<p>I am sure the answer is “it depends”, but does anyone have any examples of students who play/played a D1 sport and also attend the honors program at their school? Does it make a difference if it’s an honors program or an honors college? Are atheletes discouraged from doing an honors program due to the amount of time sports consumes? I am curious if it’s even an option at places like Oregon/CHC or UVM/HC. </p>
<p>I am going to say it depends. My son is on a D1 swim program(ACC) with an academic scholarship. He is taking a few honors classes and those are definitely his favorite classes. It really depends on the school and the kid. D1 has been a huge adjustment as it is not just the hours in the pool. It’s dryland, team meetings, mandatory study hall, hosting recruits, team get togethers, student-athlete freshman requirements, etc… These kids definitely do not have the life of just a normal freshman student who is in the honors college. However, the friends he has made in his honors classes have helped him to better adjust to college and give him a group of friends that is separate from his team. </p>
<p>It definitely depends on the sport and the major. My D1 athlete son (sophomore) has found honors classes to be more enjoyable due to the lower number of students and typically better professors. He is in some honors classes but not in a separate honors college. </p>
<p>My non-athlete son (junior in college) is in a separate honors college at our state flagship school. He has a minimum GPA to remain in the college (regardless of major), a requirement to complete 30 credits a year, and a set number of courses that must be taken in honors sections. While they give honors college students priority registration, he has less flexibility in his class schedule just due to the lower number of sections at an honors level that are offered.
My athlete takes 12 credits during his competition semester and took summer school this past year to make up for the lighter semester course load. My honors college son is very restricted on where he can and can’t take summer school for it to count, so he has not done that, he takes 15-17 credits each semester. Find out what a potential school allows you to do. </p>
<p>Doing both sports and honors is doable, but just make sure you know ahead of time which would get dropped, sports or honors if the balance doesn’t work. Also keep in mind which department may be providing the scholarship, academics or athletics, since that may determine your priority. </p>
<p>OnTrack2013 said…Doing both sports and honors is doable, but just make sure you know ahead of time which would get dropped, sports or honors if the balance doesn’t work. Also keep in mind which department may be providing the scholarship, academics or athletics, since that may determine your priority.</p>
<p>Awesome advice…big thumbs up.</p>
<p>In addition, I think there are other alternatives to a D1 sport and honors program combination depending on the students anticipated major and the sport. IMHO…the competitive level of the sport and the specific major matter much more than whether it is an honors program or honors college. There are plenty of academically focused schools in this country that can be academically challenging…you don’t have to look very far.</p>