Tell me about the University of Michigan Honors Program

[Anonymous]

Looking for any input anyone may have on the Univ of Michigan Honors Program - admissions, how it works, what students like about it, drawbacks, whether it may be a good opportunity for a CS major in LS&A? TIA!

[Anonymous]

A CS major who can't use Google isn't honors material.

[Anonymous]

This is a much better question to ask at the University of Michigan discussion area on college confidential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A CS major who can't use Google isn't honors material.

[Anonymous]

I was a transfer to Michigan and so didn't have the option to participate, but my fellow students who did it really liked it. Apparently everyone in the honors program lives together in the same area, so you really feel like a smaller school within a school. Can be good for students who are a bit intimidated by the size of Umich. Sorry that wasn't very informative in terms of admissions, etc, but I've always remembered how positively my friends spoke of it.

[Anonymous]

Based on my DCs experience - which was a few years ago so double check everything I say...Admissions is a separate application AFTER you are admitted to the University. It requires an essay (which DC actually enjoyed doing). There are several admission periods. EA is a big advantage because then you can apply to honors in an early round.

The honors program is 2 parts - the first 2 years, which has requirements in terms of honors seminars, and the second 2 years, which is focused on an honors thesis. You can do both or do either one independently (you don't have to be in honors the first 2 years to do a thesis). You can also graduate with honors based on a high GPA without doing the honors program at all.

Benefits in the first 2 years are better housing, special programs/activities, honors seminars, honors discussion sections of bigger lectures, a good advising program.

DC did it the first 2 years and I think in the end felt it was worthwhile. Graduated with honors but based on GPA, I don't think it was a result of being in the program. The advising was a big benefit for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A CS major who can't use Google isn't honors material.

Seriously-- get a life.

[Anonymous]

I was in the U of M Honors program many years ago. I applied after school had already started. I realized that most of my friends were in Honors and I was taking Honors-level courses, so might as well benefit from it. I wrote an Honors thesis, which gave me a bit more interaction with professors than I would have had otherwise. I did a study abroad program by Junior year, so may not have benefited from the honors program as much as others. Either I wasn't aware of Honors housing or wasn't interested in it--I lived in South Quad my first two years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on my DCs experience - which was a few years ago so double check everything I say...Admissions is a separate application AFTER you are admitted to the University. It requires an essay (which DC actually enjoyed doing). There are several admission periods. EA is a big advantage because then you can apply to honors in an early round.

The honors program is 2 parts - the first 2 years, which has requirements in terms of honors seminars, and the second 2 years, which is focused on an honors thesis. You can do both or do either one independently (you don't have to be in honors the first 2 years to do a thesis). You can also graduate with honors based on a high GPA without doing the honors program at all.

Benefits in the first 2 years are better housing, special programs/activities, honors seminars, honors discussion sections of bigger lectures, a good advising program.

DC did it the first 2 years and I think in the end felt it was worthwhile. Graduated with honors but based on GPA, I don't think it was a result of being in the program. The advising was a big benefit for DC.

That's a great argument to look elsewhere if you don't get in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on my DCs experience - which was a few years ago so double check everything I say...Admissions is a separate application AFTER you are admitted to the University. It requires an essay (which DC actually enjoyed doing). There are several admission periods. EA is a big advantage because then you can apply to honors in an early round.

The honors program is 2 parts - the first 2 years, which has requirements in terms of honors seminars, and the second 2 years, which is focused on an honors thesis. You can do both or do either one independently (you don't have to be in honors the first 2 years to do a thesis). You can also graduate with honors based on a high GPA without doing the honors program at all.

Benefits in the first 2 years are better housing, special programs/activities, honors seminars, honors discussion sections of bigger lectures, a good advising program.

DC did it the first 2 years and I think in the end felt it was worthwhile. Graduated with honors but based on GPA, I don't think it was a result of being in the program. The advising was a big benefit for DC.

That's a great argument to look elsewhere if you don't get in

Not really. The lecture classes have discussion sections, some had a section specifically for honors students that often required extra work to qualify for the honors requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on my DCs experience - which was a few years ago so double check everything I say...Admissions is a separate application AFTER you are admitted to the University. It requires an essay (which DC actually enjoyed doing). There are several admission periods. EA is a big advantage because then you can apply to honors in an early round.

The honors program is 2 parts - the first 2 years, which has requirements in terms of honors seminars, and the second 2 years, which is focused on an honors thesis. You can do both or do either one independently (you don't have to be in honors the first 2 years to do a thesis). You can also graduate with honors based on a high GPA without doing the honors program at all.

Benefits in the first 2 years are better housing, special programs/activities, honors seminars, honors discussion sections of bigger lectures, a good advising program.

DC did it the first 2 years and I think in the end felt it was worthwhile. Graduated with honors but based on GPA, I don't think it was a result of being in the program. The advising was a big benefit for DC.

That's a great argument to look elsewhere if you don't get in

A great argument? The honors program at Michigan is not a separate Honors College. The vast majority of your classes and discussions will be with the overall student body. It’s not like going to some average public school where attending and Hinors College makes a huge difference.