Opinion: 6 reasons to join the Global Honors Program
Life is full of decisions. Some of the decisions we make in life are small, like ripples. But other choices we make are like waves, completely life-changing. Two years ago, I made the decision to join the Global Honors Program at UWT. What I originally thought would make a ripple effect in my college experience turned out to be a life-altering wave. Here are 6 reasons why you should join an honors program in college.
Amazing Friendships
If you join a program like Global Honors at UWT, you’ll spend a lot of time with your peers. You’ll study together, attend events together, vent together and so much more. Perhaps one of my favorite memories in the Global Honors program was going with a group of friends I made from the program to see the premiere of “Crazy Rich Asians”. I’ll never forget how we all cried at the touching wedding scene and dissected the film afterwards. This program introduced me to many like-minded individuals and I’m glad to say I’m still friends with many of those from my cohort.
Receive the Best Professional Connections
The goal of any honors program is to see students succeed both inside and outside the classroom. This is why class visits from community leaders or professionals — as well as field trips — are common. Program leaders will also send honors student’s internship, volunteer and job opportunities via email consistently. One email, I received in particular, set me on a path of doing communications work for two public officials. This not only boosted my resume but also helped me gain wonderful letters of recommendation.
Expand and Develop Skills
Joining an honor’s program is a great way to learn and expound upon skills that are useful at school and in the workforce. For example, Global honors students are expected to present their capstone project projects to the campus and community members before completing the program. This experience teaches students how to become better public speakers. In fact, public speaking became a breeze for me afterwards.
Great Experiences/Trips
As mentioned earlier, the Global Honors program will provide many great experiences. For example, the field trip to the health department I took with the honors program was inspiring. It’s part of what made me choose to intern in the future. There are also scholarship opportunities for those who would like to attend conferences or study abroad.
Excellent Study Room
Paraphrasing from Kanye West, The Global Honors room has the greatest study room of all time. No, but in all seriousness, their study room is pretty great. Last year, I had night classes, so the study room became like a second home for me. The comfy sofas and blankets, printers, portable study desks and fresh coffee all make the study room a great place to work or take a cat nap if you wish.
An Opportunity to Challenge Yourself
I’ll admit, the first day of my honors class was absolutely terrifying. My classmates were brilliant and the content we covered was unfamiliar and incredibly complex. My imposter syndrome led me to second guess not only myself, but also my purpose in the program. But I am so glad I stuck it out. I was able to overcome my imposter syndrome, grow as a person and learn a great deal about the world around me.
