<p>Since the 30k vs. full tuition is new this year there is no way to know, but I would think that they would not stack merit awards (they would stack merit with financial aid though).</p>
<p>The honors community is as tight knit as you want it to be. My daughter, currently a sophomore, made a large group of friends early freshman year that she continues to be close with. The group is mostly honors but not exclusively. Honors kids generally socialize with the community as a whole although they do have some honors only activities a few times a month (book group, events with professors, social events, leadership events, etc.) </p>
<p>Although they dorm together (required freshman year and optional after that), the number of honors classes that make up your schedule will be small (mostly they only have honors sections for introductory classes and then the honors seminars) so you will spend more time with everybody else than with only honors students. (My daughter has only one honors class this year, she had 3 each semester freshman year). Even the honors degree option only requires 5-6 honors classes (out of the 8 semesters of classes - probably over 32 classes).</p>
<p>The honors sections of introductory classes will be small - 20-25 and will not require an additional recitation class - compared to the regular class size of maybe 75-100 with a separate small recitation class. Honors seminars will also be this size. However, after the introductory classes, you will be in sections of classes for your major and those will be whatever size they are. Interestingly, last year as a freshman my daughter had only small classes (the largest was maybe 30) and this year many of her classes are large (closer to 50 students). For these classes there were no choices (they are required intermediate classes for her major).</p>
<p>Most of her honors friends have activities that they pursue with the entire community ranging from pep band, to ballroom dancing, to intramural ice hockey to the cooking club etc.</p>