are honors classes given more weight?

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[LifetimeDoc]

You aren't gonna like what I'm going to say, but IMHO if I was on an ADCOM...I wouldn't give special preference. In those types of classes, it's easier to get help with your work and you don't learn how to learn by yourself. The extra work doesn't show if you can absorb the material as it seems to be just extra presentations and stuff.

Now, what would an actual ADCOM think? I have no idea.

 

[StritchMD2011]

I doubt they make that big of a difference. That being said, though, there must be some reason that the AMCAS asks you to designate which classes were honors.

I was in my school's honors program. Honestly, I felt like some of the classes were easier than my "non-honors" classes. I'm sure it varies by school, though.

Over all, I'm sure it doesn't hurt - but I doubt it helps that much...

 

[NCF145]

hi

will the extra time and concentration dedicated to more difficult honors classes payoff with the adcomms? do they care at all if you take honors gen chem/physics over regular?

I would say that graduating from the honors college and writing an honors thesis would help, but other than that I wouldn't place too much hope on plain old honors courses.

 

[GuitarHero1]

It's more important to get A's in the classes than having them honors and be B's. If you can get A's and honors designation, that would be slightly more interesting than getting A's without honors. And true, an honors thesis would also be a good thing to put down.

 

[ryandote]

It's more important to get A's in the classes than having them honors and be B's. If you can get A's and honors designation, that would be slightly more interesting than getting A's without honors. And true, an honors thesis would also be a good thing to put down.

Agreed. I think graduating through the "honors program" at a university would be more impressive than just taking some honors classes.

 

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[Abilene85]

It's more important to get A's in the classes than having them honors and be B's. If you can get A's and honors designation, that would be slightly more interesting than getting A's without honors. And true, an honors thesis would also be a good thing to put down.

Also agreed. If you're going to bust your butt to maybe get an A in honors, versus definitely getting an A in regular with some extra time for ECs, relaxation, friends, I'd go for regular.

 

[Husky85]

Here's the thing...ADCOMs want to see that you do well in whatever is important to you. For me, being in honors classes just wasn't important...I chose instead to take some cool upper level bio classes and to spend my spare time playing sports and doing research. If being in an honors program (and doing the associated work) is something that is important to you then do it, but if you're just doing it to impress adcoms and not doing it because you want to then you need to get your priorities straight.

Like what was mentioned before, adcoms just look to see that you're excelling in whatever you're doing. So if you take the honors courses get good marks. Otherwise you'd be better off getting good marks in standard courses.

I say do something else cool with your time. Who wants to sit around doing a busywork honors project when you could be working as president of a club or captain of a team.

 

[riverwoman1040]

Here's the thing...ADCOMs want to see that you do well in whatever is important to you. For me, being in honors classes just wasn't important...I chose instead to take some cool upper level bio classes and to spend my spare time playing sports and doing research. If being in an honors program (and doing the associated work) is something that is important to you then do it, but if you're just doing it to impress adcoms and not doing it because you want to then you need to get your priorities straight.

Like what was mentioned before, adcoms just look to see that you're excelling in whatever you're doing. So if you take the honors courses get good marks. Otherwise you'd be better off getting good marks in standard courses.

I say do something else cool with your time. Who wants to sit around doing a busywork honors project when you could be working as president of a club or captain of a team.

I'm currently reapplying, so take this for what it's worth, but I graduated from my school's honors program, and loved it. The classes weren't necessary a lot more work, but they were a lot more interesting. We had smaller classes, all taught by professors, not TA's. We tended to focus more on the specific topics that our professors were researching, which in my opinion was a more more interesting way to learn than reading a bio 101 book. My grades were actually better in my honors classes, because I didn't have to force myself to do the work and I still found plenty of time to play sports, do research, and relax.