Between assignments, exams, work schedules, relationships, and other responsibilities, joining a university’s honors program might seem like the cherry on top of a complicated college sundae. After all, how can adding extra assignments, volunteer hours, and additional graduation requirements really improve your colligate experience? However, after three long semesters in the Youngstown State University Sokolov Honors College, I can share that the benefits, the seen and unseen, are well worth the extra work.
Connections
One of the strongest arguments for joining a university’s honors program is the opportunity for connections with like minded individuals. In honors intro courses, you have the chance to learn about your new school and its resources next to academically focused students. In honors general education classes, you’ll be taught in-depth curriculum in a smaller pool of students, providing room for relationships and connections to grow. Thanks to volunteer work, connections from the wider community will be placed at your fingertips. Whether these connections provide you with advice for next semester or a job opportunity for the future, joining the honors program in college allows you to make the most of your relationships and interactions with others.
Dorms
Most university honors programs have an on campus dorm associated with the academic college. This allows for students to be matched with focused and like-minded roommates, decreasing arguments and providing common ground. At Youngstown State, the Cafaro Honors House provides opportunities for its residents to complete their volunteer sessions, introduction courses, and mentorship meetings without leaving home. Additional honors-focused programs are put on by RA’s and students are exposed to research funding, study abroad trips, and merit based scholarships. Honors dorms help reduce distractions and provide a comfortable living environment for your educational experience.
Service
While the might seem overwhelming or pointless at first, especially for students who have to work several jobs to stay in school, volunteering on campus and in your community through the honors college can be an extremely worthwhile endeavor. At YSU, honors are required to complete 60 hours of community service every academic year, recorded through an online system that requires feedback from the student and the organization. Since poverty and struggle struggle have become stable pillars of the modern world, it’s important that compassion and empathy do as well. Whether its preforming mentorship sessions at the local high school, cleaning up the campus community gardens, or working the annual fundraiser for breast cancer, volunteer work can connect you to members outside of your campus. Not only can these experiences introduce you to new faces, change your world view, and be perfect additions to your captivating resume, but they may just expose you to different career opportunities and skillsets that you haven’t discovered yet!
Resume
While the words HONORS COLLEGE probably won’t get you a job, the experience will pad your resume with the right courses, skills, and awards. From volunteer hours to honor societies, the program will give you plenty of easy opportunities to add the best bullets to your one pager. Modern employers aren’t always looking for the highest GPA or the most decorated candidate, but joining by participating in an college that provides you with a variety of unique, real world experience, you can seize every opportunity. Review your resume with program alumni, beloved professors, and honors staff to ensure it catches employers eyes and rises to the top of the stack.
At the end of the day, these benefits make joining your university’s honors program well worth the effort. The friends made, lessons learned, and opportunities experienced will succeed the extra work and dedication this prestigious program requires. Honors has provided me with the skills, experiences, and community to achieve success and I am so grateful to be a part of a supportive honors community at YSU. Give yourself a boost towards greatness and join your university’s honors college today!