Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 08:22     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Honors Michigan lets you live in special dorm if you want and allows your discussion session to be with the actual professor and not a TA in the intro classes. The size of the class itself is not different.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 12:01     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:honors programs, especially if they have their own dorms, can be relatively isolating. You want your new student to have a broad exposure to many students. And for the most part, especially at Top Schools, they are not really necessary (since everyone is top stats) or give any great benefit and often times require extra work.

If you want something super prestigious like Rhodes or Marshall, then you need to be in the top of the top. Sometimes the hook ups to apply for very competitive awards is handled within the honors program/college. Do your research.


Yes, because everyone in an honors program is going for Rhodes Scholar. LOL

I had no intention to apply until junior year when our honors program director called me into his office. I know others who got a call for an amazing internship or job hookup from the honors director. Networks matter.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 11:52     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:honors programs, especially if they have their own dorms, can be relatively isolating. You want your new student to have a broad exposure to many students. And for the most part, especially at Top Schools, they are not really necessary (since everyone is top stats) or give any great benefit and often times require extra work.

If you want something super prestigious like Rhodes or Marshall, then you need to be in the top of the top. Sometimes the hook ups to apply for very competitive awards is handled within the honors program/college. Do your research.


Yes, because everyone in an honors program is going for Rhodes Scholar. LOL
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 11:35     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Anonymous wrote:honors programs, especially if they have their own dorms, can be relatively isolating. You want your new student to have a broad exposure to many students. And for the most part, especially at Top Schools, they are not really necessary (since everyone is top stats) or give any great benefit and often times require extra work.

If you want something super prestigious like Rhodes or Marshall, then you need to be in the top of the top. Sometimes the hook ups to apply for very competitive awards is handled within the honors program/college. Do your research.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 11:21     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
But conversely to the PP above, if your kid is introverted, the honors college cohort is a good opportunity for a more organic way to develop friends. My DS will have a problem just putting himself out there
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 10:59     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
honors programs, especially if they have their own dorms, can be relatively isolating. You want your new student to have a broad exposure to many students. And for the most part, especially at Top Schools, they are not really necessary (since everyone is top stats) or give any great benefit and often times require extra work.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 07:55     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Yes. It gives you an instant cohort of other students you have *something* in common with.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 07:54     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Try to attend the South Carolina honors steak dinner reception in DC. IYKYK
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 07:46     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
You really need to look into the honors programs. Each one is different. Some give advantages and others don't seem like anthing big besides a special freshman dorm.

One school kid looked at just gave oppurtunity to do honors contracts (extra work) for classes. The school kid attends offers smaller honors sections and special honors seminars only for honor students. Some smaller privates also had honors programs too.

Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 06:56     Subject: Do honors programs really make large schools feel smaller?
Anonymous wrote:Every honors program is different. For the one I attended you had to keep a 3.5 GPA, complete independent research and defend a thesis, complete service hours, and take an interdisciplinary honors class with a heavy writing component every semester. It went on our diploma and was a lot of work.

The biggest advantages were that the head of the program would get you into any class you wanted to take, you could take an unlimited number of credit hours, you got lots of hook ups for the best internship and job offers, and they groomed you for prestigious awards like Rhodes, Marshall, NSF GRF, etc.

If you weren't ambitious, it wasn't worth it. But if you were gunning for a top grad school or job, it was worth it.


Bolded is key. All of these programs are so different that you can’t really generalize, nor should you want to. Research the programs/colleges at the universities you want to attend. That actually goes beyond just honors colleges as well to pretty much everything else.