<p>Sorry if this is repetitive, but it relates to many threads that are out there (Ivy vs. non-Ivy, Ivy worth it, etc). Typical reasons given for attending a prestigious LAC or college is that the student will receive more personal attention and will have smart, dedicated peers.</p>
<p>My son just finished his first year at a public university which is best known as a Party School (#2 on PR’s list). So what does he get in terms of attention? </p>
<li><p>He has at least one class per quarter in his major (two courses this previous quarter) which are run tutorial style, in a class size of one student. The student is expected to learn the material and then engage in in-depth discussions one-on-one with the professor, typically in his/her office.</p></li>
<li><p>His progress and grades are very closely monitored. If any grade slips to a B- his advisor will bring him in for a discussion to find out what’s going on.</p></li>
<li><p>He will engage in a significant thesis in his senior year. The thesis application is similar to the process for a Master’s thesis, and he will work very closely with his faculty advisor.</p></li>
<li><p>The faculty AND the administration know him (well) and they work together on non-class related projects. For example, he was asked to work with the graduation ceremony people to create a presentation with photos of the graduates from childhood to graduation which was played at the ceremony.</p></li>
<li><p>The school has provided him with a fairly substantial grant for this summer to do a project in his chosen area.</p></li>
<li><p>The school is sending him to Stanford, paying tuition, room and board, and all travel so that he can take a technical course that is not available at his school.</p></li>
<li><p>He does this in an environment with other driven, very intelligent students (the cream of the crop, based on the selectivity of this very competitive program).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I could go on, but I just want to add one last thing: Merit scholarships covered almost three-quarters of the tuition.</p>
<p>Digmedia - I loved that school, too - but you have to admit that these opportunities are only available for a very small, select number of people. Honors tutorial college is great, but is not the dominant experience on campus!<br>
But I’m glad he’s loving it. [Sometimes I miss Athens, (sigh)].</p>
<p>Many of the students here may have a shot at HTC. I see people looking at getting into some of the most selective schools with phenomenal stats.</p>
<p>One “problem” with HTC is that it’s for students who KNOW what they want to do with their lives. There is no “undeclared” major in HTC.</p>
<p>It is incredibly hard to get into the Honors at OU. They take like only a couple kids per major! Congrats to your kid and I’m looking at OU for next year. Do you think you could PM me with some details about he likes the social life and how transportation and such things work? Thanks!!</p>
<p>I’ll PM you my son’s email address and you can put your questions directly to him. They bring in 60 kids per year across 25 majors so it works out to just about 2 people per major. Some get accepted to multiple majors and then get their choice when they enroll. I don’t know how acceptances work because I’m sure they don’t get 100% yield because these are kids that would be recruited just about anywhere, so it’s probably a little easier to get accepted than just the 2 per major.</p>
<p>There were several steps: first the regular OU application, on which you indicate you’re interested in HTC. If you pass that first review, you are invited to apply to HTC. Then comes THAT application with extra essays, and in my son’s case, the development of a portfolio. If you pass that stage, then you’re a “finalist” and have to visit OU for interviews. Then if you’re selected, you finally receive a thin envelope in the mail with the HTC acceptance letter. Meanwhile, you’ll be already accepted into “regular” OU and will have already received housing info, etc.</p>
<p>Most HTC students stay in Hoover, which has a “mod” arrangement with three small hallways around a common room for hanging out. The halls have 5 rooms each (4 singles and 1 double) and a bathroom in each hall. The mods are sexually integrated, but each hall houses only a single sex, with all sharing the common area. Many of the rooms in Hoover are air conditioned.</p>
<p>From an outside observer, it looks to me like once the initial culling is done (based on stats like class rank and ACT/SAT scores), they are looking for the “most passionate of the passionate.” People who have a very strong sense of where they’re going and demonstrate that they can succeed.</p>
<p>DIG that is just sooo awesome for your son - what great opportunities can be had when one works hard and earns them. Hope he is enjoying all this - he surly made a great choice for college - nice when things match like that!! :)</p>
<p>I would expect the majority of students at OU were/are not interested in the type of experience that HTC seems to provide. This is not to say that they don’t value their education, but most students at OU probably don’t mind large classes (and would shudder at the idea of a 1 student class!) that provide plenty of free time to party, hang out, sleep etc.</p>
<p>For a select few who would be interested and able to handle the academics, it sounds like an amazing experience.</p>
<p>Anyway, the point of this thread is to show that some amazing alternatives to expensive schools can be found. But we are sometimes (and I was too) so totally focused on the “name” schools that we may miss some good opportunities and some great fits.</p>
<p>I agree with her… i mean, i got a great education at a school that most people wouldn’t even take a look at in the first place. The 100 page senior papers (note the s on the end of paper… that’s right, more than one), the one on one meetings with professors, small classes, no TA’s, the professor reccomendations for jobs, the presentations in front of company CEO’s for exactly what is wrong with their company (Imagine being 20 and telling Harley-Davidson what they should be doing better… as they are sitting there taking notes), the networking with other businesses, the interactive games/simulations played as a class, etc. I wouldn’t of gone to a school like Harvard or Yale if they offered me a full ride because that’s just not the right fit.</p>
<p>I thought this thread was going to be about the virtues of another LAC and why going to a public university is a terrible decision. How refreshing to read about unique programs that are offerered at the State University. I think their are alot of “Hidden Gem Programs” that often get overlooked. If you are lucky, you find them if you are looking in a particular field of study. I found a “Hidden Gem” at SUNY Cortland. It’s a combo program in environmental science. Three year BA at Cortland with a Masters from Duke U in environmental science. I cannot tell you how many times I was on the Cortland website (as my d will be attending as a sports management major) and this program went unnoticed by me. It was only after I did a little research for another cc mom, that I found this program.
So I think I am going to start a new thread for “HIDDEN GEM PROGRAMS” that might be of interest to other cc parents and kids.<br>
Dig- once it gets started , you might want to add some detail about the Ohio Tutorial Program.
Dig- I started the thread so if you want to give some info about it, I think it would be helpful to alot of people on cc.</p>