Honors students will pursue academic excellence both in and out of the classroom. Students will use the Honors Contract to construct purposeful and intellectually stimulating programs of study.
- Students will delve deeply into a subject through rigorous (e.g., honors, upper-level, or graduate-level) course work in the major.
- Students will undertake a broad program of study that emphasizes strong (e.g., honors, upper-level, or graduate-level) course work from multiple disciplines.
- Students will be able to articulate the relationship between their studies and future aspirations.
- Students will maintain exceptional levels of performance in their academic endeavors.
Consulting with your academic advisors, both in the ASC Honors Office and in your major and minor departments, is key to developing a program of study that is both purposeful and intellectually rigorous. Their deep knowledge of the curriculum, enrichment opportunities, and post-graduation options is a resource that can help you to construct and tailor an especially strong and meaningful program of study.
- One of the fundamental aspects of Academic Enrichment is excelling in your course work! Maintain the minimum 3.4 GPA needed to graduate with honors in the Arts and Sciences while striving for the highest grades possible. Be careful not to spread yourself so thin that you cannot do well in your course work.
- Meet with your academic advisors on a regular basis…at least once a semester is a good rule of thumb.
- Talk to your departmental honors advisor for your major about ways to challenge yourself within your major. This could involve more advanced course work than is typically required, involvement in research or a creative project, internship opportunities, etc.
- Use the ASC Honors Guides to the General Education requirements as a guide to selecting appropriately challenging course work (usually honors or upper-level courses) outside of your major and throughout your general education requirements.
- The classroom is not the only place to seek academic enrichment! Take advantage of all that the university has to offer by attending lectures and talks, taking in artistic performances, visiting art exhibits, and exploring other opportunities to engage with new and/or big ideas. Perhaps start with the opportunities offered by your major department or the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Find community in your academic discipline by joining academic/department/college clubs and honoraries. Talk to your academic advisors about student organizations that might be particularly relevant to your academic interests and goals.
- Set your sights on excellence: election to the Phi Beta Kappa Society is an honor accorded to Arts and Sciences students who have performed with excellence while completing a program of exceptional strength and breadth.