Benefits of Participation in the Honors Program

Benefits of Participation in the Honors Program

1)  Students will be assigned a mentor from the discipline area that represents their major area of study.  Mentors might assist with transfer, scholarship or program applications.  In addition, mentors could provide information about career opportunities, educational requirements, and specific university programs.

2)  Honors courses, or courses in which the student did honors contract work, will be designated as such on their transcripts as Honors courses.

3)  Student will be encouraged to join and partipate in Phi Theta Kappa.  (http://omegasignma.org).  This national honors organization provides fellowship, service learning opportunities, intellectual stimulation, activities, and many other benefits.  In addition, active membership facilitates admission to universities and scholarship at most schools.  The honors program will pay for the $75 students initiation fees into PTK for qualified students, insofar as funds permit.

4)  Students will work one on one with an instructor on an individually selected project.  This will provide students with the opportunity to choose an interesting assignment and get individualized supervision of their work.  After completing this high level project, students could reasonably assume that instructors will be willing to write them letters of recommendation explaining their extra effort in the course.

5)  Students will have the opportunity to publish in the Gulf Coast Regional Honors Magazine.  In addition, they will have the opportunity to attend one of several conferences.  Money may be available for travel, depending on funding.

6)  Students will be welcome to use the Honors Program director as a secondary mentor.  They are free to ask questions about HCCS, where to go, who to ask, how to proceed, etc.   Although the office door is not always open,  phone calls will always be returned.