Honorable Mentions
Honors programs create additional academic opportunities
Small classes, hand-selected faculty, creative classroom structures, and interesting assignments, all within the context of a large, diverse campus…sound like the kind of education you're after? If you're looking for the academically rigorous curriculum of a private liberal arts college as well as the social atmosphere, professional opportunities, and tuition costs of a larger public university, an honors program may be your home away from home.Honors programs seek to create learning opportunities beyond those of the typical college lecture hall for motivated, above-average students. Though specifics vary from college to college, these programs basically act like a school within a school by providing intense courses, independent research assignments, discussion seminars, and thesis projects to students looking to learn more, push themselves harder, and invest more blood, sweat, and tears in their education. In addition to the coursework of the regular university, students also fulfill a second set of requirements in order to graduate with an honors diploma.
In most cases, honors requirements work in tandem with the university curriculum to give students a deeper understanding of their major without adding too much academic pressure. These requirements are intended to enrich and amplify an intended program of study rather than act as a separate program unto itself. Honors departments typically provide some resources such as separate housing, computer labs, libraries, scholarships, and/or academic advising to help students stay focused and on top of their work.
If your grades aren't quite up to par or if you'd like a year of university life to think it over, don't worry, you haven't missed the boat. Most schools provide two honors tracks, a four-year program designed for entering college freshman and a two- to three-year track designed for those who want to get involved later in their academic career. Requirements regarding both coursework and the admissions process vary tremendously from school to school, so do your homework and ask questions. For an introduction to programs from around the country, pick up a copy of Peterson's Honors Programs or to get involved on your campus, contact your school's Honors Department.
Christina Couch is a freelance writer based in Richmond, Virginia. She is the author of Virginia's Complete College Resource (Palari Publishing, 2007). Her byline can also be found on Aol.com, Msn.com, Yahoo! Finance, and the Christian Science Monitor. She can be contacted at couchcs@gmail.com.
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