<p>Hi all. My nephew is looking at colleges and I am trying to understand what options are out there that were not hot when I went to college. I hear a lot of good things about honors colleges. What should we look for? Which ones are the best? Thanks for any insight!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What specific benefits are gained by being in the honors college? You should especially see if you can get some benefits as to pre-registration and honors dorms.</p></li>
<li><p>What is the GPA requirement to stay in the college?</p></li>
<li><p>What does the honors college require as to courses?</p></li>
<li><p>Which year can you get into the honors college for your prospective major? Some schools don't allow people to enter the honors college until their third year ( example: RIT only allows for late entry for BFA candidates,but allows other candidates to enter in their freshmen year).</p></li>
<li><p>What are the admissions requirements for entry?</p></li>
<li><p>What additional scholarship money is available if you enter the honors college? Some universities will grant additional scholarship money if you are an honors college student.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for the great questions, tax guy! In terms of the physical place (i.e., the honors college residences or communities on the campuses), what should we look for that set the honors college experience apart from just attending a school?</p>
<p>Also check for honors seminars, and special (i.e, small) honors sections of intro courses that are otherwise taught in big lectures.</p>
<p>Most mid- to large-size universities have honors programs. To speculate which is "best" would be hard.</p>
<p>In practice, honors programs tend to draw high-quality students to colleges that they would classify as safeties and reject in favor of a higher-ranked school.</p>
<p>In answer to your question about housing, the main benefit of honors dorms is to have a peer group of more serious students. Not to say there won't be partiers, but on average they will be much more academicly inclined. My son's honors dorm has quite a few small study groups that the students set up early in the year (with the encouragement of the honors program advisors). Lots of other engineering students living in his dorm, so it keeps him more focused.</p>
<p>I always like to start these things with "this is just the opinion of a parent who is, like you ,gathering information and not pretending to be an expert". LOL. Maybe it will keep me from getting flamed someday.I'd look for Honor's Colleges instead of Honor's Programs.The differences appear to be quite stark in some instances.Honor's Colleges at medium size to large public universities appear to have most ,if not all, of the following:</p>
<p>designated housing</p>
<p>separate building for classrooms</p>
<p>separate dean</p>
<p>specific academic requirements different from regular undergrad</p>
<p>specific service requirements to the school/community</p>
<p>surprisingly higher admissions standards (Barksdale at Ole Miss is 1300+/3.8 or so mean)</p>
<p>seminar type inter-disciplinary classes</p>
<p>special advisement</p>
<p>special perks-(registering for classes,etc)</p>
<p>special access to study areas, computer labs ( 24 hour and/or Honor's only) </p>
<p>specific scholarships,stipends,grants available for research, semester or year abroad</p>
<p>My personal opinion is that if a student has the stats required to attend a top 30-50 Uni, or a top 30-50 LAC AND they have a strong desire for the social life, regional prestige, diverse course offerings a flagship state university can offer,then these Honor's Colleges should be considered. My personal hero has one such school on her list, and asked me the other day,"Dad,what if I get to the end of this and my safety (financial safety, stat match/safety, out of state medium sized flagship uni with thriving HC) is my number one school?" They do have their appeal, don't they?</p>
<p>I am aware of Honor's Colleges at several southern flagships that appear to be particularly well run and well endowed. The University of Mississippi, the University of Arkansas, and the University of South Carolina. As far as Honor's Programs ,Plan 2 at the University of Texas is considered by many to be as fine an education as can be achieved anywhere. The conundrum may only be solved after looking at the offers from D's Honor College choice, and her LAC choices as ,without scholarships, the out-of-state state school may be more costly than some top LAC's that award merit aid. Then again ,that will probably only make it a more difficult choice. Great. Just what we needed.</p>
<p>another southern school to consider is Georgia....in addition to the usual stuff merit aid often available. Many of the honor students are offered in-state tuition.....about 6-7000/yr.</p>
<p>Don't use the general rankings.Some schools are stronger than others for special majors ( for example, Carnegie Mellon is particularly strong in computer science and robotics).</p>
<p>Also, each school has a different feel to it. You really need to visit the schools and take a tour and speck to students who are in the department(s) of your interests.</p>
<p>Honors colleges 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. Sadly, this isn't true. </p>
<p>No honors college that I know of is an honors college in the truest sense; having its own faculty and giving its own degrees. Typically offerings cover your 1st 2 years, and range from one class per semester to all your classes. These are indeed in the honors college with the hand-picked profs and bright fellow students. Note the choice of majors is often limited in honors colleges, with the regular U it sits in (and elite colleges) offering more.</p>
