The Perks of
Being in The
College Honors
In my (Linus's) 3+ years of being at UCLA, I have never met anyone else in the College Honors Program, nor did anyone know what the program did. Most students think of the College Honors Program as another cool thing to add onto their diploma, but other than that, it's another requirement that they need to fulfill in order to graduate. For awhile, I felt that way too.
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Once I started taking Honors collegium classes, I started to realize the benefits of being part of this program. Not only were we allowed to take classes on topics that would never be included in our departments, but the class sizes were much smaller, allowing for a much better group dynamic and conversational discourse during classes. I was shocked; I didn't know that this small, tightknit educational community existed at UCLA, and that I was already part of it!
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To learn more about what I've missed out at, and to help current and prospective Honors students find the resources at their disposal, I interviewed two counselors that were part of College Honors Program, Angel and Nol, as well as my previous teacher, Professor Givvin. While I have engaged with Honors counselors in the past, this was the first time that I had ever spoken with Angel and Nol, and I had a great time getting to know their passions, listening to their stories about previous students that they had helped, and learning more about the College Honors Program. We hope you enjoy our conversations below, and learn how to best make use of the resources here at UCLA.
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[Note: Please check your audio and volume settings before playing the interviews. Apologies for the poor sound quality and background noise - we made do with what we had!]
Angel has been an Honors counselor for around 10 years now, and he is passionate about helping his students. During the interview, he not only emphasized the resources, such as scholarships, faculty members, and college, life, and job counseling, but also the community within the program itself. After the interview, he also wanted to include that the Undergraduate Student Initiated Education (USIE) and Departmental Scholars Program are both under the College Honors Program, and allow you to create your own courses and even get your masters during your undergrad.
Nol has been an Honors counselor for over 25 years now, and his experience as a life coach helps him work with students to plan out their career aspirations. Nol emphasizes to students that college is really what you make of it. Because of the size of the Honors program, students should take advantage of the relationships they make with faculty by taking contract courses or conducting research under a faculty member.
Dr. Karen Givvin has been teaching at UCLA for over 10 years now, specializing in education psychology and sports psychology. While she primary works in the psychology department, she also teaches Honors 129: Research in Psychology and the Legacy of John Wooden. As a lecturer for both Honors and non-Honors classes, it was great to hear her perspective on the benefits of being in the College Honors, and how the learning experience differs greatly than that of typical UCLA classes.
If you weren't able to listen to all the interviews above, here are some of the things I learned:
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The College Honors Program is what you make of it. You can be like me and only take a few classes, only to realize later on that there is so much more to learn about, but you don't have the time to take any contract courses. Or, you can take advantage of the program by taking Honors 50 to figure out your interests and goals, working with counselors to plan out your time at UCLA, and following your passions by taking personalized classes with the esteemed faculty that are part of the program. Taking classes to graduate may not prepare you for life after school, but by exploring the many opportunities in the program and making the most of the resources available, you will leave UCLA with a strong resume, unique skillset, and the tools to find success.
Building your relationships and network in the Honors program will come naturally. Because Honors students come from all backgrounds, each student brings a unique perspective to the classroom and conversation, and the small class sizes and community allow for students to easily intermingle and get to know one another. Similarly, relationships with professors and counselors are widely available, as they are always ready to help you with any questions or work with you on pursuing your goals.
The resources are there for you to thrive. The College Honors Program has scholarships and grants that help you focus on your academic career. Special partnerships with departments across UCLA can help you take classes that actually interest you, and can even help you get a higher level degree in a shorter period of time. All you need to do is ask.