University honors &capstone = does it help?

[BBBallIsLife]

Hello SDN!

So I attend a large public tier-1 institution, and was wondering if being part of their university honors program makes me any more competitive/make my app stand out any better. Yes, it has been a challenge, but also has opened me up to several opportunities that I would never have been a part of as a non-honors student.

In addition, to graduate with honors, I have to complete a capstone (it will be a research-based one, requiring a master's level thesis, etc.). Unfortunately, it will be completed next year, so it wouldn't show up as officially completed on my transcript by the time I complete apps. But again, does having a capstone at a large tier-1 institution boost my chances? Will the admissions even see that I am working on one/should I list it on my resume?

No matter yes or no, I intend to complete all the requirements and graduate with honors recognition.

Thanks for any responses!

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[glycoprotein1]

Being a part of an honors program certainly can't hurt, but what will really stand out is what you do with your opportunities. Turning extensive research for your capstone into presentations/publications, strong letters of rec because of smaller honors classes, study abroad (if applicable) etc. I wasn't done with my thesis when I submitted my app so I just mentioned that it was an ongoing project.

 

[Lucca]

Honors programs themselves don’t inherently give you a boost in admissions. However, if your uni is anything like mine was, you’ll notice honors students have a much better go at getting into med school/grad school. This is more so because honors programs tend to give their students privileged access to their universities best resources and mentorship. Our program had everyone involved in research from freshman year, faculty mentors in our subject that we met with early on and every year, scholarships to help pay for test prep, support for applying to competitive fellowships/grants and such, preferred access to honors versions of general courses which tended to be more accelerated and challenging but also much smaller and engaging, etc. The student council was able to leverage the program’s name to startup clinical volunteering partnerships with many hospitals/providers in a city where it is pretty difficult to find good clinical experience opportunities.

The extent to which your program offers you opportunities like these will determine how helpful it will be (or not) to achieving your goals. Also, at the end of the day it is up to you to take advantage of whatever resources are at your disposal. I knew many people who were dissatisfied with our honors programs but also never made any effort to get involved or really even know what was going on.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Thank you for your input! I will definitely continue to make it a priority to continuously seek and utilize all the opportunities it provides

 

[glycoprotein1]

Actually they can hurt and I am noting this for future readers of this thread. Students who take on honors college or hard double majors under the mistaken belief that in themselves will impress an adcom. In reality you may be taking on significant additional course work that can negatively impact your GPA. You will not gain an advantage by participating in an honors program and having mediocre grades. So do not bite off more than you can chew

Fair point, I hadn’t thought about that aspect of honors programs and I’m glad you addressed it.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I'm going to second the part about it giving you more opportunities. I am a part of my school's honors college, and it gave me access to mentorship and research at world-class institutions that would've been harder to get if I wasn't an honors student. I also have to write a thesis, but I don't think adcoms care all too much, to be honest. I mentioned it at a couple of interviews where it happened to come up in conversation.

If you can handle the coursework and/or requirements, I say go for it because of the opportunities given. If it's too difficult, though, you can always drop out.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Actually they can hurt and I am noting this for future readers of this thread. Students who take on honors college or hard double majors under the mistaken belief that in themselves will impress an adcom. In reality you may be taking on significant additional course work that can negatively impact your GPA. You will not gain an advantage by participating in an honors program and having mediocre grades. So do not bite off more than you can chew

That is a fair point. But someone always told me: "Getting a B in honors [class] looks better than getting a B in non-honors [class]". At my university, with an exception of a few, only honors students can take honors classes, so it is somewhat exclusive. So seeing that difference on a transcript isnt too noteworthy? Like next semester, I am taking honors anatomy as opposed to non-honors for various reasons (and like you said I know it may be risky, but I've talked to multiple people and have received positive input about the prof and course structure, and I know that I can be able to handle the class based on my work ethic)

Thank you for all your responses, too. I really appreciate it!

 

[Goro]

It's not something I really pay attention to. You should though.

Hello SDN!

So I attend a large public tier-1 institution, and was wondering if being part of their university honors program makes me any more competitive/make my app stand out any better. Yes, it has been a challenge, but also has opened me up to several opportunities that I would never have been a part of as a non-honors student.

In addition, to graduate with honors, I have to complete a capstone (it will be a research-based one, requiring a master's level thesis, etc.). Unfortunately, it will be completed next year, so it wouldn't show up as officially completed on my transcript by the time I complete apps. But again, does having a capstone at a large tier-1 institution boost my chances? Will the admissions even see that I am working on one/should I list it on my resume?

No matter yes or no, I intend to complete all the requirements and graduate with honors recognition.

Thanks for any responses!

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

I personally felt that gaining opportunities through my own hard work rather than with the advantage of money, privilege, honors, or prestige was its own reward that taught me very important life skills.

But I bet it must be nice to get all that just from being in a silly honors program...

 

[glycoprotein1]

I personally felt that gaining opportunities through my own hard work rather than with the advantage of money, privilege, honors, or prestige was its own reward that taught me very important life skills.

But I bet it must be nice to get all that just from being in a silly honors program...

Not sure where you’re going with this? At least at the school I graduated from, the honors college was not something you paid to be in. It required great test scores and a good gpa before one could be admitted. Additionally, nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. Some scholarships are available exclusively to Honors students, but you still have to fill out time consuming applications and compete with high achieving and equally deserving people to earn them. It’s also required that you take honors courses, which are typically more difficult than the regular curriculum. I’m sure plenty of schools would be happy to admit you to their honors programs if you feel like you’ve missed out. Happy holidays

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I personally felt that gaining opportunities through my own hard work rather than with the advantage of money, privilege, honors, or prestige was its own reward that taught me very important life skills.

But I bet it must be nice to get all that just from being in a silly honors program...

What an ignorant post. Not even worth an actual counter-argument.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

Lol, I was one of those people who was in the honors program and didn't do so well...lol. I didn't bite off more than I can chew but I certainly struggled in undergrad. Granted, I got into med school. I found the program helpful in the sense that I was the first group of people who got to pick their classes, so I got first dibs on all the classes I needed before all the sport guys/gals. I also got to do research, which helped me realized that I hated bench work. I got good letters from my PI when it came to application time. Those were the only benefit. Oh and I got an ugly stolh when I graduated.