Which are the best honors colleges?

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

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<p>That Texas program is called Plan II, not Plan B. It’s very prestigious in Texas; it’s a nice program. The students actually major in Plan II. </p>

<p>Texas (University of Texas, the flagship in Austin) also has Liberal Arts Honors and honors programs in Natural Sciences, Computer Science, and Engineering schools.</p>

<p>(And I agree with digmedia - Ohio University is really, really good for journalism.)</p>

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<p>^^^^^^^^</p>

<p>So if you don’t get in you have to go to Plan B?</p>

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<p>Sorry- Of course it’s Plan II. I had a “senior moment”. :slight_smile: (note to self- don’t multi-task when posting on CC)</p>

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<p>If you apply to Plan II and don’t get in but still want to go to UT, Plan B is Plan I (everything at UT that isn’t Plan II). ;)</p>

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<p>Those folks in Texas have got to come up with some better names. ;)</p>

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<p>Plan II is the best I’ve seen. Truly exceptional. (And it’s the only acre of that god-forsaken burnt orange forty I’d spit on if it was on fire. But I digress. ;))</p>

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<p>We have a much prettier orange here in the state with the other UT, speaking of digressing.</p>

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<p>You might also want to check out the Honors Program at the University of Georgia, if UGA might be a good fit.</p>

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<p>Check out this school-within-a-school at UC Santa Barbara. Called 'College of Creative Studies" and offers extraordinary opportunities for a select group of students. </p>

<p>[College</a> of Creative Studies, UC Santa Barbara](<a href=“http://www.ccs.ucsb.edu/]College”>http://www.ccs.ucsb.edu/)</p>

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This brings up a related point that I think is often overlooked. Not every class will be an honors class–so make sure you’re OK with the academic level of non-honors classes, too. This can be accomplished with, as mom2collegekids suggested, a more demanding major like engineering; but what if you’re set on majoring in the humanities? Then, will you have access to graduate-level hum theory courses? Will you have the opportunity for independent research (dime-a-dozen in science, rarer in humanities and non-experimental socsci)?</p>

<p>A long-winded way of saying: don’t just look at honors programs, but at university AND honors.</p>

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<p>University of Michigan and University of Virginia both have the equivalent of honors colleges/programs.</p>

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<p>Is anyone familiar with either of these honors colleges? They both appear to be good from the websites. We live in NJ and my Junior D refuses to apply to Rutgers, so we’re considering other schools in the area.</p>