Anonymous wrote:For anyone with experience with their kids at honors programs, is it a way for incoming freshman to make friends? My very introverted ASD DD wants to go to a big state school for engineering and I am nervous that it will be too big or overwhelming for her socially.

It can be. You’d need to look at the specifics for each school because they vary. But an honors program that houses the students together and/offers special sections of the freshman seminar classes or other honors-only activities often creates a cohort structure that provides multiple activities/social opportunities with the same, smaller subset of students, which could help your daughter get to know those people.

For anyone with experience with their kids at honors programs, is it a way for incoming freshman to make friends? My very introverted ASD DD wants to go to a big state school for engineering and I am nervous that it will be too big or overwhelming for her socially.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone in the outside world care or give preference to a honors grad vs regular? I have not seen that. Seems then that it’s useful if there are enough perks or access to things but otherwise no?

No, but they don’t care about middlebury vs Amherst vs Williams either. Honors programs are for kids that could get into top schools but want a bigger school experience. It’s more about access to teaches, internships, job placement programs than it is prestige in the outside world.

UT Austin has honors programs.

DC attended and was enrolled in one of the programs. DCs program has Honors intro classes that the students took together- cohort style. The class sizes were small - eg 50 students. They had honors dorms/quad - where students from all the various honors programs lived. They also had special events programming for the honors students in DCs program.

It was really the best of both worlds - it was like a small college at a large university. Still had the rag-rah school culture. The students in the program became particularly close. Highly recommend. That said, UT Austin is difficult to get into OOS. They only accept 10% OOS.

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Anonymous wrote:Does anyone in the outside world care or give preference to a honors grad vs regular? I have not seen that. Seems then that it’s useful if there are enough perks or access to things but otherwise no?

Why do it for outside world? Some of these students want and need Honors

ND has an acceptance rate below 10%. Glynn takes the top 5% of that 10%.

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Anonymous wrote:One of my kids started out in the Honors College at a large state university, but after the first year decided to drop it. It was really just a lot of extra busy work (required classes) that had nothing to do with her major but was mandatory for the HC. In addition, the diploma doesn't make any mention of HC, so she ultimately decided it wasn't worth her time and we agreed. She had a fantastic four years and took advantage of so many opportunities - but HC simply wasn't the advantage a lot of people paint it to be.

I had a similar experience - granted it was years ago. Biggest perks were getting early registration for classes my freshman and sophomore years. Should have dropped it after that.

+2

It would help the rest of us if you named the schools. This is exactly what we’re trying to figure out - which honors programs are real/worth it and which are not.

I mean, the concept is the same everywhere. Yes, you get early registration for classes, but even that isn't a big deal IMO. The extra busy work is the dealbreaker that I wish I had known about earlier.

Not true at all. The TOP colleges like U South Carolina are fantastic and not what you’re describing. Don’t get an honors college confused with an honors program. There’s a difference.

Anonymous wrote:For people listing schools with good honors programs, what are the perks they offer? Or is it purely for the challenge of more rigorous/outside the box classes?

Better dorm buildings, studious dormmates, scholarships, counseling, guaranteed research fellow jobs, study abroad funding, etc.

For people listing schools with good honors programs, what are the perks they offer? Or is it purely for the challenge of more rigorous/outside the box classes?

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone in the outside world care or give preference to a honors grad vs regular? I have not seen that. Seems then that it’s useful if there are enough perks or access to things but otherwise no?

As an honors grad from 2006, no one cares. A few weeks into school we all knew not to bring it up with classmates either. It’s all about the perks while you are there. Priority scheduling and housing were the main ones for me. Some of the special honors classes were pretty good, too.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone in the outside world care or give preference to a honors grad vs regular? I have not seen that. Seems then that it’s useful if there are enough perks or access to things but otherwise no?

Why do it for outside world? Some of these students want and need Honors

Notre Dame has the Glynn Family Honors Program which was a great experience. They have small classes and it gives you guaranteed funding for research. But it's not residential.

Anonymous wrote:Pitt. Penn State.

This. Pitt if you want a city, Penn State if you want to be in the middle of nowhere

Penn State

Does anyone in the outside world care or give preference to a honors grad vs regular? I have not seen that. Seems then that it’s useful if there are enough perks or access to things but otherwise no?

Roll Tide