Maura Mills, a current student in the Honors Program, was recently asked by a prospective student to report on her experiences with its courses, its professors, and its activities. Here is the reply that she has generously agreed to share with everyone who might want to know more about the program.

I am currently a junior at the College, and have been a part of the Honors Program for all three years. I highly recommend it to everyone, especially incoming freshman. It offers many opportunities, and you can take your involvement in the program to whatever degree you feel comfortable. Some people are in the program simply for the honor of it...they make use of early registration and the Honors House, but don't take the courses. Other people take the honors courses and are involved in the program in many other ways, also, including various committees and through attending regional and national conferences. (Please keep in mind that early registration is not available when registering for your first semester of courses...all freshmen register at orientation.)

As far as one-on-one time with the professor goes, it is pretty much on par with the rest of the college. Because we are such a small school, all of our professors (both those who teach honors courses and those who don't) are extremely accessible, and are always willing to speak with you about pretty much anything, and especially love it when students approach them to further discuss a point made in class, etc. You'll likely be on a first name basis with many of your professors...you'll go out to dinner with them, babysit their kids, etc!

The workload for the Honors Program is challenging but bearable. Since you have been invited into the Honors Program out of high school, you are likely already a very dedicated student who studies hard and puts a lot of time into his work. Keep that up and you'll be fine. Some honors classes require more work than others, but as a general rule I would say that reading is a big part of all honors courses, and I would strongly advise you to keep up with it (there's a lot of it, and if you fall behind it may be difficult to catch back up).

You asked if the classes were interesting, and they most certainly are. There are a range of about 20 honors courses that rotate, with about 5 or 6 being offered each semester. My personal favorites so far have been "Ethics & Animals" and "The Romantic Movement," and I'm currently taking "Professional Ethics," which I also recommend. Whatever your interests, there are honors courses for you, from physics to art. The Honors Program has a wide range of courses, activities, and other opportunities, and while you will certainly be encouraged by your professors, it's up to you to put your all into it and have fun! It's a great program!

Please feel free to e-mail me with any further questions you may have...I'd be happy to entertain them!

Maura Mills