<p>We'd be interested in learning more about what honors colleges are like, and what are some of the better ones to consider. At first glance, they seem to offer the best of both worlds: big and small. It's kind of like picking up Williams College and just dropping it in the middle of University of Michigan...right? So you get all the individual attention and close relationships of the LAC and all the offerings of a major university....</p>
<p>I have a feeling it's not that simple. There's probably a lot of disadvantages that we aren't aware of.</p>
<p>So share your knowledge on this subject. And while you're at it feel free to add any comments on some of the good ones and not-so-good ones that you know of.</p>
<p>You're right on target, it's not that simple. While many public universities have "honors colleges" that they market as "like getting an Ivy League education, with small faculty/student ratio, only smart kids in your classes, while paying a fraction of the price". While honors college kids take honors classes with only other honors college students, they still take a good portion of their courses with the "rest" of the students at the university. Also, you can't expect the honors college at the Oklahoma State to come even close to providing you the same experience that you would get surrounded by your peers at a top 20 university/LAC as far as being in a class with incredibly smart kids. I love it when people kid themselves and act like the honors college at X Public University is the same as going to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.</p>
<p>Albeit, both of your generic example, U of M, and Williams, are top schools. When I talk about honors colleges being a farce, I am referring to public universities that aren't Berkeley, UVa, U of M, UNC, UCLA, etc.</p>
<p>Honors colleges are often oversold, the glossy pamphlets giving the impression a small LAC has been set up inside a larger university. Honors colleges do offer some very valuable perks and let you meet some of the top students at your college. But when you're thinking of honors colleges the pitch is often that you're getting an elite private education at the public school price. Regrettably this isn't really the case.</p>
<p>Depending on the U's program, what they offer may range from taking separate honors classes to taking just one honors seminar per semester. Some of the honors offerings may just be a special discussion section of the regular class (at many U's classes can have 100-500 students, then everyone meets once a week in a smaller group with a TA). You really need to dig in to find what a particular school offers. And keep in mind honors college programs typically offer the small classes and top profs the brochures promise during the 1st two years of college, because it doesn't take that many classes to come up with a set that will meet the lower-division requirements for most majors.</p>
<p>It is rare to find more than a token amount of offerings upper-division since the honors program simply doesn't have enough faculty members to duplicate an entire major or set of majors. So the last two years most/all classes are taken with the rest of the students in the regular U's classes. The teaching of the profs will be geared towards that level, the discussions and student involvement in class will be dominated by the regular students, and so on. And class sizes may balloon, too, if you're in a larger public U and a popular major. Peer effects are big, too; when almost everyone around you at school is a strong student you have lots of good examples of how hard to work, of extras like doing research or internships to get a leg up for post-college. If the top kids are a few hundred strong dispersed among tens of thousands at the U then good examples may be harder to see. When it comes to finding a job, employers are less likely to send recruiters to campus with a limited number of honors college seniors compared to the campus-full they'll find at more highly regarded schools.</p>
<p>Honors colleges do offer some valuable perks in addition to the classes. Typical ones include registering for classes before everyone else so you get the classes you want (a perk worth its weight in gold!), special counselors, guaranteed housing, special library privileges. They will stamp your diploma with some indication of honors college or make a note on your transcript. But I would be skeptical of attending a college for its honors program in place of a more highly regarded U if finances are not an issue.</p>
<p>Thanks for both of the responses above. I appreciate your taking the time to share your knowledge on this subject. And, of course, it all makes sense. But that leads to a question: Is there any great honors college that we should look into?</p>
<p>Hi bird rock,</p>
<p>I saw a couple of your other posts besides the interest in honors programs (high PSAT, interest in film) and I have a suggestion:</p>
<p>University of Southern California
-excellent film program, with classes available to non-majors as well as several minors available to all majors
-1/2 tuition scholarship to accepted NMFs who name USC as their first-choice
-Wonderful honors program (Thematic Option honors program)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I would say if you're looking for some type of "gem" at a big state university, don't look at the honors college but at specific programs that school has that are well-regarded (e.g. sometimes a big third tier state school might have one of the best art programs, or the best mining engineering program, in the country). </p>
<p>Some honors colleges are very good like Penn State's, but generally don't go to a university only because of the HC (but do join the HC if you go, they usually give you first choice at classes)</p>
<p>i agree about looking at specific programs. for example, the philosophy department at rutgers is consistently ranked as one of the top 5 programs. it might have even been #1 a few years ago.</p>
<p>University of Texas Plan II is possibly the strongest Honors College but admission is extremely competitive.</p>