<p>The main vibe difference between honors suite-style residence vs. non-honors, non-suite-style is that in honors, everyone (with a few exceptions) is “smarter than your average bear,” and most everyone is very serious about excelling in the classroom, whereas the proportion of high-achievers might be lower in a non-honors residence. The main advantage here, in my opinion, is that it may be more advantageous and more fulfilling to become involved in the prevailing culture of an honors dorm than a non-honors residence. </p>
<p>That said, this is, IMO, certainly not a $3000 difference, as there are exceptional groups in which to be involved all over campus. I may be wrong, but I’m quite certain that Burke has study rooms, and I wouldn’t call it a “wild” dorm. It’s not too far from the main library, but I would not recommend studying at Gorgas. Paradoxically, most people think Gorgas is the best place to study and thus go there to study, making it crowded and really not a very pleasant place to study. There are great study places to be found all over campus; finding the right one will be up to your son.</p>