Question: Some thoughts, partly spurred by the reappearance of Darccity. (By the way, this group’s usefulness seems to be on the rise at the moment.) Let me address my questions to the group; of course, Darccity is most welcome to answer.

1. How do you feel about the Honors Program at the University of Florida?

To mention a few of its advantages, the university says that they have classes especially designed for this program, that if ‘everyone earns an A, then everyone will receive an A’ (as opposed to grading on a curve), and that they have separate Honors housing (at Hume Hall). Their merit awards are exceptionally attractive.

2. How do you feel about the Honors Program at Indiana University?

3. Are liberal arts colleges in the 50 to 100 rank in USNews ratings worth the extra $18000/year or so, assuming the 40% merit aid they appear to give for top students?

4. Are liberal arts colleges (in the 10 to 25 rank in USNews ratings but relatively unknown) worth the extra $18000/year or so, assuming the 40% merit aid they appear to give for top students?

5. Are private universities worth the extra $35000 / year? My conclusion is that they are not.
I am sure that people will want to know the ‘fit’. My kid and I think that he will fit in at any of the 7 colleges that he has applied to – the University of Florida is the one we have done least research on and least sure about.
Thanks.

Answer: Looking at its website, the honors program at Florida seems to have zero content. It is a recruiting device for people like you who think they can get something for nothing.

Now, if you already going to Florida, then there is no reason to decline to be in the honors program. You can take some smaller classes to meet some university requirements. But the vast majority of your classes will be with regular students, and even the website says “Honors classes are not designed to more difficult and rigorous than normal classes.” Honors classes are probably a reward to important faculty so they can avoid teaching hellish large classes.

Some honors programs (Florida’s is not among them) have the nice perk that you can register earlier for classes. At large public universities, class space is often lacking and the ability to register early means that you can lockin space in popular classes. Of course, forget about a liberal shopping period like many private universities provide. But this is again not a reason to attend a particular university, just a perk to make your life easier if you have already decided to go.

The only honors program that has ever impressed me is UT Plan II, but that is pretty much an intensive humanities major, not simply some minor program. This topic is extremely controversial. However, it may be that the elite top 20 type schools are worth it. Ones below that certainly are not, if the student can get in to one of the major public universities in his state.

Thinking back to my home state of Texas, I suspect the students and classes are better at UT and A&M than SMU, Baylor and TCU. However, some students who need extra attention and a homier social life might prefer one of the private schools. Of course, for undergrads my own alma mater Rice is better than all of the above. :)

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