Is applying to honors college worth it?Answered
I'm a rising senior and I'm working on my college applications right now. When I'm filling out the Common App, a lot of schools are asking me if I want to be considered for their Honors College. Is there really any advantage to being in the honors college? Will it help me with job prospects when I graduate? I don't want to have to write extra essays for Honors Colleges if it's not actually beneficial for me.
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2 answers
So as Cameron mentioned there are some benefits but I’d also like to mention that about half of the honors colleges I’ve spoken to have unique classes that are very interesting. Also if you very academically minded honors is great. Also most schools have honors only housing which can be a better work environment.
Also a few I’ve spoken to have unique opportunities like research and internships only available to honors.
You may also receive a stipend for honors though this varies.
In regards to your question about job prospects in honors you will likely get a deeper relationship with professors which will absolutely help you post graduation.
Also just something to keep in mind all honors programs are different and have different requirements. Indiana’s honors require ivy caliber ACT and gpa while Toledo’s requires essentially a 24 ACT and majority As. So not all honors is created equal.
Hope this helps and please comment if you need clarification as I’d be happy to help clarify!
What are the upsides to honors programs? (from CollegeSolution)
+ Students get a chance to attend smaller classes taught by full-time faculty from their freshman year onward.
+ This means that they may get the equivalent of an education at a smaller private school for much less money.
+ Honors students in some programs, such as Penn State’s, receive priority registration for classes.
+ Honors programs that include honors housing put highly motivated students together.
+ Honors credentials, including excellent grades and a promising thesis, can be an excellent springboard into graduate work or law school or medical school. Admissions committees look most favorably upon the applicants with the strongest academic credentials.
+ Honors students may receive more favorable attention from faculty, even those who do not teach honors-level courses.
+An honors program of respectable size, up to 10 percent of the student body, paints a positive picture on the academic reputation of the greater university community.
+ The better programs allow students to apply for admission during or after the freshman year. They offer a second chance to people who were not offered admission the first time.
+ An public honors college, such as St. Mary’s College of Maryland or New College of Florida, offers a quality liberal arts education much like prestigious private schools, starting at a considerable discount. St. Mary’s out-of-state tuition and fees, for example, are less than two-thirds of those of leading private colleges in the Mid-Atlantic states such as Bucknell, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall and Gettysburg.
+ A public honors college is also an attractive alternative to a large state university for students who are sure that they want a liberal arts education.
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I may be wrong of the exact numbers for Toledo’s but the premise holds