Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After that post bashing the PA one, is it how people feel, that regional colleges are bad and sort of loser-ish?

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.

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.

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.

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.

That's why I want my kid to go to a school with a required senior thesis--I mean capstone.
--another Reed alum

Anonymous wrote:PA state regional colleges are kind of a disaster. Shippensburg, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, ESU...they are all 40% smaller vs. around 2010 when they peaked.

I would just do a ton of due diligence to see if the regional school is growing...or at least hasn't seen enrollment fall off a cliff...if it punches above it's weight in job placement or some niche, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After that post bashing the PA one, is it how people feel, that regional colleges are bad and sort of loser-ish?

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.

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.

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.

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.

That's why I want my kid to go to a school with a required senior thesis--I mean capstone.
--another Reed alum

Anonymous wrote: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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After that post bashing the PA one, is it how people feel, that regional colleges are bad and sort of loser-ish?

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.

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.

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.

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 wrote: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.