Which are the best honors colleges?

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<p>The Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University is unique in that they use a tutorial approach to classes (one-on-one with professors, or in very small groups). It is extremely competitive. Approximately 280 people per year apply, they invite about 180 people for personal interviews, and send out invitations to about 80 people, knowing that about 60 of the 80 will accept. Those 60 people cover about 26 majors, so an average of 2 people per major accepted (some a little higher, some only 1 or none). My son just graduated from there.</p>

<p>Ohio University is not usually the first college choice that comes to mind, but there are several programs there which rank in the top 10 in the country, namely Journalism/Communications and Media Arts and Studies. But any of the disciplines in the HTC provide a very concentrated plan for graduation. And one of the main benefits is that if you are qualified enough for HTC, automatic merit money kicks in for the full four years.</p>

<p>It is for a student who knows where s/he is going and is extremely self-directed and independent.It is for a student who wants to be in a close-knit community of scholars/thinkers/doers within the environment of a much larger university and all of the opportunities that implies; and it is for a student who can work closely (one-on-one) with professors in a tutorial (vs classroom) environment.</p>

<p>The following is from a popular guide to Honors programs.</p>

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Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College is not a standard honors college; it is first and foremost a tutorial college based on the tutorial model of collaborative learning developed at Oxford and Cambridge Universities… The level of expectation for tutorial performance is high. Successful tutorial students tend to exhibit a clear capacity for self-motivation, maturity, self-discipline, and creativity…</p>

<p>The HTC was founded in 1972 and is a full degree-granting college headed by an academic dean. The College has more than 900 alumni… In this group are Emmy, Pulitzer, Grammy, and Clio winners.</p>

<p>Because Ohio University genuinely believes in the capacity of high-caliber students to enrich the intellectual life of the campus, it provides resources and privileges to HTC students that are not granted to other undergraduates… The University is willing to make these investments as long as the recipients of these benefits maintain a high level of academic excellence and campus/community involvement. The quid pro quo is probably best captured by the quote “Of those to whom much is given, much is required.” Consequently the College expects its students to undertake leadership roles and to contribute substantively to the cultural and academic realms of the university…</p>

<p>To assist students in making the most of their talents and in taking the greatest enjoyment out of their time as undergraduates, the HTC strives to create a close-knit community among its members. This is not to say that the College encourages exclusivity (quite the contrary), but it does provide a home base that promotes interaction between students and a homelike atmosphere in its offices, which are located in a house built in the 1930s in the center of campus. The staff members at the College take great pride in knowing each HTC student and in encouraging them to develop their interests and potential. Student of the College are highly supportive of each other and frequently form the type of friendships that extend far beyond graduation.

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<p>Website: [Ohio</a> University: Honors Tutorial College:Home](<a href=“http://ohio.edu/honors]Ohio”>http://ohio.edu/honors)</p>