<p>After the first 2 years you complete your degree by taking upper-division classes with the regular students in the regular university. Often there are supplementary honors classes available, but in the end the majority of the classes you take upper-division are the same ones everyone else takes. And class sizes may balloon, too, if your in a larger public U and a popular major. At the elites, of course, you continue in smaller classes with the same bright students around you that were there the 1st 2 years. </p>
<p>Barksdale at Ole Miss, mentioned by curmudgeon, is a fairly standard example. They write "The honors curriculum includes required freshman and sophomore seminars, a research project (usually begun in the junior year), and a senior thesis. The remaining honors hours come from taking honors sections of departmental courses." </p>
<p>Although curmudgeon lists as typical "separate buildings for classrooms" I am not aware of any schools that advertise such separation; from what I know, you are in the same buildings everyone else uses. Maybe curmudgeon can educate me and give a few web links.</p>
<p>One other thing worth checking into since it hasn't been mentioned is what additional work is required for the honors designation. Of course the work is part of the education, but it typically includes a thesis and honors sections of classes that will assign more work than the regular students do for the same class.</p>
<p>Honors colleges DO offer some valuable perks for those who can't attend a true elite for whatever reason. 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. </p>
<p>But if you think its just like going to Williams or Dartmouth or whatever at 1/5 the cost, it just 'aint so.</p>
<p>Dean Douglas Sullivan-Gonzales, Dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honor's College of Ole Miss showed D and I around the campus and the honor's facilities. The Honor's College has a separate honors college building. D has seen classrooms with seminar type seating in the Honor's College building with students using the classroom. I didn't walk with them but she and he sat in on a class for a short time. The Dean made a special point of pointing out to her that there were only 15 (12?17?) available seats. Told her that there was nowhere to hide at Barksdale.LOL. I saw a classroom that was not occupied within the honor's building.There is a small computer lab, with 24 hr. student access, a lounge with sofas and TV in the Honor's building ,along with a small kitchenette, the Dean's office, an administrative assistants office, and I believe an area occupied by a Barksdale specific adcom, that I have talked to on the phone (but my eyes did not see that). Barksdale is very small, maybe 50 students a year.The facility appeared to be adequate to meet the need. On the Barksdale website ,there is a photo of the Honor's Building itself. Just google it as I am a computer illiterate and would have to wait for D to get home to post a link. Also please look at the Arkansas website. Their HC also has some separate facilities not to mention ridiculously attractive aid, and study abroad options.A $200,000,000 Walton donation specifically earmarked for the HC will do that.</p>
<p>As to your other points, I did not try to say that the education received at a state university, Honor's College or not, matched up with Williams. Williams is D's dream LAC. There could be several factors that may not allow her to attend Williams, the largest of which is being admitted in the first place. I would say however that when you drop to LAC's in the 30-50 range the horserace tightens up a bit.</p>
<p>O.K. I had a spare moment and googled it myself. At Barksdale the requirements are ( and there may be more) 29 hours of Honors. This next winter session two classes (not the freshman seminar) are being offered at the SMBHC building: a class on Donne, English 480 in Rm.209 with Raber,and a religion course (probably comp) by Thurlkill in Rm. 108 SMBHC. Another HC only class Eng.395 is being offered in an off-campus classroom-in Venice. All HC student's are required to take a freshman multdisciplinary seminar, and a 6 hour senior thesis with defense, and a required preceptorship. Other than the courses above "The remaining hours are on a menu-plan: students choose honors sections of regular courses or enroll in upper-level colloquia which are designated as honors courses." It appears that honors students use their Freshman seminar to cover a variety of course requirements, from English comp to "humanities". Hope this helps.</p>
<p>BTW I have now misspelled the Barksdale Dean's first name. It is Douglass.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who is completing her sophomore year at the University of Mississippi in the Honors College. She graduated from high school via the path through the college prep/AP/Honors/Dual Credit program with 12 year average of 4.0.</p>
<p>In the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at Ole Miss, students are required to take many honors course taught at the Honors College facilities each semester. The classes are small (about 15 to a class) and students get a lot of individual attention. They are also required to do a set amount of community service each semester and and attend other lectures and events on campus. These honors student also travel to do research projects or special services each year. Study Abroad is also a part of the honors program.</p>
<p>The link below is to the honors college. Requirements, photo galleries of events, and much more can be found at this site which is maintained by the honors students.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.honors.olemiss.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.honors.olemiss.edu/</a></p>
<p>My daughter has had and is having a tremedous experience being a part of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honor College and is proud of the fact that the Honors College has been recognized by Reader's Digest as one of the top 3 in the nation. She has had the opportunity to travel to many places in the US and will be leaving in May for the Study Abroad Program in Osaka, Japan.</p>
<p>This Honors College is well worth checking into and/or visiting.</p>