A few days ago
gottahavesportz

Is it better to graduate from a good private college or a state honor’s college?

I’m a rising high school senior, and I’ve been looking at all my options. I live close to UVM (University of Vermont), which is one of the top ranked state colleges in the US, and I’ve been offered admission into their honors college. If I stay in the program for all four years, my diploma will reflect this, and I will graduate with a special honor’s degree. On the other hand, I’m also considering some elite private schools, such as Kenyon College, Wheaton, Brandeis, St Lawrence, Swarthmore and Amherst. The thing is, those schools are further from home, and they cost a lot more. For employers and graduate schools, is there a substantial (or any) advantage to a good private school over a public honors college?

Top 5 Answers
A few days ago
Krystal A

Favorite Answer

there really is no difference unless you went to an ivy league school and graduated with honors. What the schools want to see is how well that you have done in the level of classes. If you can stay in the honors programs at UVM for all four years and do really good I would say do that. The only time the school might make a difference is if the employer went to the school as well, some like to hire ppl from the same school if they have a choice.
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A few days ago
RoaringMice
Some of the schools you mentioned: Kenyon, Swarthmore, and Amherst, are considered the baby-Ivys. They will open more doors from you than an honors degree from UVM.

But that said, UVM is a strong state college, and a LOT of high achieving students go to their in-state school, rather than elite private schools, due to cost. I did, as did some of my friends. We got into elite private university, and due to cost, chose to attend the best public university in our state – which ranks top 100 nationwide, and which also ranks top 100 internationally. Like you, I did the honors program. While oddly enough, inside my state, people were all, like, “You went to ZooU?”, outside my state, and internationally, EVERYONE I’ve met has been, like, “University of X? Ooh… Good school.”

As one other poster said, by the time you reach the upper level classes, there are no honors classes. Those are mostly at the lower levels: freshman and sophomore. But they were intense, and small, and very well taught.

So, based on your liking for Amherst and etc., I recommend that you apply to only the top small liberal arts schools: Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Middlebury, and Bowdoin being at the top of most lists. If you’re female, add Wellesley. And, because their financial aid packages are often stronger than those at the baby Ivys, also consider applying to certain of the Ivys and top national universities that may appeal: try Dartmouth, specifically (because you like Amherst) and maybe Brown, for the Ivys, and also Brandeis, maybe Tufts, maybe Georgetown. You may also like Syracuse, and Boston College. Again, good name schools, and although they will cost a lot more than UVM, they may give you more “bang”. And see how the financial aid packages play out.

Unless you love the schools, I don’t think I’d bother with St. Lawrence or Wheaton – they rank too low, aren’t well known enough, and if you’re looking for name/bang for the buck, I’m not sure they’re what you need.

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A few days ago
Thomas M
You’d see a few more doors opened by Brandeis, Swarthmore or Amherst. Honors programs at public universities don’t mean as much as they like to make them seem to mean, because for the upper level elective classes, they just can’t afford to run separate honor program and regular classes. As a result, the more advanced classes you take will be the same regardless of whether you’re in the honors program. The other private schools you mentioned are probably not worth the money, at least in terms of prestige.
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4 years ago
Anonymous
you will get into college. Graduating with honors is extremely like icing on a cake – that is great, besides the shown fact that it is not waht gets you into college. a reliable SAT or ACT score and sturdy usual GPA is what gets you into college.
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A few days ago
CanProf
Within reason, where you get your degree is much less important than how well you did, what else you did with your time and how good (and from whom) the letters of reference are that you will want to get from your professors.

Good luck

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