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Honors College at ASU and U of A
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Replies to: Honors College at ASU and U of A
I bet Vassar does have better professors on average, but if you're careful with your class selection you'll generally be fine -- plus the price tag is a LOT nicer.
My dd was offered National Hispanic Finalist Scholarship for OOS. Like the other mom said - we hadn't known anything about ASU, but the great financial offer and the information re: Barretts seems like an amazing opportunity. We attended a dinner presentation in Houston last week with Dr. Jacobs, who was very informative and entertaining. DD is 85% sure she's going to ASU, but we haven't made a visit yet. Scheduled to attend orientation in March. She's signed up for Honors housing - I know they're older than any of the other dorms and I worry about the doors of some of the halls opening to the outside (security issues) and that she'd be walking outside to get to the bathroom.
Are you aware of any security problems since you've been there? Also, do you think the new Honors complex is really going to be completed by fall 2009? (it looks amazing) Do you know any Sustainability majors and if so, are they happy? Do honors freshmen also get priority registration? Any problems (or know someone) regarding maintaining the 3.25 GPA to keep scholarships - Dr Jacobs mentioned something like only 17 students out of close to 3000 didn't meet the minimum...?
Thanks in advance for responses. I'm sure I'll have more questions as we get closer to decision time.....
Since I have been here, I have not heard of one security issue regarding the halls leading to the outside (Hayden W and E, Irish B and C). The complex is surrounded by a gate that requires a sun card to get through, so that helps a lot with disallowing strangers in the complex. Not a problem at all.
I couldn't tell you whether or not the new honors community will be finished on time. They have been promising us the opportunity for a while, and they are usually good about keeping their word, but who knows...things happen. But for now, we're all staying pretty optimistic about the whole thing.
I have personally not met any Sustainability majors, but have met a lot of Biological Sciences (Ecology or Evolution) types, all interested in Sustainability. I know one of the Irish halls next year is specifically being used as a sustainability community, which will be cool. Sustainability sounds like an interesting major, but if for some reason your daughter isn't enjoying it, there are so many more majors to choose from, all involving that type of learning.
Honors freshman do get priority registration, along with all other honors students, we even get to register before seniors. It's great! Especially helpful when you have to sign up for a gen ed class that fills up rather quickly.
I have not met a single honors student thus far that is unable to keep the 3.25 minimum GPA. I was worried about it myself going in to be honest, but as long as you keep up with the work/reading, it will be no problem. Plus, Barrett offers every student so many resources, that if there was some situation where a GPA was hard to keep up, they will gladly help you out any way they can.
I went to a "lunch with the dean" event one day, which is possibly for any honors student at any grade level. He's such a great guy. You can tell he really cares about his students and they're success. I'm very excited for my future here.
Hope that helped!
Would love to hear from other Honors students, too. Thanks again.
I haven't met any Sustainability majors either, but most of the people that I know are either business majors or humanities majors as those are the two areas in which I take classes. There are so many students here that you can easily feel like you have lots of opportunities and people to meet without even leaving your own college (business/engineering, etc.). You do have a lot more variety within the honors complex though.
Priority registration is amazing -- honors is worth it for that alone. Also, keeping a 3.25 GPA is no problem at all, I got a 3.97 without too much trouble. The land on which the honors complex is to be built looks like it's being worked on (I don't see it all that often) so I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be open for Fall 2009.
I've seen a lot of positives discussed in this thread, which is great (Barrett is my first choice). However, I was wondering if any current/past Barrett students had any negatives or constructive criticisms to share about the college? Thanks.
All of the problems that they have had complaints about in the past, like the need for more honors-only classes, and more honors faculty, all seem to have been taken care of.
The biggest plus is the Human Event, though. That's quite an experience.
As for the dorms: they're run down, but I really have no complaints. They're quiet (sometimes too quiet!) and there are community showers, but I'm in college; I'm not looking for a 5 star hotel experience
Don't forget that Barrett Honors College has only one more year (2008-09) in its existing dorm complex. In the fall 0f 2009, BHC will move into a brand new "honors village" that will include not only new dorms, but also new classrooms, dining halls, and recreational facilities just for BHC students. It's under construction now and will be awesome when it's done. President Crow has put a lot of money into BHC.
i have just a couple of questions right now and i would appreciate if anyone could answer them..
-as an honors student, do you feel like you are constantly being academically challenged. i know that you are mostly surrounded by other honors students but do you feel like your classes are mentally stimulating/as mentally stimulating as what you would experience at a more prestigious private university?
-what's the social atmosphere like among barrett kids?
-what are the differences between the phoenix campus and the tempe campus? if i enrolled at asu i would be entering as a journalism major at the cronkite school..which i think is in phoenix.
thanks!! any help would be much appreciated
I think that, if you take as many honors courses as you can, your Barrett experience can be every bit as fulfilling as the experience you would get at a prestigious, private university. I actually transferred from Vassar, which is a elite, private liberal arts college on the East Coast. The bottom line: I prefer ASU. Because I'm not paying as much for tuition (less than $5k a semester, vs. Vassar's $48k) my parents are willing to pay for study abroad stuff. With the national merit scholarship, you will be able to take advantage of those opportunities as well! There are great trips (for seven honors credits!) to Greece, France, Russia, and China every summer with Barrett ONLY students...meaning you will be stuck with people who value learning and are as passionate about their classes as you are
Furthermore, I do honestly feel like I'm being academically challenged. The Human Event, a seminar that every honors student has to take, has been a lot of fun... but you also have to work at it. For me, that's definitely positive. Unfortunately, because I transferred, I couldn't take advantage of priority registration and was therefore stuck with a few non-honors classes that are really boring. However, priority reg. is guaranteed for all honors students, so you should have no problem getting the honors classes you want. They are taught by some great professors.
The social aspect of Barrett is a lot of fun as well. It's like this little hub of intelligent, fun people within a huge research university. This isn't to say that non-honors students aren't smart (there are brilliant students who just don't feel like going the honors route) but you will, in general, be surrounded by people who love to learn for the sake of learning.
I think the best way to get the full Barrett experience is to live on the Tempe campus, in the honors complex. That's why I think it's a pity that the journ. school is moving to Phoenix. I was hugely involved in journalism in high school though, and so I'd urge you to consider other majors besides journalism. To be a good journalist, you can always major in something broad and then go on to become a broadcast/print journalist. That way, you could also get hte cool experience of living on the Tempe campus
At one time the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism was considered one of the best in the nation, unfortunately, because of Arizona trying to keep it's local students, it's quality has quickly fallen and the professors we know there are very discouraged about the future of the program.
Many of the better professors have been looking elsewhere for new teaching positions because they are so disgusted by the lack of work ethic and quality of student that now attends the university.
From what we know, both U of A and AU are struggling to keep good students. It appears that many of the brighter students transfer out after their first year there because the courses are not challenging enough. (My dad knows most of the Pros there in those departments.)
Hope this helps.