What are the best "Honors College" communities or cohorts at larger universities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For our JMU senior, I think the upside was in the beginning and the end, not so much the middle. They met kids they would not have otherwise known because they were on different tracks. They didn't opt to live in the Honors College dorm, which was in retrospect, a mistake (much nicer than their freshman dorm).
Early registration was a benefit in the beginning but because they were in a pre-professional program where course schedules were pretty much guaranteed, it mattered little after the first year.
But in the end, having to complete a capstone project that required significant research, was really beneficial. They learned so much that will help them in their career.

This is helpful. I think my introvert kid would benefit from structured social events in the dorm as well as the required research.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone speak to the HC at Clemson?

[Anonymous]

How is the HOnirs program at Maryland? We’re OOS, and DC’s college counselor has recommended it. (DC is not CS or engineering. May be interested in policy/government and the business side of sports, but not sure.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is Roll Tide guy? This is his moment

Correction:
High Tide! 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors colleges exist purely to make larger institutions more human and comfortable. This is their value. Outside of that, no one will care that you graduated from podunk college, but *in the honors college*!

So pick an Honors college that is of small size in a comfy dorm. UMD offered such a one to DS, but he turned it down for no Honors at a large private.

podunk college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors colleges exist purely to make larger institutions more human and comfortable. This is their value. Outside of that, no one will care that you graduated from podunk college, but *in the honors college*!

So pick an Honors college that is of small size in a comfy dorm. UMD offered such a one to DS, but he turned it down for no Honors at a large private.

podunk college

I agree with the PP. It's like "Hey... we know we aren't a small exclusive college....Buuuuttttt we have this kinda sorta small exclusive college that has fewer benefits and more downsides than an actual small exclusive college!" Like...what? Just go to the small exclusive college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Oxford is not an honors program

2. Honors programs at publics accept many students from the bottom half of our private. They are not elite. These students are 1300-1350s kids at 1200s schools. If you want elite students with elite opportunities available to all, go to an elite college: a private T15

My kid is in honors program at low ranked big state university ("1200 school"). My kid and nearly all of their friends are insanely smart -- 1500++ SAT, 35+ ACT, NMF, tons of APs with 5s on all....
All top tier elite students (most, if not all, also admitted to T15s). There are cohorts of "elite" students at state schools. Not everyone wants to go to a private T15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Oxford is not an honors program

2. Honors programs at publics accept many students from the bottom half of our private. They are not elite. These students are 1300-1350s kids at 1200s schools. If you want elite students with elite opportunities available to all, go to an elite college: a private T15

My kid is in honors program at low ranked big state university ("1200 school"). My kid and nearly all of their friends are insanely smart -- 1500++ SAT, 35+ ACT, NMF, tons of APs with 5s on all....
All top tier elite students (most, if not all, also admitted to T15s). There are cohorts of "elite" students at state schools. Not everyone wants to go to a private T15.

I hear you!! I wish more posters understood this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Oxford is not an honors program

2. Honors programs at publics accept many students from the bottom half of our private. They are not elite. These students are 1300-1350s kids at 1200s schools. If you want elite students with elite opportunities available to all, go to an elite college: a private T15

My kid is in honors program at low ranked big state university ("1200 school"). My kid and nearly all of their friends are insanely smart -- 1500++ SAT, 35+ ACT, NMF, tons of APs with 5s on all....
All top tier elite students (most, if not all, also admitted to T15s). There are cohorts of "elite" students at state schools. Not everyone wants to go to a private T15.

I hear you!! I wish more posters understood this.

Yes. Just statistically, large flagships have vast numbers of high scorers equal in number to many small LACs. It is just tougher -for some- to find their cohort in these school of tens of thousands.

You will find academic peers. Many don’t have the money of LAC students, so if that’s the social group you seek, you have to look harder, too.

Raw brain power is present, and sometimes fresher and more interesting, bc they haven’t been spit out of the same independent school mill.

