Skill and Community Development through an Honors Education

Authors

Samantha Koprowski, Rutgers UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

2022

Document Type

Article

Citation

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, 2022, 23(1): 141–43

Comments

Copyright © 2022 Samantha Koprowski

Abstract

As part of the National Collegiate Honors Council’s (2022) collection of essays about the value of honors to its graduates (1967–2019), the author reflects on the personal and professional impacts of the honors experience.

My enrollment at William Paterson University was mainly informed by financial considerations; however, the value of the honors education I received in terms of skill development and educational outcomes has proven to be just as beneficial. Within the academic setting, I learned how to successfully collaborate with peers in the first-year honors cluster of general education courses, to cultivate a desire and curiosity to learn both inside and outside of my major discipline (political science), to take an interdisciplinary approach to research through honors sections of core curriculum courses, and to develop and stick to a routine through writing an undergraduate honors thesis. These are all important skills, but I also acquired social skills that have assisted not only in interactions with colleagues and peers inside academia but also in developing meaningful relationships with my communities and generating a support system that continues to sustain my life and future endeavors.