Regional universities
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Anonymous
I think USNWR considers "regional colleges" to be those that don't have a wide range of graduate programs and are not national research powerhouses. They may have several master's programs, but they probably would not have a lot of doctoral programs. At least, that's my understanding. |
Anonymous
As always, in my opinion, the strength of a college for a particular student depends on several factors, including the programs offered, the preferences of the student, the location, and the quality of honors programs. One of my kids went to a regional university because it was strong in an area that interested her, and she wanted a smaller school in a small, quiet town without too much traffic. When she visited, she felt "comfortable" there. She loved the campus and dorms and had a very happy and rewarding undergraduate experience. Most public universities, regional or otherwise, have honors programs, often giving your kid a similar education to that they might have obtained at a higher-ranked school. Honors programs vary in quality but typically offer small, seminar-style, advanced classes (often multi-disciplinary) and/or a mentored advanced project. Some offer just one honors class per semester (if you can get in), while others provide many possibilities. I'm sure there are people who feel "regional colleges are bad and sort of loser-ish," but those designations are not necessarily helpful or relevant to helping our kids find the best possible fit. |
Anonymous
| Regional schools have their place, but I don’t understand why you would travel 4 hours away to kind of an unknown school. At least with your more local regionals, you know what you are getting. |
Anonymous
Here are USNWR's definitions: National Universities offer a range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates. National Liberal Arts Colleges focus almost exclusively on undergraduate education and award at least 50% of their degrees in the arts and sciences. Regional Universities offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs. We ranked them in four geographical groups: North, South, Midwest and West. Regional Colleges focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than 50% of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. Some regional colleges award two-year associate degrees as well as bachelor's degrees. We ranked them in four geographical groups: North, South, Midwest and West. |
Anonymous
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discussed here
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1085926.page |
Anonymous
I don’t know of a single Honors college that offers advanced classes particular to even just popular majors. The benefit is advanced registration, specific dorms, merit $$$s. Nearly all the Honors kids consider the special classes and the “advanced” project as big negatives. It’s like they are getting punished and have to do more work…again, usually nothing to do with their major…for being Honors. Basically, 95%+ of any Honors college classes will consist of classes that anyone at the college can take. It really is not at all the same to smaller, private schools. |
Anonymous
The smaller honors colleges I'm seeing do have the preferences you note but also do have different classes. And yes, require some sort of project which is not ideal if you're applying to grad school at the same time. Some are as you describe, with "regular" classes but a project. It's not really one-size fits all. The thesis/project sounds like a pain, I agree. But if it is the difference for grad schools to show that you are in a harder curriculum (and if you get more advising- some offer enhanced academic advising), it could be worth it for certain majors. |
Anonymous
Don’t overestimate the importance of minor differences in rankings. Outside of a small number of coastal obsessives, it’s not common for people to scour the USNews rankings in a daily basis, & freak out when some college drops from 27 to 29. I think it’s only natural for people to consider a school more credible if they have actually heard of it (eg, U of Alabama) over one they have never heard of. So there is something to be said for choosing a famous OOS public, even if its rank is 100+, & its football team is better than its physics department. |
Anonymous
Don't do an honors program if you feel like you would be "punished and have to do more work." Honors programs are for kids who WANT to do more work. These kids are looking for the opportunity to get the best education available to them. As for "nothing to do with their major," my kid did her honors project in her major and loved it. It was a fun, exciting opportunity for her; she worked really hard at it but enjoyed the time she put in; she got a lot of help and support from faculty members that she would not otherwise have received, and she was told her project was master's level work. The project gave her a big boost in getting into a well-respected graduate program. As for the "special classes," she loved them! They were mostly multidisciplinary classes that ticked off core curriculum requirements, but they were more interesting, thought-provoking, and challenging than regular classes, and the other students in the class were highly motivated and brought a lot to the discussion