USC Honors vs. UGA Honors?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of South Carolina
1

My son is running out of time to decide between these 2 honors programs.
He wasn’t able to visit USC because of Covid so we have no clue.

He thinks he wants to study engineering (biomedical vs. mechanical), but he’s not even sure about that.
Does anyone have a bias of one over the other?
UGA would be about 10k more/year than USC.
Thank you in advance.
dtenhulzen@gmail.com

2

Honors program at USC is supposed to be one of the best in the country. Have you done any of the virtual tours at USC? My son is going but not for engineering and not Honors but if you have any other questions, the parents page 2024 on FB has some great information and many in the same boat. Or you can private messege me for info

3

Both are great options, but unaware of engineering programs at these schools.

P.S. What part of the US are you in ?

1 Like
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we live in Jacksonville, Florida.
Yes, we have done the virtual tours, and I just joined the 2024 FB page.

Yes, USC honors college is one of the top in the country (especially for business). I was not aware until recently that USC has an honors college (vs. UGA’s is an honors program). Not sure how much that really matters.
THANK YOU @jgwolf and @Publisher

5

@dtenhulzen

I just pulled this off the FB page from a virtual call in case you didnt have it
Notes fro the virtual Honors call from a moderator

Orientation registration opens 5/18. Dates will be based on major.

Honors students are not required to live in the honors dorms. But it is highly recommended. There are activities in the building but if your student doesn’t live there, they can still go over and participate. Like “bedtime stories” including milk and cookies.
There is Honors Housing for all levels. Freshman dorms, upperclassmen living, and seniors can live on the Horseshoe.

  • The HC has been one of the top ranked honors colleges since 2012.
  • Students typically take 45 credit hours from HC. And there are over 600 courses available.
  • 16 - 18 students per class, on average.
  • Honors versions of core classes plus classes specific to major.
  • Also “fun” versions of core classes ... one mentioned was for English and is a Literacy of Hauntings. It would count towards both the English credit all students must take plus the Honors credit hours.
  • Required to take “Beyond the classroom” class(es). This includes Internships, Study Abroad, service learning courses, and undergrad research

Required GPA to stay in HC

  • 1st semester 3.0
  • you have to show progression with taking classes and keeping GPA at required levels
  • 3.3 to graduate with Honors
  • average GPA is 3.7 - 3.8

Honors scholarships are no longer available but can apply for them each semester.

Honors students get an Honors Advisor plus an Undergrad Advisor. HC students will register before non-HC students. And I hope I heard this part right - after 5/1, the HC students will get a phone call from Honors Advisor regarding registration.

6

Both are excellent options. UGA Honors has a more competitive student body and a higher standard to graduate with honors. If your student is interested in prestigious industries like IB or consulting, UGA Honors has a distinct advantage there. If you don’t care about either of those things, go with fit.

7

@dtenhulzen: Even though UGA has an “honors program” rather than an “honors college”, it is among the best in the nation. Very selective.

Since you reside in the South, there is no need to detail the setting of each school.

Saving $10,000 per year might be a reasonable ground to select one over the other as your son is undecided regarding major & second wave of the novel coronavirus might result in remote learning for a semester or two.

No wrong choice, however.

8

My DS has toured both in person and we were not impressed with UGA. The honors program person was uninspiring and the engineering program is basically a work in progress. Some day they will likely have an excellent engineering school but not yet. I know overall UGA is supposed to be the superior school but it just didn’t come across that way. It really seemed like they didn’t care if you came or not. The USC engineering school was nice and feels much more established than UGA. And as the USC professor we met with said, you are going to get a job when you graduate. My DS will be going to USC. It was just a better fit for him.

9

Our daughter is a sophmore in the Honors College at South Carolina, and loves the school. We have been very impressed by the university, the Honors program, and the way in which the administration communicates with parents. The campus is beautiful and the perks for the honors students are considerable. We live in Jacksonville, too, so if your son wants to talk to my daughter and get some insights, I’m sure she’d be happy to do so. You can shoot me an email at grimss@comcast.net if you want to set that up. Good luck with your decision!

10

Our son is finishing his 2nd year at UGA and is part of the Honors Program. I’m not sure how it is at SC but at UGA you get some nice perks attached as you have the option of living in the honors dorms freshman year (my son didn’t), and he gets to register and pick classes ahead of all the other students…also gets a dedicated honors advisor. As others have mentioned, UGA is more competitive overall but it comes down to fit. He also absolutely loves Athens…

11

Actually, Carolina has the #1 International Business Program.

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@lastone03 IB here means investment banking, not international business.

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Gotcha. Thx.

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UGA Honors is super competitive to get into, but agree that their Engineering Program is not well established yet.

UGA is its own city, moving students around in huge city-sized buses. A great college town, though. Lots of school spirit.

I have never visited USC, but their Honors College reputation Is well deserved.

I would focus on the likely majors, and compare the curriculums, professors, areas of concentrations. And take advantage of the offers here to speak with actual students.