Adapting To The College Honors Program by Lauren

Adapting To The College Honors Program by Lauren - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

Adapting to the college Honors program is my biggest goal this academic year. The last three years of high school I maintained straight A’s and because of that I was able to be on the Honor Roll in High School. A few things that can help me reach this goal are being more involved outside of class, participating in activities, asking for extra help and representing the Honors program as a whole.
In college, I have extra tasks I need to complete outside of my classroom. In the Honors program, there are other requirements. Once a week, I have to attend a one hour seminar. We will talk about different subjects like how to be successful or how to network. Every couple of weeks we have to do homework for this class. Once a year, a student has to pick a certain project and include it in one of the classes on their schedule.
Maintaining a 3.8 or higher GPA is my biggest goal when being on the Honors program. My grades represent who I am. The grades I receive in my classes are my biggest focus in college. I want to be able to achieve all A’s in my educational career. Participating in class and taking a lot of notes will help me understand the work more and retain the information. In college, I can not just go on with my day if I am struggling. I have to ask for help during business hours and non-business hours by emailing and talking to the professor, making sure I understand everything and going to a tutor if needed. In the Honors program, you can not risk receiving a bad grade on an assignment. There are consequences when your GPA is below the required GPA for the Honors program, such as getting kicked out of the Honors program.
Outside of class, the people I surround myself with also represent who I am as a person. Being in the Honors program, I have to be more responsible and more focused on things. People around me should be just as focused and responsible when it comes to college and their life over all. If I hang out with people that are always getting in trouble and have bad grades my peers will notice that and it can impact my life as a Criminal Justice major.
Overall, staying in the Honors program at Illinois State University is my main goal this academic year. Even though I was on the Honors roll in high school, things will be different in college because I have a lot more responsibilities and courses may be more challenging. Taking extra steps outside of class, maintaining a 3.8 or higher GPA, participating in activities and representing the Honors program outside of class can help me achieve my goals this academic year.