<p>I applied to Virginia Tech early decision and the Honors application is appearing on my status page. Does this show up for everybody, or just for people who qualify for honors? I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to apply. My GPA is a 4.11 and my CR+M is a 1290.</p>
<p>Only apply if you are interested in participating in the Honors program. There are many that apply but only a subset are chosen. I think once you meet the eligibility requirements the decision is based upon your honors application essays plus extracurricular activities and any leadership positions. Son #1 was eligible but didn’t want to do the extra work for honors so he didn’t apply. Son #2 is in the honors program and honors dorm and loves most of it. There are, however, many extra honors activities so it’s quite a bit of extra work that’s only worth it if you really want to do it. You have to be in the honors program to get into the honors dorms. But, you can be in honors and stay in a different dorm.</p>
<p>I checked the honors program criteria on the VT website and it appears that you are not currently eligible based upon your SAT scores.</p>
<p>Entering freshmen are encouraged to apply to University Honors if they have a cumulative GPA of 3.80 (as reported on their high school transcript) and a minimum SAT score of 1350 (critical reading and mathematics) or a minimum ACT composite score of 30. Students who do not meet these criteria but feel an exception should be made are able to apply. We expect that the other components of the application (Extracurricular, Honors, Awards, Publications, etc.) will off-set the lower quantitative scores.</p>
<p>Thanks! My extracurriculars are pretty good and I have a lot of honor and awards, so I’ll think about applying. For now, I just want to get into the school:).</p>
<p>Just my two cents on honors…
I think it’s a great program with many good opportunities. These are spelled out on the website so I won’t do it here. As Chris states there are also requirements that go along with the honor, responsibilities if you will. For the right sub-set of students this can be a very rewarding and enriching program. This is not ‘honors in name only’ and it is not simply a matter of ‘harder classes’. The requirement to keep a gpa of 3.5 seems like nothing to hs students who are used to 4.3’s. College is much different. Honors is a wonderful distinction, but pursue it if you are drawn to the experience, not the accolade. This is the advise I’ve given both my kids.</p>
<p>My freshman son is in Honors (he’s an engineering major) and the honors dorm… from what I can tell so far everything we’ve experienced with it has been extremely positive. The honors dorm is fantastic (the Four Seasons of VT dorms, really) and the Honors college is awesome. Their office was incredibly helpful at orientation when he was having some issues getting a schedule that all worked with what he needed, and the honors classes he’s taking are smaller with outstanding professors. As for the GPA requirements, from a parent’s perspective, it’s quite nice to have someone else putting the pressure on him to make sure he makes his grades. ;)</p>
<p>It’s worth applying. It allows you to be considered for other scholarships too. That post will appear if you qualify.</p>