by Zakiya Wicks
XIDS 2002 is a great introductory class to the complete honors experience. In this class, concerns are being addressed and confronted. The class provides the support one finds comforting when dealing with other honors classes. One finds it easier to get to know other honors students as well as honors opportunities that will benefit any student. Being in this class is like dipping one’s feet into water: testing the temperature before being completely submerged in a new experience. Each student gets the opportunity to learn about the value/benefits of graduating from the honors college. Not only is this the opportunity to be submerged into a fountain of knowledge with the risk of drowning, this is the opportunity to dive! Being in the UWG Honors College is more than just signing up for classes with smart people. It’s about wanting to take responsibility and the challenge of learning, which is a great preparation for the “real-world.” Participating and ultimately graduating from the UWG Honors College is the best of both worlds: a relatively small and close-to-home university meets an environment conducive for quality education.
The University of West Georgia is not often the first choice of college for many students. Many students want to stay close to home and not pay ridiculous out-of-state fees. Often staying close to home means sacrificing the quality of education obtained at the home school. However, this is not the case when participating in the UWG Honors College. Most honors classes are small in size and they promote intellectual discussion. The professors are engaging and the classes are packed with students who actually want to learn. These students are past the stage of wanting to be in college for the party atmosphere. Honors students value their education and take their educating seriously. This leads to professors doing their best to provide material that will be mentally stimulating and rewarding as well. If the smaller class sizes are not appealing, one can even convert regular classes to honors classes. This will provide the opportunity to go beyond the ordinary work and take learning into his/her own hands.
The University of West Georgia Honors College also is very beneficial for what is needed beyond the classroom. Many students fear he/she will not stand out from others in their future profession. The UWG Honors College helps to really tackle these concerns. The “three wows” are promoted so that each student will be prepared for entering the next chapter of his/her life. The Honors College has a GPA requirement so that maintaining satisfactory grades is a priority. Undergraduate Research is highly promoted so that we have experience of scholarly inquiry under our belts. Community involvement is also covered with the community service requirement. Each student focuses on his or her intellectual progress in the classroom, furthers this understanding outside of the classroom, all the while becoming involved in community issues as well. Each student is involved in their future and the future of the world in terms of world issues manifested around them. After graduating, one can feel confident in the education and experience. This can all be achieved by graduating as a UWG Honors scholar.
Zakiya Wicks is an honors student.
