then that devalues it somewhat don’t you think?
Agreed. It is doable. You have to get 4 A’s and 1B every semester for 4 years. Students do graduate as magna cum laude etc. I questioned this because I think Tulane put the bar too high. Do the students lose scholarship if they fall below 3.8?
@GammaDelta You only need to keep a 2.7 GPA to keep your merit scholarship money.
@EDHDAD Thank you for the info.