In February 2023, I was a high school senior eagerly looking forward to going to college, and FSU was at the top of my list. I had already been accepted to FSU in December, but I’d been anticipating Feb. 15 to see if I’d been accepted to the Honors Program. I can still remember logging onto my application portal and seeing that an update to my application had been posted. When I opened the page my eyes flew to the opening sentence: “We are delighted to offer you admission to the University Honors Program. Congratulations!”
I was excited to be accepted to the Honors Program, but I had no idea what the program offered besides the benefit of priority class registration. Here I am a year later to give potential first-year honors students (or anyone interested) a guide to the amazing Honors Program!
what is the fsu honors program?
First of all, what is the FSU Honors Program? A general definition is that it’s a community that offers honors students the best resources and opportunities to enrich their FSU experience, both in and out of the classroom.
General Retention Requirements
There are requirements that students must meet to remain in good standing with the Honors Program. First, students must maintain a 3.2 FSU GPA throughout their time at Florida State. Second, students must take the University Honors Colloquium in their first semester. Last, students must complete one Honors Signature Course during their first or second year in the Honors Program.
The Honors Colloquium is a one-credit pass/fail course that fulfills the Engage 100 requirement. It’s led by Honors Colloquium Leaders, who are advanced peer instructors. The course introduces students to FSU and helps students transition from high school to college.
Signature Courses are a central feature of the Honors Program. Students must complete one Honors Signature Course during their first or second year. They are small interactive courses that introduce students to topics that are exclusive and inquiry-based. I’ve taken two Signature Courses so far and enjoyed both of them! I took a Signature Course called “Truth, Justice, and the American Way: Ethics, Religion and Superheroes,” which used superheroes as a lens to view ethical norms. It was so interesting and taught me a lot.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate with University Honors, there are more requirements to fulfill. Students must complete the graduation requirements and then submit the University Honors Program Graduation Application in the semester they graduate. Students need 18 points to graduate with University Honors. Those points can be earned through Honors Coursework and Honors Achievements.
Honors Coursework is a way to earn points, and students must complete a minimum of 13 Honors credit hours. One credit hour equals one point, so a three-credit hour Honors Signature Course would be three points. Points from Honors Coursework can come from the Honors Colloquium, Honors Signature Courses, Honors-Augmented or Individual Honors-Augmented Courses, Honors Directed Individual Study (DIS) Courses, Graduate classes, or Honors in the Major thesis work. Whew, that was a lot of information that I just threw out, but it simply means that there are many ways honors students can earn points from coursework.
Honors Achievements are another way to earn points, at a maximum of five points. Some examples of Honors Achievements that can earn students one point are: completing the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP); being an Honors Colloquium Leader; being a Freshman Interest Group (FIG) leader; being a UROP leader; or completing 30 hours of service. A maximum of five Honors Points can come from Honors Achievements, but earning points this way is not a requirement. Students can earn all 18 points through their coursework if they choose.
Benefits of the Honors Program
Now to my favorite part of the Honors Program: its benefits! I can think of one specific reason why I chose to apply to Honors, and that was for priority registration. Honors students are guaranteed priority class registration, meaning we get to sign up for your classes on the first day possible. It’s a savior for registering. I’ve never had a problem getting the courses or professors that I want and have successfully never taken an 8 a.m.!
Another benefit of being an honors student is the Honors Courses! A great perk of Honors Signature Courses is that they are capped at 24 students, so the small class size allows for more interaction. There are also Honors Course Sections, which are honors-dedicated sections of a course, and there are Honors-Augmented Courses, where a course section taught outside of the Honors Program has seats and additional content reserved for honors students.
The Honors Program has many ways to help students create a community. Students have access to the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House, which can be a place to study, socialize, have meetings, or just relax. There is also an Honors Student Association (HSA), a student organization that plans social events, service opportunities, workshops, and more to help foster a community. The HSA holds a monthly breakfast that I love to attend before my morning classes to enjoy a yummy meal and good company!
Faculty, staff, and advisors are so important to your college experience, and the Honors Program provides the best. FSU is distinguished as the only Florida Honors Program with a group of Honors Teaching Faculty, which are full-time instructors who design the Signature Courses they offer. As an honors student, you also have access to an Honors advisor. I find it so helpful to sit down and talk to my Honors advisor and am grateful for the additional resource!
Finally, honors students have the opportunity to live in the Honors-only residence hall. Students can choose to live in the Honors-only Landis Hall, and the overflow goes to Jennie Murphree Hall. Both dorms are near Landis Green and the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House (HSF), which makes the residence halls appealing.
Students are accepted to the Honors Program by application only, so prospective students must indicate their interest on their university application and then complete a supplementary University Honors Application. If you’re not already an honors student but are interested, you can apply for lateral admission at the end of your first semester. The Spring 2024 Honors Lateral Applications opened on March 1, and the deadline is April 26.
I hope this guide is helpful for first-year honors students or anyone interested in the program!
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