Are you thinking of joining the Honors College, but too intimidated by the extra coursework and added requirements? Fear not! Becoming an honors student is not all about academics and classes — it’s about getting a well-rounded social and experiential education from the very university you are already attending.
Beyond well-known perks such as dedicated housing and priority course registration, honors students gain the opportunity to build relationships with students across disciplines, broaden their cultural horizons through immersive experiences and participate in opportunities to excel beyond the classroom.
“[H]onors is really meant to be this cross-curricular experience where we’re not just thinking through the lane of what your major is, but how that engages with other folks,” Jamie Lefevre, student program coordinator for the Honors College, said.
Lefevre has seen firsthand the benefit that being part of the honors community has had on students. She herself plays a key role in shaping student experience through helping organize both weekly programming and a learning community.
“Some of our students have described that as a great introduction to college, because … it helps you dip your toes into the water, but you’re also getting to interact with people at the same time that typically want to be more engaged or involved on campus,” Lefevre said.
One of those students is Tabitha Romer, a rising junior and political science major who also serves as an honors ambassador.
“I definitely think that going honors was the best decision to make in terms of a community. I’ve made so many friends just by going to events, even just classes. Meeting people who are like-minded, I think, has been super crucial in shaping my college experience so far,” Romer said.
Lefevre has taken students like Romer all across the city to explore Toledo’s hidden gems. From taste testing food and learning the sport of curling to attending a musical and going behind the scenes at the Toledo Zoo, students gain rich experiences they never would have imagined — and only for a fee of $50 per semester.
Students also get to learn more about Toledo through their honors coursework.
“Our current curriculum really intentionally pairs students up with those nonprofits, and teach[es] them about the City of Toledo. So, our students literally are entering the professional world having helped everyday Toledoans live a better life by having worked with nonprofits to help them advance their missions in some meaningful ways,” Joshua Martin, assistant director of the honors experience, said.
Over the years, Honors students have designed solar arrays for community gardens, developed policies for the Toledo Museum of Art, increased visitorship at the National Museum of the Great Lakes, provided after-school programming for elementary schools and more.
“I want a student to walk away from this program feeling like they had a well-rounded experience. I don’t want you to think that honors is just academic — I want you to understand that you’re part of something bigger and that you have so many opportunities available to you,” Lefevre said.
The curriculum also helps students learn outside of the classroom through honors courses in which students go on class trips into neighborhoods and study them for the duration of the semester to learn about their cultural and historical significance.
“My project for that class was to propose a mock grant to re-innovate local news because I had worked with my community partner, which was the Toledo Community Foundation, and they had expressed concern about the lack of local news and how that’s been declining,” Romer said. “[T]hat was really important work to me as well … because as a political science major, I care so much about the news and people being informed about things.”
Romer said these experiences have given her a better appreciation of Toledo.
“I just think it’s really important for people to be able to have that education on what Toledo is, and then they can appreciate it more,” Romer said.
Anthony Nassar, an honors student and digital communications major, has had a similar experience through his honors-funded internship with Midstory, a nonprofit media thinkhub dedicated to revitalizing the Midwest through storytelling, research and programming for young people.
“It also kind of is reimagining my relationship with Toledo, because since I’ve lived here my whole life, it’s kind of hard sometimes to see the spark or the pull that some people see when they come here,” Nassar said.
Every summer, the Honors College partners with Midstory to fund one UToledo student to work alongside a cohort of other interns from across the country — many of whom come from top universities in the U.S., including Princeton University, Brown University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and more.
“I really feel like the Honors College has helped me a lot, and they’ve really supported me in what I wanted to do,” Nassar said.
In addition to supporting coursework and internships, the Honors College also encourages students to be outstanding in other academic pursuits. Sophia Durham, a recent alumna, recounts how the honors track encouraged her to pursue research.
“I really liked how the Honors College helped me that way, and it just sort of motivated me to do research more — gave me the confidence to do it because they were just so forthcoming, and it was much easier to get involved in research as an honors student,” Durham said.
Durham’s research while she was a student ultimately led to her being distinguished as a Goldwater Scholar.
“I think right now the emphasis is on themes of experiences. In a lot of ways, it’s in keeping with President Holloway and Provost McKinney’s really wise focus on experiential learning outcomes and getting students connected with opportunities to practice what they’re learning in their majors and with real-world implications,” Martin said.
So if you’re looking for new experiences in and out of the classroom, the Honors College might be the place for you.
Prospective UToledo students can apply to the Jesup Scott Honors College via UToledo’s online application or by the Common App, while current students can apply by contacting the College at honors@utoledo.edu. Current UToledo students must earn a cumulative UToledo GPA of at least a 3.3 and have completed their first semester of UToledo coursework, earning no more than 60 credit hours. Learn more at www.utoledo.edu/admission/honors.
