What does an Honors Class mean?

Applying to College
1

I know that honors classes give you and extra point on GPA, but what about “honors” classes that colleges don’t count? At my school, certain classes such as Chemistry, English, Anatomy…etc. are not "Approved"as honors classes. However, these classes are still harder than the regular classes ((especially Chemistry - it’s taught by the AP Chem teacher ughh!)) . So then when colleges count your GPA, getting a B in one of these unofficial honors classes counts as a 3 not a 4. These classes were designed for a faster pace, but I’m assuming an A in the regular class is better? So I guess my question is : Do colleges take into consideration honors classes within the school, but not approved?? Thank you.

2

I would ask for a copy of your transcript to see if the course is named anything different than the regular class. If it’s not, I would take the regular class. But if it’s named something like, “Advanced Chemistry” I would take that. Is there any reason you aren’t taking AP?

3

The decision to take or not take honors classes should depend largely on the rigor of curriculum you can manage and what type of college you hope to attend. I have a couple of comments…

  1. Does the class show up as an honors class anywhere on your transcript (course level, etc.) even if it is not weighted as an honors class? If it does, that will be noted by college admissions officers. Along with each transcript colleges are sent a HS profile which among other things details the different levels of classes available to students.

  2. If you are aiming toward top tier colleges they will want to see that the guidance counselor has checked that you have taken the most rigorous schedule available at your HS in his/her college recommendation. You should talk to your guidance counselor to see if taking or not taking these class will impact his/her willingness to check off that box.

4

On the transcript, it says “Chemistry H” and “Algebra2/Trig H”… (Btw I’m not taking AP chemistry because my school requires a year of regular or “honors” chemistry before AP). But I REALLY REALLY want to go to a UC school, and UCs do not count the “H” for an extra point…

So you are saying that college admissions account for this difference in difficulty? So if my transcript shows I got B’s in two “H” classes and my GPA is lower than it would have been with the regular classes, I’m okay??