deepfriedeggroll

im guessing they just released their decisions today. Im happy that i got in, but i still dont know what the point of the program is lol. anyone want to enlighten me?

xkev2sexyx

i got in too. lol i still dont know what it is. i know a little about it
we get priority registration and we get our own adviser or something. we are required to maintain a certain GPA point thingy.

Crazeerunner

i have a question did they extend the deadline to April 30?
or is this a mistake?

UC Riverside, University Honors Program (UHP)

MeeHahn

Dyou think joining this honors program will increase the chances of a UC to UC transfer?

gabe5578

I GOT IN TOO
i'l live in the honors housing in either AI or PENTLAND
MOSTLY PENTLAND

deepfriedeggroll

what are the advantages of joining...anyone know?
do we take harder classes?

Khmun

Um, I don't know the exact benefits of joining the honors program at UCR. However, I would imagine that being able to tell future grad schools or employers that you were in the honors program would be a benefit to you.

Quick story: I was going to join the upper division honors program that makes you write a thesis, at least until I decided that I was going to do a study abroad program instead. If I rememer correctly, you would have a special mark on your degree denoting your invovlment in the honors program along with the thesis project you did.

P.S. Sorry for the bad grammar but I'm really tired. Just wanted to help out some!

Debbie427

I was accepted into the honors program too, but I think if I wind up going to UCR, I want to live in a CNAS-themed building in Pentland Hills.

Apricot Tree

In a nutshell, here are the benefits to joining the UHP:

Priority registration. This is a highly coveted bonus at any large university. Being an UHP participant means you will register for classes on the first two days courses open up to enrollment. As long as you maintain a 3.2 GPA or above, or complete lower-division honors, you'll retain priority registration perks throughout your stay at UCR.

Interaction with faculty. You'll be responsible for taking four honors classes for lower division honors. They may ether be a sections (large lecture classes where the professor leads the honors discussion section rather than a graduate student teaching assistant), or 4-unit seminars. These honors classes are designed to fit into your course-track no matter which major you have chosen to be. These courses aren't really all that more difficult compared to the regular courses, unless you're doing honors Chem (I'm a business major). For the most part, you gain a lot by having the professor lead your discussion, or by taking a quarter-long seminar with a professor. Of course, there's one particular ethnic studies professor that everyone avoids, but that's what ratemyprofessors.com is for. In the majority of the cases, you'll find it enriching to have weekly interaction with well-respected faculty members.

Honors housing is a highly recommended option. You'll learn quickly that the majority of students at UCR aren't particularly bright... and socializing with them can be somewhat of a pain because of how slow their minds are. The honor halls are designed to submerse you in a community where you can be amongst the better students on campus. I know this may sound bad to UCR in general, but being in the honors hall significantly reduces one's chances of having hallmates that do poorly in classes and, in some ways, are culturally deficient (you'll see what I mean once you start meeting people at UCR).

You are assigned a peer mentor. Your peer mentor will likely be the same major you are. Throughout your freshman year, your peer mentor will meet with you many many times to check up on how you're doing, point you in the direction of resources/opportunities on campus, and advise you on what classes to take and what professors to ignore.

As for the downsides of being in Honors, well, I'll leave it to you to find out...

If you're truly set on going to UCR, then by all means, join the honors program. If you don't like the experience, you could always drop out. Since it requires only 4 honors classes for completion, it's actually possible to finish your obligations to the UHP by the end of freshman year. Once you finish, you're granted the perks without any additional work involved until you graduate or transfer.

One last thing: being in honors will help you transfer to another UC. On the flip side, being in honors may also get you to like UCR......just marginally, but enough to the point you're willing to stick it out for early graduation rather than transferring.... Regarding intercampus transfers: how likely you'll have success depends highly on the campus/major you apply to. However, it's a very safe bet that you can transfer to any UC except LA or Berkeley if you do your first two years at UCR. Why? The majority of students on this campus are so dimwitted that even if you did just OK in high school, you'll probably get straight As at UC Riverside due to extremely generous curves in lower division classes. (Unless you're a science major. In which case, if your objective is to transfer, then by all means, go to a CCC).

forluvnpeacemom

Apricot Tree,
Thank you for all the positve information regarding the honors program at UCR. I got accepted in the honors program but I have not decided on UCR yet. The only negative comment I see from you is the tranferring information. So are you saying if I do decide to go to UCR that it would be unlikely that I would not get accepted as a transfer to UCLA? Actually my first pick of college to transfer to would be to USC.

deepfriedeggroll

apricot tree: extremely good advice and info. Thanks! answered all my questions, and then some.

Apricot Tree

forluvnpeace: haha, I'm not skilled at deciphering double negatives... If you wish to go to UCLA, it's definitely possible to transfer from UCR. The deciding factor on whether or not you get in is NOT your college GPA, but rather your intended major. Keep in mind that for UC transfers, CCC students get priority, followed by UC intercampus. Despite the fact the overwhelming majority of students that get admitted via transfer are community college students, UC intercampus transfers still have a leg up on applicants from non-UC 4-year colleges. My roommate recently got into UCLA as an engineering student...he'll most likely be transferring.

I just discovered today that I've been accepted to Berkeley as an Econ major. Yet, I was rejected from UCLA.... Berkeley and UCLA are extremely unpredictable. However, all of the other UCs have far less stringent standards. As long as you can maintain a 3.5+ GPA at UCR, complete most of pre-reqs, you're pretty much guaranteed to successfully transfer to another UC. It may not be UCLA or Berkeley, but don't worry about being trapped at Riverside for your entire undergrad. Where there's a will, there's a way. Transferring to Irvine, Davis, or Santa Barbara is pretty easy...

Let us review a few advantages you'll have as a transfer applicant if you were to do lower-division with honors at UCR:
1) Since Riverside is a University of California campus, you will show the admissions officers at other UCs that you have successfully tackled university-level courses that are comparable to the ones offered on their campuses. This as a key indicator that you have the potential to do well academically if offered a spot at their campus.
2) Honors classes does a splendid job of decorating a transcript. I think I read somewhere that admissions officers look favorably on honors courses when evaluating transfer students.
3) Priority registration at UCR will ensure you get into those important pre-reqs that you may or may not need to complete prior to your transfer. There are a few select degree programs at Berkeley and UCLA that require every single pre-req to be completed. If you're aiming for one of those programs, you better be on top of this.
4) Depending on how many AP units you have or how quickly you're able to plow through lower divs and GE, it's possible to start on upper division class well before completing your second year of college. By the end of this quarter, I'll have eight upper division classes already finished. Some campuses/departments will allow you to transfer upper-division courses, which means you can graduate pretty quickly once you transfer... This is one perk that is definitely denied to community college students.
6) Lastly, I'd like to reiterate that the academic atmosphere of UC Riverside isn't exactly competitive, and certainly not stressful. Most GE classes are a cakewalk... and courses at UCR might actually be less challenging than the courses at your local community college (depending on your location).

Sorry if the above paragraphs are a mess... I'm trying to get this information in before you guys have to make a decision. The deadline for freshmen is May 1rst, right?

Pacific21

the advice was extremely helpful. i was wondering about UC transfers as well.

and yes its may 1st to decide.

forluvnpeacemom

Apricot Tree,
Thank you for the clarfication. And congrats to you for getting into UCB.
So did you live in the Pentland dorms?
and would you say it's easier to transfer to USC or UCLA?

MeeHahn

well i just sent in my uhp app, lol, last minute i know. how long did it take to recieve the decision?