By Krystal Bailey
BYU Honors Program
How much do you know about the BYU Honors Program, what Jeffrey R. Holland called the “crown jewel” of higher education at Brigham Young University? Here are a few facts to dispel the myths swirling around the program.
Myth 1: A student must complete an extensive application process to be accepted into the Honors Program.
Busted: No application for Honors exists; any student can go to the Honors Advisement Center and fill out a form to declare their intent to graduate with Honors. However, you need to maintain a 3.5 GPA and fulfill the Honors Program requirements to graduate with Honors (see honors.byu.edu).
Myth 2: Honors classes are extremely rigorous and not worth the extra effort.
Busted: Most Honors students say their Honors classes are intense but easier than, or just as rigorous, as their other classes. Ryan Greenburg from Georgia is a strong advocate of the Honors program.
“[T]here is definitely more work in Honors classes but it is easier because most of the work … [is] pertinent and interesting,” Greenburg said. “I feel these classes successfully eliminate mediocrity – it is far more stressful to jump through a series of arbitrary hoops and massive memorizing of random facts than it is … to internalize complicated ideas and assignments and then form my own opinions and ideas about them. I absolutely love the Honors Program’s style and ambition to create a rich learning environment.”
Myth 3: Only a few Honors classes are offered every semester, and those are extra sections for General Education classes.
Busted: In Fall 2010, 111 sections of Honors classes were offered and 19 departments and schools across campus offered Honors classes in Winter 2011. Many different departments, from Exercise Science or Statistics to Dance, offer Honors sections, which means classes are available to every student and in almost every discipline. In addition to the large number of course sections available, Honors offers a variety of unique classes whose subjects vary from figuring out how to escape off a desert island with limited resources in Honors 259, “The Daedalus Project,” to studying how film portrays mental disorders in Honors 261, “Movie Madness.”
If you want to challenge yourself and associate with other people who enjoy learning, check out the Honors Program (honors.byu.edu), contact the Honors Advisement Center in 102A Maeser Building at 801-422-5497 or at .
