Students Answer FAQS
Sometimes, prospective students have questions that can be best answered by current Honors Tutorial College students, not handbooks, administrators or parents.
These Frequently Asked Questions are real questions we've heard from prospective students just like you. We posed these questions to some of our current HTC students, and here are their responses.
"I just got accepted to an Ivy League school, and I've been offered big scholarships to a few other prestigious universities. Why the heck should I consider the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University?"
As an Honors Tutorial College student, you won't be just a number. You'll be working one-on-one with an expert in your field of study right away, starting with your very first quarter on campus--no waiting until you're a junior or senior before you see the inside of a science lab, dance studio or newsroom. We've had students transfer here from bigger, more "prestigious" colleges because they were tired of sifting through textbooks and never even meeting a professor. The Dean of the Honors Tutorial College knows nearly every HTC student's name-and when she sees you walking across campus, she asks about your band's next gig or comments on your latest article in The Post. You simply won't find one-on-one attention like this anywhere else. It's a small college feel within the context of a large university.
"This whole tutorial thing sounds great, and I like the idea of personalized attention in the Honors Tutorial College, but I don't want to feel isolated from the rest of the campus. Will I miss out on the 'college experience' if I'm an HTC student?"
HTC is the best of both worlds when it comes to university size: being an HTC student means being a student in a small college at a large university. You get all the personalized help you need--because the faculty and staff here will actually know your name--but you have access to the resources, networks and organizations that a large university offers. Also, while tutorials form the core of the HTC curriculum, HTC students are still required to take "regular" classes with non-HTC students as required by their major. This means you won't only be in classes with professors and other HTC students-you'll get to meet lots of different people from across campus too.
"I'm a serious student, but I definitely don't want to eat, sleep and breathe 'school.' Do HTC students have time to do anything else on campus?"
Absolutely. Our students are busy-and not only with classes. At Ohio University, there is a student organization to fit nearly every interest. HTC students are active in on-campus organizations like the Student Senate, College Democrats; College Republicans; Alpha Phi Omega, the coed community service fraternity; organizations focused on diversity like UNIFY and Open Doors; media and performing arts clubs like The Lost Flamingo Company and the campus radio station, ACRN; The Pre-Med Club and The Society of Physics Students; religious organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ and Hillel; and yes, even honors organizations like the Honors College Advisory Council and the Honors College Society. In fact, we keep track of what our students are involved in so we can support each others' endeavors-- to read a partial list of what our students are up to this year, click here.
"How is the Honors Tutorial College different from the dozens of other honors programs I've heard about at other universities?"
First, we're a college-not a program. We're the only degree-granting institution in the U.S. that incorporates all of the traditional tutorial methods that Oxford and Cambridge University do. We're a tutorial college, which means our emphasis is on pairing students with professors and allowing substantive learning to happen through dialogue, not lecture. There's no back row in a tutorial. HTC students work one-on-one with some of the most renowned experts in their field, a true challenge that reaps immeasurable intellectual rewards. Some of our students have been afforded truly unique opportunities through their tutorial work. For example, one student co-authored a textbook with one of her professors, another went out west with the Lewis and Clark expedition reenactment, and several others have gone to conferences or workshops related to their major.
"I hear Ohio University is a 'party school.' Are your students really serious about academics?"
YES! Honors Tutorial College Students must maintain a 3.5 g.p.a. in their major area of study, so a commitment to your studies is absolutely necessary to succeed in HTC. There are parties at Ohio University--just like there are parties at nearly every other college in the nation--but it is up to each individual student to decide where his or her priorities lie. Our students' priorities are grounded in academia--not floating in a keg of beer.
Want more information?
Be sure to visit our Something Completely Different, Admissions Requirements, How to Apply, What is a Tutorial?, Scholars Residence Halls pages for prospective students or email the College to receive a viewbook. Please write "Viewbook request" in the subject line and include your full name and mailing address in the body of the email.