Why do colleges have honors programs

In fact, more than a thousand colleges have established Honors Programs precisely because good students do better in them!

Without a peer group that values academic excellence, social life can easily become more important than studying. Talented students can be bored in normal classes and coast through or put off simple assignments just as they did in high school.

No, there is usually a world of difference between high school and college Honors courses. In many high schools Honors courses are just the normal courses "made harder" with extra readings, extra assignments, and extra hard grading of students.

But at college, Honors courses are specially "enriched" courses, not normal courses made "harder," and grading standards are the same as in normal college courses. Enriched Honors Courses stimulate your thinking; they use provocative and innovative materials covering central concepts and cutting edge explorations, ranging from the classics to the ultra-hip; and they provide the informal, small class environment that encourages discussion and debate on important topics.

Honors enrichment means taking students to museums to show them real art, bringing guest experts into the classroom -- poets and visiting professors, lawyers, journalists, or doctors -- or doing whatever is relevant and illuminating for the class.

If you were selected for an Honors Program, you have the ability to succeed in your Honors courses. You will also gain confidence in your own abilities by working together with not competing with the best students on campus. In Honors courses students and faculty really do learn from each other. Sometimes Honors courses may require a bit more work than other courses, but not excessively so; and Honors courses and the faculty are often so stimulating that students barely notice that they are doing more.

A student who averages a 3. Can I participate in sports or other extra-curricular activities and still do Honors? Certainly, and you will meet many other students doing the same. Boston University actually requires members of its Kilachand Honors College to live in a designated honors dorm as a freshman.

Drexel University makes separate housing totally optional but offers an honors dorm that features special guest lecturers and faculty dinners on a regular basis. All Pitt honors students live in one dorm, Sutherland West, and have the option to continue residing in a different dorm for honors upper-classman. Other schools such as Michigan State have honors floors in seven of their residence halls across campus, rather than all in one building.

Since honors. Honors colleges can be a cost-effective and highly rewarding undergraduate experience for top-notch students. In the best-case scenario, you can enjoy all the benefits of a large university research opportunities, athletics, and a diverse student body while still benefiting from an intimate, rigorous, and individualized experience usually reserved for elite liberal arts colleges. It is critical, however, to do sufficient homework on any program you are considering as not all honors colleges are created equal.

Arizona State University Barrett. City University of New York Macaulay. Clemson University Calhoun. New Jersey Institute of Technology Dorman. Ohio University Honors Tutorial College. Penn State University Schreyer. Honors instruction often takes non-traditional approaches and encourages learning through experience.

Each honors program has its own entrance requirements, but in general you need higher grades and test scores than students applying to the college's regular programs. There may be a separate application, or you may be invited to participate based on your strong academic record, or both. You will likely need to maintain above-average grades to remain in the program. Talk to students already in that program. Ask how difficult the courses are and how those courses are different than regular courses.

If the program is a self-contained college within a college experience, find out how the program affects students' social lives and involvement with the rest of the campus.

If you can visit the college, sit in on an honors class or two so you can visualize yourself fitting in—or not. We try to make content available to you on CollegeData. The content may include articles, opinions and other information provided by third parties. Honors colleges can help blunt the disadvantage that undergrads can encounter at research universities.

Here is a post I wrote about the drawback to research universities such as UC Berkeley and Stanford:. The Pros and Cons of Honors Colleges. Why Honors Colleges State-supported schools have honors programs to attract and retain students who might have otherwise chosen another school, whether it be a highly regarded privately-supported liberal arts college or an exceptionally selective private national research university. Benefits of an Honors College What are the upsides to honors programs?

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