<p>I'm a high school senior, so I've been working on my college apps recently. I am applying to the Clark Honors College at UO, and I've heard some good things about it. It probably isn't my first choice school, but I don't think I'd mind going there either. Anyway, I was wondering, in terms of ranking, where would the CHC stand? What are some schools that it would be similarly comparable to (I'm referring specifically to the Honors College, NOT the University of Oregon as a whole)? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I’m a freshman in the honors college this year. Naturally, I too was looking at all of the prestigious schools. I ended up picking the honors college because the financial burdens that would be associated with top tiered private universities was too great. </p>
<p>That being said, the quality of my education so far has been fantastical. It’s a great university with amazing professors and peers. I cannot arbitrarily assign a ranking to the college, and frankly, it doesn’t matter. Future employers and graduate schools will see that you made the pragmatic decision to not subject yourself to hundreds of thousands of dollars to go into debt solely to be able to brag about the prestige of your alma mater. The quality of your education at any university will be decided by you, not what university you are at. You can take just as challenging courses at UO as you could at any other university. The Clark Honors College certainly doesn’t come with the “Harvard” prestige, but those who care about that don’t matter, and those who matter don’t care. Employers and graduate schools matter, and they won’t care where you went so long as you took challenging courses and did well in them.</p>
<p>EDIT: If I had to give it a ranking, based off of what some of my friends have said who have gone to these universities, I would rank the Clark Honors College among the middle-tiered University of Californias, such as Irvine, Davis, etc.</p>
<p>Clark is a top-notch school and gives students the best of both worlds – an excellent liberal arts education with top professors, small classes and highly motivated students all within a great, spirited, traditional university environment. Within the state of Oregon it is highly prestigious, so if you are in-state and planning to live there as a professional it will serve you very, very well. It is less known and appreciated outside the state of Oregon, but the education will still prepare you for success wherever you go.</p>
<p>I have a daughter at Clark Honors College and a son at a top-tanked liberal arts college (Amherst). My daughter is getting an education in every way as good as my son is getting at Amherst, and in some ways better because of the broader opportunities that come from a large university.</p>
<p>She had better grades and test scores than my son when applying, but she chose CHC for a number of reasons (not so much financial ones). One was the opportunity to do multiple minors, plus a couple specific departments at UO that attracted her.</p>
<p>She’s graduating in June and choosing CHC at UO has turned out to be an excellent choice. Ranking it? That’s pretty hard – or impossible – to do. I’m not sure what students think a school’s ranking does for them. The high ranking of my son’s school isn’t likely to give him a boost in life, although he’s loved being there.</p>
<p>There is a big draw for students and parents to brand name schools – and that’s okay, it’s true in most other areas of consumerism so why would it be different for colleges? However, if you end up going to CHC or somewhere else, you’ll get as much out as you put in – wherever you go. And that’s the real truth.</p>
<p>What you do after that will depend on you and not on the college.</p>
<p>I think you underestimate the superior quality of an education in a small seminar setting of 12-20 students. Plus have you seen the UO campus? It is incredibly beautiful. UO is a far better choice than the UC system in California, since the class size is much smaller and there is more personal attention and interaction with your professors. Plus UO is not dependent on state funding, as the UC’s are, and times are tough in CA. The Clark Honors College is a very selective and competitive program, and if you are lucky enough to be accepted you should definitely attend and feel very proud, and of course, make the most of your time there.</p>