table. I'm sure "smaller, private schools" are wonderful, too, but students and their family circumstances are unique. Certainly, not everyone can afford $300K+ for a private college education, particularly not the families of some of the students at this school. It's good to have a range of options for a range of people. As examples of the students in my daughter's honors classes, some were first-generation students, some were "dreamers," some were disabled (on the spectrum or ADD, for example), some were recent immigrants who were still learning English, one was a woman who married at 18 and wanted to get a university degree after her children started school, at least one was profoundly gifted, some were homeschooled, one was in her sixties, some were normal, high-achieving kids who could just as easily have gone to the state flagship but just liked this particular school, many chose this school because it was very affordable, some were recruited athletes, etc. Honors programs at regional universities truly fill a niche. |
Anonymous
The thesis or capstone project is a bonus if that is what you want to do. Nobody is compelled to do it. At Reed, for example, you have to do something like that for your major. Every student who graduates from Reed does one, and students choose Reed in part because they want demanding academics, which includes the rigorous senior thesis requirement. The public regional university + honors program is a way of approximating the Reed experience (where tuition is $64,760 a year) at a school that may be costing less than $15K a year out the door (tuition, room, board), once you factor in merit and financial aid. You might not get Reed exactly, but you can get a turbo-charged education IF you embrace opportunities and put in the hard yards. For example, my daughter learned much more from a geology class at community college than my friend's kid did at U of Penn. They used the same textbook and covered the same material, but my DC went all out while my friend's kid went through the motions. If you fully embrace your opportunities, even if they are not the most optimal opportunities in the world, you can learn a great deal. The honors capstone project and the additional attention from your professors can help translate your achievements into further opportunities. As you suggest above, honors programs help open doors that are traditionally only open to more privileged students. |
Anonymous
I get all this...however, many people describe Honors Colleges almost like a say the Blair STEM magnet program where you attend Blair HS which is this huge public HS, but you get to take all these high-level STEM classes that only the Magnet/Honors kids get to take. Sure, you may take some classes with the masses, but many of your classes will only be with this high-performing cohort. That is not how Honors Colleges operate. 95%+ of your classes will be taken with the general population...you won't just have this gifted cohort in your classes. It's great that your kid loved their Honors project, however, when you are at UMD majoring in a STEM subject and your core requirements involve a ton of hard work, that Honors project doesn't feel like a "perk". Also, when your non-Honors classmates are getting the same jobs...again, it doesn't feel worth it. This was all in response to PP indicating that Honors Colleges within large public institutions mimiced smaller, private schools. None of this was Honors Colleges within a small institution which could be quite different. |
Anonymous
Which regional VA school? |
Anonymous
Further to the above, my DC set the curve in her community college geology class. She learned a great deal outside the curriculum, as well as acing all the tests and meeting all the internal requirements. For that class, students were required to do a little project on a topic of interest to them. The expectations were not high, and an essay of four or five pages would have been fine. My DC read and analyzed several papers and books, consulted extensively with her professor, and ended up with a 60-page paper that delighted her professor. My DC is disabled and has not followed a traditional educational path. I'm beyond grateful that she is able to learn so abundantly in the humbler settings that were open to her when she was younger, and her honors program was extremely beneficial to her. I understand this program was not equivalent to Harvard. However, it was what was available to her at the time, and it helped her scaffold from one level to another. |
Anonymous
Yes, honors programs (as opposed to honors colleges) provide enrichment rather than a school within a school. And I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "None of this was Honors Colleges within a small institution, which could be quite different." In a smaller, less competitive school with an honors program, professors are often delighted to have committed honors students and go all out to help them. I'm not saying these programs are perfect. It's just if you are truly committed, you can really go places with them. |
Anonymous
| To be fair, a few of the PA state schools (PASSHE, not the Pitt/Temple/Penn State group) are pretty good. West Chester is considered the gem, but I've heard decent things about some others. I think part of it depends on the kid's major, and whether they want to stay in PA. |