Any thoughts about the value of an honors program (Providence) versus William & Mary (non honors)? My son is leaning towards CS and W&M announce a new CS college in 2025.
Would honors be better? Or is W&M considered better? Would the requirement to maintain GPA for honors create more stress?
Cost is not a big issue, in state for W&M, $30k merit for PC.
Congratulations to your son. If possible, I would have him revisit these schools now that he is an accepted student. Then…let him choose.
William and Mary is a terrific school, and you don’t need an honors college to get a superb education there. In schools that don’t have honors colleges (most elite schools would fall into this category), there is typically a track to earn a degree with honors, usually by doing a thesis or capstone project that is above and beyond what most majors have to do, and often by clearing a GPA threshold, as well. You might look into this possibility with W&M. FWIW, my nephew did computer science at W&M and has stayed on for his Master’s, and has had a great experience.
I would confirm if the merit award from Providence is for all 4 years. When D23 was accepted to Providence last year she received a great merit award but it was noted in the fine print that it was an estimate and had to be renewed each year. She crossed it off her acceptances because it was still too high even with the award. Honestly, I can’t remember if she was honors or not but it could be an honors award. Both are fantastic schools. Congratulations to your son!
Thanks. Good to hear about the CS experience. CS is not the first major i think of at W&M, but with their investnent in the new college, it could be a great opportunity.
The merit is for each year subject to GPA requirement, as is the honors program. I dont anticipate a problem, bur the added stress is a consideration. Thanks.
Definitely visit. It should make things clear.
Also, dig into the curriculum (CS requirements, core/gen ed requirements).
My impression is that the vibe at each is quite different - Providence is more preprofessional&preppier and W&M has a more intellectual/quirkier vibe.
He has visited both a couple times, even attended a couple classes. The feel wasn’t that different, although i agree with your assessment.
I am curious about “honors program” and how that might play into it. Would it make his PC experience more like W&M (intellectual/quirky)? How is the honors program viewed at PC? Do The honors program participants get more “segregated” or just blend in? My feeling is that the overall feel of W&M is more like an honors program, so everyone has the same expectations. .
I would dig into exactly what benefits the honors program at Providence offers – honors programs vary widely from college to college.
FWIW I know many happy students and grads of W&M.
You can compare
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This is great advice. My S23 was deciding between Villanova and W&M last year and this was one of the big factors along with fit that helped with his decision.
My advice is not just to review the requirements, but actually lay out a sample schedule for each school year by year.
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