<p>hey. when i was looking at schools some of them talked about their honors program. I don't get it though why would you go in an honors program. Is there any advantages/Disadvantages? Are you isolated from the rest of the school and only see/hang out with honors kids? basically whats the ups and downs of an Honors Program. Thanks.</p>
<p>They generally isolate the honors school kids from the rest of us. I think ths school's afraid were going to corrupt them or maybe just show them what college really is. They get smaller classes with the more senior professors, dedicated advisors, and the kicker, a degree that for all real purposes is identical to the one everyone else gets. (They may use nicer paper when they print it, not really sure.)</p>
<p>636</p>
<p>Lulz.</p>
<p>What's the point of doing honors? Um. Perhaps someone desires more intensive study? Maybe they want to do a thesis (which is generally only allowed for undergrads in honors programs). Maybe they just want priority registration? Or prestige? Or the extra pretty sash at graduation?</p>
<p>No, you are NOT isolated from the rest of the school. Usually honors programs require a certain number of honors units for completion. This generally means that while some of your classes will be honors (which are really just like normal classes except with an extra paper or book or two), most of them will still be non-honors. There isn't like an honors dungeon that we get chained up in until graduation.</p>
<p>People in honors programs usually have more graduation requirements to fulfill, and generally take more intensive courses. (Of course, this depends on the school, program, etc.)</p>
<p>They're not isolated from everyone else. It's not like you can look at someone and go: "oh, s/he must be an honors student." In the general sense, at least.</p>
<p>It's like a consolation prize for the smart kids who didn't go to the top colleges.</p>
<p>So top colleges don't have honors programs?</p>
<p>It's not such a big deal. In my school, people get kicked out and admitted in on an annual basis. Like previous posters have said, it's for more intensive study.</p>
<p>My school has separate housing for the students in the honors program. There are honors sections of a few classes that offer discussion sessions with the professor, not TAs. Also, my school offers special seminars open only to honors students that cover a wide variety of interesting topics and are capped at 20 students. </p>
<p>That said, we're definitely not isolated. My honors high-rise is very close to non-honors dorm building (and the football stadium). Also, I'm only taking one honors seminar (and one 1-credit thing)...so almost all of my classtime will be in non-honors sections.</p>
<p>We have an honors housing building, I know UVA has one too. Being that along with "What's your major" the most common thing asked by freshmen is "Where do you live," the school has effectively isolated you from the rest of the student population. If you choose to not take the honors classes, whatever, but they're not open to everyone, so again, it is very easy to be isolated by classes as well. </p>
<p>636</p>
<p>The big deal about being in Honors at my school is that you get to register first. There are also extra scholarships, an honors dorm and a private lounge. You aren't required to take any honors classes, but you do have the option.</p>
<p>Where I go, there's an honors dorm, but you're not required to live there (nor is everyone in there in honors). There's a minimum number of honors credits you need each year, and the classes are much smaller - so you have more access to professors. We also get free printing, a computer room, and a private lounge. </p>
<p>Really though, I'm in it for the smaller classes.</p>
<p>Yeah. Small classes + priority registration = win.</p>
<p>I'm in my school's honors program for the smaller classes and priority registration (with the Grad students). I actually got my first college schedule a month before I'd even graduated high school. </p>
<p>We (engineering and science students with priority for honors students) also have two dorms with floors set aside for us and a shop built in the boy's dorm. Basically because I'm in the honors program, I'm in the nicest dorm at my school with only one roommate (the dorm's built to have three to a room) so we have three large closets and a ton of storage area, are pretty much within five minutes of all of our classes (and food), and got lucky with a corner room that's slightly larger than the others and has three windows (so no arguing over who gets the bed by the window).</p>
<p>Um, in the honors engineering classes there are more design projects and interactive learning (which I do much better with). We have Foundations classes that are pretty much English and History mushed together and count as a credit of either. </p>
<p>I think outside of the engineering honors kids, the Foundation classes and priority registration are the only differences. though. </p>
<p>I'm going to join a few clubs/activities as well, so I won't feel isolated by it at all.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information, so overall being in the honors program doesn't take away from the college experience and isn't isolated?</p>
<p>You guys get private lounges?! :eek:</p>
<p>^I second that! HuuuuWHAAAAA?</p>
<p>While the perks mentioned in the thread are nice, the main purpose of honor programs is for future networking with your other honors classmates and more opportunities presented by a wider variety of recruiters relative to your regular counterparts.</p>
<p>Yep. We have a private lounge-thing with computers (free lazer printing!), a free copier, a sofa, a microwave and a fridge. It's supposed to be for studying. Bad thing supposedly happen if you come in and aren't in honors. ;)</p>
<p>All of the students at my school get free printing. </p>
<p>Well...everyone gets charged a small fee each quarter regardless if they use the library printers or not, but after that you can print as much as you want.</p>
<p>Some highly ranked schools do have honors programs. I am in the Honors Program at Notre Dame (and no, it wasnt a consolation prize, I turned down Dartmouth and Amherst for it). We are NOT isolated form the rest of the student body. Two of my classes are Honors and 3 of them aren't. My roommate and most of the girls in my dorm are not in the HP either, so I get to meet everyone and have the genuine college experience. The perks? Honors lounge space, priority when registering for classes, invites to special events, added opportunities for undergraduate research, a chance to meet some really smart people, more challenging academics, and smaller class sizes. I guess the only downside would be the extra work and added class requirements (although the class requirements seem interesting so far). Hope that helps!</p>