As your first year of college approaches, you’re making decisions that will determine the course of your university experience. You’re choosing your school, picking your major, and weighing housing options. If you’re an above-average student, you’re also considering enrolling in an Honors College, an exclusive program of rigorous study within the university.
Like the “difficulty setting” menu at the start of a video game, you might be framing this choice as the difference between college on “normal mode” or “hard mode.” Sure, in Honors, you get access to some pretty amazing benefits as a student — along with a special shoutout at graduation and a resume that will raise eyebrows at your first job interview — but you’re also expected to be more engaged and put in a little more effort. The perks are nice, you may be thinking, but are they really worth the added expectations?
In this article, we’re going to grab that dilemma by the horns (it’s a Bulls joke. Get it?) and examine its real ramifications. Obviously, as a university, we think that Honors is pretty awesome (especially our Judy Genshaft Honors College! Wowza!) However, we recognize that advanced academic programs have a reputation for dominating the lives of their students. Rather than just listing pros and cons and sending you on your way, we want to really dig into what an Honors college experience will mean to you. Only then can you truly decide whether joining an Honors college is worth it.
Some students considering Honors hesitate because they feel like it may be more pressure. As an Honors student, you represent your school as one of the best students it has to offer. Others may worry about a heavier workload, social isolation or burnout.
These concerns are understandable, but Honors student experiences tell a different story. “As a nervous freshman starting at a large university, I found so much comfort in the close-knit environment that the Honors College provided,” Judy Genshaft Honors College alumna Daniela Vasquez recalled. “The small class sizes and tight community made this daunting transition much less intimidating. It was a place where I found belonging.”
In testimony after testimony, Honors alumni rave about the program’s positive impact on their lives. Clearly, they found their Honors experiences to be worth much. Let’s consider why.
Dr. Catherine Wilkins, Associate Dean of the Judy Genshaft Honors College on USF’s St. Petersburg Campus, pointed out that the students who excel in Honors don’t see their involvement in terms of a cost-benefit calculation. “We are seeking students who are invested in our commitments — to healthy humanity, sustainable futures, and engaged citizenship — and see that there is an intrinsic reward of personal growth and professional development from participating in our courses and experiential learning opportunities.”
Rather than framing Honors involvement as “effort,” students interested in Honors should consider the practical purpose of the additional academic responsibilities that will be laid upon them. Honors classes require students to confront challenging topics, articulate their viewpoints to intelligent classmates who have different perspectives, and thoroughly engage with the material through in-depth, hands-on learning. This all goes above and beyond what their peers outside of Honors are doing, and these innovative learning methods push Honors students to their limits — and beyond.
Joining an Honors college is like enrolling in a premium training program for your brain, and the experience can be thrilling. “An intense, challenging period of academic study has transformative benefits both in the short term and the long term,” observed Christopher L. Eisgruber, J.D., the president of Princeton University. He concluded that “collective pursuit of this demanding project can itself be a source of inspiration and meaning.”
In other words, participating in challenging academics provides a mental workout and a sense of accomplishment. After you first achieve a personal best for a workout, that feat can be duplicated in far less time than it initially took to reach, and your additional confidence will help you reach the next milestone, too. Similarly, once you’ve conquered an academic project that is tougher than anything you’ve attempted before, you will find the next challenge that much more manageable.
To determine if joining an Honors college is right for you, you really need to ask yourself this: “What kind of person do I want to be at the end of my college journey?”
Do you want to be a person who listens to and learns from diverse perspectives? Well, Honors classes are multidisciplinary. They bring together students from various perspectives and approaches, giving them a chance to collaborate on solutions. That will teach you, through experience, about strength through diversity.
Do you want to learn by doing? Participating in research is an Honors requirement, so Honors colleges provide exclusive options for internships and research experiences for undergraduates, beginning as early as your first semester. Many will produce real deliverables and results for the Honors college’s community partners, too. This isn’t even touching on the exclusive study abroad opportunities offered to Honors students!
Do you want to get guidance from experts in your field? Honors students get additional opportunities for mentorship. Honors faculty members make themselves more accessible to their students, frequently engaging them in casual but profound discussions outside of class and inviting them to assist with research projects. Honors colleges also plan events that bring in community leaders and successful alumni to network with their students. You’ll have no shortage of influential professionals to learn from.
Do you want to be surrounded by likeminded people who really get you? You’ll find that in an Honors College, where everyone around you is bright and ambitious. It’s a supportive environment that prioritizes scholarship and achievement, so while you’ll be challenged, you won’t be alone.
Do you want to build soft skills that will make you an effective leader? Honors courses demand more reading, writing, and public speaking than other courses, developing you into a brilliant communicator. You’ll also master teamwork: To solve the complex problems you’ll be assigned, you’ll need to work together with your classmates, balancing your strengths and weaknesses with theirs.
All of these experiences make Honors students singularly hireable after graduation and position them to make a global impact as they progress in their careers. Pragmatically, those alone probably make the experience worth it. But that’s such a transactional attitude! There’s so much more value to be gained from these programs than money and accolades.
Honors colleges, like the one at USF, “prepare highly motivated, intellectually curious, and service-oriented students to gain practical wisdom and become engaged thought leaders of the twenty-first century.” They are less focused on what you know at the end than what you will choose to do with the knowledge and skills you’ve gained.
I don’t usually insert my personal experience into my articles, but I’m going to make an exception for this topic because I suspect you and I have some things in common. Over a decade ago, I was the most talented student in my high school and had some of the highest test scores in my state. Now, in my early thirties, I’m passionate about learning and personal growth for their own sake, but I didn’t have the same priorities in college. I used my academic talents to coast by, and while my GPA was still outstanding, it was far from the best I could do. To be clear, I’m pleased with where I am today, but if I could go back and do it all over again, I would be motivated to accept every additional challenge and opportunity I was offered. Honors, study abroad, research opportunities, community service…I’d try it all.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably an exceptionally talented student, too. Since there’s no way I can communicate with shortsighted younger me, I’m telling you instead:
You have this choice in front of you, not behind you, and that’s an amazing place to be! Make full use of your talents now — not to coast by, but to advance farther and faster than your peers. I’ve traveled down the road a bit more, so trust me: Your future self will be proud you committed to excellence. It’s not about accolades, though, or even ability — sometimes hard things are just worth doing because they’re hard.
If you’re ready to join an Honors college, why not choose the exemplary one here at USF? Start by submitting a general application to our university, then submit an additional application to the Judy Genshaft Honors College.
If you have any questions about college admissions, we have an outstanding team of counselors ready to help you figure it all out. Call 813-974-3350 during regular business hours or email admissions@usf.edu any time for assistance.