The good, the bad, and the ugly - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jun 29, 2005

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Date: Jun 29, 2005

I hear that the Honors College will have more entering freshmen this fall than ever before. These are the top academic students with 25 or higher ACT scores; I think that is a great accomplishment.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Sparkplug wrote:

I hear that the Honors College will have more entering freshmen this fall than ever before. These are the top academic students with 25 or higher ACT scores; I think that is a great accomplishment.

More high scorers are accepted than actually arrive in the Fall. You have confirmation that a record number have definitely committed to USM?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Sparkplug wrote:

I hear that the Honors College will have more entering freshmen this fall than ever before..

Could it be that it is "more" because we have simply lifted our restriction on numbers? With the loss of top faculty members how can the Office of Academic Integrity allow us to admit "more"?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

I do not work in the Honors College but have friends that do. From what they tell me, the numbers are up, the students have been attending the Preview sessions and they (Honors) have not lowered the admission requirements to the College.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Sparkplug wrote:

they (Honors) have not lowered the admission requirements to the College.

Let's hope you're right. But has it been necessary for them to increase their number of admissions in order to get a full class? If the number of qualified applicants has increased, to what do you (or they) attribute this?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Open Gate wrote:

Sparkplug wrote: I hear that the Honors College will have more entering freshmen this fall than ever before..

Open Gate wrote: Could it be that it is "more" because we have simply lifted our restriction on numbers? With the loss of top faculty members how can the Office of Academic Integrity allow us to admit "more"?

There's no mystery there, fellas. You'll note that the ACT bar has been lowered to 25 whereas it was 27 in the past. The increased numbers are primarily from lowered standard. You can be sure that you won't get into the honors program at LSU or Ole Miss with a 25 ACT.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Honors used to have a cap of about 100 new students and took the best qualified. Therefore you could not have more in a given year because people were turned down. If you take the cap off, you can have more. It's as simple as that.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

well, i looked at LSU--can get in with a 24 ACT, even lower. Ole Miss doesn't want to make their standards public. MSU you can get in conditionally with a 25 ACT.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

well, i looked at LSU--can get in with a 24 ACT, even lower. Ole Miss doesn't want to make their standards public. MSU you can get in conditionally with a 25 ACT.

I'm curious. What does the "24 ACT" mean at LSU if you can be admitted to their honors program with a score that's even lower?

And what does it mean to be accepted "conditionally" into the program at MSU?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Wurl' Class Jockey wrote:

Open Gate wrote: Sparkplug wrote: I hear that the Honors College will have more entering freshmen this fall than ever before.. Open Gate wrote: Could it be that it is "more" because we have simply lifted our restriction on numbers? With the loss of top faculty members how can the Office of Academic Integrity allow us to admit "more"? There's no mystery there, fellas. You'll note that the ACT bar has been lowered to 25 whereas it was 27 in the past. The increased numbers are primarily from lowered standard. You can be sure that you won't get into the honors program at LSU or Ole Miss with a 25 ACT.

If you are a black student you can get in most honors programs in the country with an ACT of 25.It has to be a good bit higher for whites.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

I don't believe for a Nitchamburg minute that USM has a more rigorous honors program than Ole Miss or LSU. And I don't believe that those two SEC powerhouses depend on their athletic programs to attract top students.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

mr. wizard--go to their websites. see for yourself.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Honest Man wrote:

You can be sure that you won't get into the honors program at LSU or Ole Miss with a 25 ACT. If you are a black student you can get in most honors programs in the country with an ACT of 25. It has to be a good bit higher for whites.

Now this is making some sense, considering last week's report of minority enrollment at the various state schools in Mississippi. If USM ranked second in that regard, it should have no excuses for not having its fair share in its honors program.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

well, i looked at LSU--can get in with a 24 ACT, even lower. .

Good try, stinky, but this time you get only a partial cigar (and a stinky one at that!). The LSU Honors College website recommends an ACT composite of 30 for admission.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

so right--i stand corrected.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

There must be at least a dozen ways to explain the USM honors college information. A major reason for the cap was the colloquium program which has been dropped. If you don't have specialized courses, you can let in lots of students and tell them they are in the HonorsCollege. You don't have to tell them there is no longer an Honors faculty which was discontinued as the result of cuts.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

mr. wizard--go to their websites. see for yourself.

I have been able to find that the average ACT score of an incoming LSU freshman is 24, but I can't connect this figure with the honors college there. I did find this, however:

http://www.honors.lsu.edu/faqs.html

Looks like a 24 on the ACT is probably a disqualifier at LSU. Unless, of course, you are in some way "special."

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Polyanna wrote:

We're heard the bad and we've heard the ugly. Now let's hear the good. The time has come to list the positive academic changes which have occurred at USM during the past three years.

Sigh. We've had these rah-rah threads started before. They're all about the "good news," even though the good ship USM has got a big rip in its hull, we're taking on water and listing hard, the lifeboats are filling up, and the authorities have largely been ignoring our distress signals. Sorry, but the good news right now is how pretty the new deck chairs look on our own Titanic.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Mr. Wizard wrote:

stinky cheese man wrote:
mr. wizard--go to their websites. see for yourself.

I have been able to find that the average ACT score of an incoming LSU freshman is 24, but I can't connect this figure with the honors college there. I did find this, however:

http://www.honors.lsu.edu/faqs.html

Looks like a 24 on the ACT is probably a disqualifier at LSU. Unless, of course, you are in some way "special."

I see someone beat me to it. At least I did provide a link. Sorry

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:
Ole Miss doesn't want to make their standards public.

I'm passing out cigars too, Mr. stinky. I'll keep a stinky one for you in my humidor until you get the facts straight. The Ole Miss Honors College website says that the "usual" minimum ACT for admission is 28.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Even the good is pretty ugly wrote:

Sigh. We've had these rah-rah threads started before.

You think this is a rah-rah thread? I view it more as a challenge to find something positive. Those who are responding are having a pretty hard time finding something.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

rr--now that i've found the honors college viewbook. it also says right after that line: "Because some students do not do well on standardized tests, the Honors College encourages well-rounded students with strong GPAs to apply even if their test scores do not match the minimum."

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

well, i looked at LSU--can get in with a 24 ACT, even lower. Ole Miss doesn't want to make their standards public. MSU you can get in conditionally with a 25 ACT.

Stinky, I don't know where you got your info, but its incorrect at MSU.
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/uhp/eligibility.htm
states "If you are an entering freshman, a composite score of 28 or above on the ACT (1240-1600 SAT) will grant you unconditional admission. An ACT composite score of 26-27 (1170-1230 SAT) will grant you admission to individual courses determined by subscores and credentials."

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

go to their websites. see for yourself.

the Ole Miss Honors College has a forum program like USM used to, and they have freshman and sophomore honors seminars like USM used to. In other words they have a real honors program like USM used to.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

geez, i stand corrected a second time.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

well, i looked at LSU--can get in with a 24 ACT, even lower. Ole Miss doesn't want to make their standards public. MSU you can get in conditionally with a 25 ACT.

So why did you state these things? Did you think nobody would check?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

just tired and trying to do too many things at once.

Date: Jun 29, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

geez, i stand corrected a second time.

The reference to exceptions at Ole Miss clearly is aimed at "diversity" appointments. Their cutoff for "regular" students will be higher than at USM as it will be at LSU. Want another turn at bat or do you prefer another smelly cigar?

Date: Jun 29, 2005

Before stinky runs away with all of the smelly cigars would someone like to present the positive changes in their own during the past three years in their own department?