The resources for undergraduates are not the same as at LACs. A good, well-funded honors college can fill that gap somewhat with dinners with profs, exciting speakers, better advising, international trips, etc. usually they still have fewer resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:south carolina, asu, and vermont provide the largest “difference of experience” btw regular matriculation and honors college in the country - these are considered middle of the road state schools at best, but the honors college experience at each of them is superlative - hidden gems to use DCUM vernacular!

I think UVM is a tier above, despite what rankings services have to say.

Sorry, but you are wrong.

I a not a fan of U of South Carolina, but the honors college is above U. Vermont.

You don't see UofSC on the Sidwell matriculation list.

I see it on NCS's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Oxford is not an honors program

2. Honors programs at publics accept many students from the bottom half of our private. They are not elite. These students are 1300-1350s kids at 1200s schools. If you want elite students with elite opportunities available to all, go to an elite college: a private T15

My kid is in honors program at low ranked big state university ("1200 school"). My kid and nearly all of their friends are insanely smart -- 1500++ SAT, 35+ ACT, NMF, tons of APs with 5s on all....
All top tier elite students (most, if not all, also admitted to T15s). There are cohorts of "elite" students at state schools. Not everyone wants to go to a private T15.

I hear you!! I wish more posters understood this.

Yes. Just statistically, large flagships have vast numbers of high scorers equal in number to many small LACs. It is just tougher -for some- to find their cohort in these school of tens of thousands.

You will find academic peers. Many don’t have the money of LAC students, so if that’s the social group you seek, you have to look harder, too.

Raw brain power is present, and sometimes fresher and more interesting, bc they haven’t been spit out of the same independent school mill.

The resources for undergraduates are not the same as at LACs. A good, well-funded honors college can fill that gap somewhat with dinners with profs, exciting speakers, better advising, international trips, etc. usually they still have fewer resources.

I went to a LAC. This is definitely a rose-colored glasses interpretation of small schools.

[Anonymous]

I haven't been here long, but it'd be interesting to see the raw numbers cohorted out. Would love to be pointed to that if it's been done.

Q: how many students (number not percentage) at your university have an SAT score over 1500?

Like at state flagships with middling SAT averages, there are still very significant numbers of students with high SATs.

It could help get people who worry about a lack of peers to see what's really there (or not) at schools they're interested in. If separate classes, dorms, other things are valuable, honors might be for you. Maybe a college that is only high-testing achievers, not your big state B.A. generator, if you need all your surrounding students to be academic peers.

But at minimum you can see whether your child can find peers among the crowd by seeing total students at scoring tiers at a given university.

[Anonymous]

U of Nebraska has a unique honors college that stresses business & computer science. Very cohesive, they all live & eat in one nice building. Very good merit scholarships, too.

https://raikes.unl.edu/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do I find more information on specific honors colleges within mid or larger sized unis?

I've seen threads on Oxford (Emory), Barrett (ASU) and South Carolina so I was intrigued!

Do any of your kids have experience with honors college communities at GW, American, UW, U Wisconsin at Madison, U Colorado, etc.?

Basically any Trustee Scholar or Presidential
scholar program at a university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone speak to the HC at Clemson?

My son is a senior at Clemson and has been in the Honors College the whole time. It's been great. They are housed together the first year in two of the nicest, most centrally located dorms on campus, with a dining hall in them (that other students can use as well). Freshmen in the honors college get to register at the same time as seniors, so he's never had a problem with getting the classes he needs. Each semester they must take an honors seminar, which is guaranteed to be 30 students or less. Sometimes they are on special subjects, sometimes it's just a smaller version of an introductory-type class. The professors for those have always been great.

But he has complained a few times about feeling isolated from the rest of the freshmen class that first year, and how he kind of wishes he had been mixed in the dorms with everyone else. So I guess there are plusses and minuses to it, from that perspective. You do have to apply separately for the honors college-- it's a separate application, so make sure your student fills it out if they're interested.