Our student is trying to decide whether to take the honors version of the Freshman Engineering Seminar. Do any parents or students have any experience with this? Any feedback would be helpful. I know there has been some discussion of Honors sections of other required courses, but couldn’t find any info specific to this freshman seminar.
I didn’t take the Honor’s version and really regretted it. I was in 3 UHC classes my freshman year (fall/spring term) and a lot of my friends were as well. They had all taken the seminar and I took a regular one, which while fun, wasn’t as fulfilling. We had to spend time learning how to manage our schedule and do homework, but I was already comfortable with those topics. And our free time was spent playing board games (which was the fun part) but with a group of kids I never saw in my other classes so we couldn’t relate as well.
In restropect, my classmates were able to meet outside of class in seminar and get more tailored help with regards to success in a UHC class as well as hang out in a stress-free environment. I know instead of “games” or watching TV or playing Frisbee (there are loads of different seminar topics to pick from) they would frequently read and discuss articles or book selections, which (based on my experience in other UHC book clubs later on) generally led to some really good discussion!
Either way you can’t go wrong, but be aware that if you are taking a lot of UHC classes you are less likely to see your classmates in seminar vs. UHC seminar
Thank you! It sounds like even if she decides the Honors versions of chem and physics are too much to tackle right out of the gate, this seminar in honors might be a good way to get to know other honors engineers. I will share your feedback.
@SpaceCoastMom - I know this is an old thread but my DD now has the same question as an incoming Class of 2020 freshman. What did your D decide and did she enjoy the honors classes? Thanks!!
Yes, DD just completed her freshman year in Engineering. She opted for no honors her freshman year afterall. Her comment was that she might should have considered the engineering seminar in honors and done it because they did do some very interesting things in the honors sections. But, she feared the rigor would be too much for her. The rigor of freshman year did surprise her. The average is around a 2.9 for all freshman engineers after the first semester. And, this is out of a very high stat entering class. In addition to all the academics, they are adjusting to managing their time, figuring which extra-curriculars they have time for, and adjusting to living away from their family. It is tough to make these choices regarding honors sections not knowing how the student will feel as the semester progresses. All that said, I don’t think either choice is really so critical that it affects the end result or primary goals the student might have.
I’ll close by saying her freshman year at Pitt was a great success. She thought the academic advising was great, grew so much in the freshman engineering paper and conference assignment it was astounding. She mentioned she was very impressed by faculty and has a ton of respect for her fellow students. She loves the city and already can’t wait to go back in the fall. The fact that she loves it so much, given the very high rigor of the program, really means something. Pitt Engineering is doing a lot of things really right.