The important thing is to contribute to the campus and the town while enhancing your personal resume. Through this work, partnerships are formed, the community is improved, relationships between town and gown are enhanced, and students help out in a cause that is meaningful to them. The important piece is to find a cause you believe in and then dedicate yourself to that whether it’s helping a blood drive, cleaning riverbanks, being a Big Brother or Big Sister, or walking in the annual Relay for Life. or walking in the annual Relay for Life. It is easy to find opportunities to serve. All a student needs to do is visit the Student Volunteer Center (SVC) in Rankin Center, or go to the SVC link on the Ferris homepage. Another way to creatively take care of the service commitment is to take an honors class with the service component built right into it. Community Studies (SOCY 341) and Medical Anthropology (ANTH 371) are structured in this manner.
- What cultural events can I expect to attend?
Honors students attend plays on campus, musicals and ballets in Grand Rapids or Lansing, community theatre productions, jazz ensembles, openings at the local art gallery on campus and in town, or attending a "Lunch and Learn" session in an Honors hall.
- What are the Honors classes like and how are they different from my other classes?
Honors classes will typically enroll about 23 students. They will be taught by some of our most distinguished faculty and will give Honors students the opportunity to gain general education credits in an intellectually stimulating environment. These classes are not necessarily harder, but they do move more quickly than “regular” classes and study a subject in greater depth.
- If students do not qualify for entry as freshmen, how can they get into the program later?
Transfers may apply for fall or spring admission. They need a 3.25+ CGPA, and no less than 18 and no more than 66 collegiate credits in non-remedial classes at the time of Honors acceptance. In addition, they must have three references submit an on-line recommendation form. Location of the form is given to the applicant at the time of application. Those students who applied for fall admission and were "wait-listed" may gain entry at the start of Spring semester their freshman year, if there are openings and their credentials are still in order.
- Is there an age limit in Honors?
No, although there are only two non-traditional students in the Fall 2007 cohort.
- What other types of scholarships are available to students coming into Honors besides the Residential Life Scholarship?
Applicants who apply by January 8, 2008, are automatically considered for the Dean’s, President’s and Founder’s Scholarships. The $2,000 Residential Life Scholarship is renewable for four years of college and can be combined with the Dean’s, President’s or Founders’ Scholarships which are automatically awarded to students depending upon their ACT/HSGPA. Also, Rotary, Kiwanis, MEAP and various high school scholarships can be combined with the Residential Life Scholarship to increase the financial aid package. For scholarships pertaining to transfer students, please follow this link: http://www.ferris.edu/admissions/Transfer/WebPages/
- Do I have to live in one of the four Honors halls to be a member of the Honors program?
Yes. The Honors Program is a residential program for the first two years. In order to be a member of Honors, first-year students have to live in Henderson, Helen Ferris, Puterbaugh or Carlisle Honors Halls during their first and second years of college, regardless of credit load. Transfer students must live in one of the four Honors halls for one year. However, those who are married or have children may live in off-campus housing from day one in Honors.
- When do I submit the writing sample?
You write it during the Honors Invitational Competition on the last Saturday in February.
- What is the writing sample like?
You will be given a question and you will have 60 minutes to compose a response at a computer lab on our campus. Once you submit your essay, it will be read by a team of professors. These professors have been trained in how to rate your work. They will be rating your essay in terms of organization, originality, structure, clarity, and logic.
- Are all of the Honors students “geeks”?
There are a few self-proclaimed computer geeks, but mostly we have excellent students who are ambitious, hard working and highly motivated. They don’t look any different than the rest of the student body, except when it comes to their report cards.
- What is the best way to understand how the Honors Program works?
Call the Honors Office at 231-591-2216 and make an appointment. We’ll have Honors Program student ambassadors give you a tour of their residence hall rooms, answer any questions you have about being in Honors, and take you to other places on campus if you wish. You will begin to understand what it’s like to “live the life” and you’ll meet many other Honors students during the course of the day. Please contact the Honors Office and we would be happy to make any arrangements for you M-F from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- What do I have to do to stay in Honors?
Maintain a 3.25 CGPA; attend three cultural events per semester; commit to 15 hours of community service per semester; join an organization on campus; attend the Honors Senior Symposium in April each year; take 10-12 Honors credits by senior year; participate in the Honors Senior Symposium during your senior year; submit three cultural event reports at the end of each semester; submit an organization report at the end of the year; register your community service hours on-line with the Student Volunteer Center (SVC). In lieu of turning in three cultural events a semester and an RSO paper at the end of the year, Juniors and Seniors will write a Junior/Senior Assessment paper and turn it in at the end of the year.
- If I don’t meet the Honors requirements do I get kicked out right away?
No. Students must have a 3.25 cumulative GPA at the end of the first year. No one gets “kicked out” of Honors in the middle of the year.
- Do I have to have a specific major to be in Honors?
No. Presently there are 581 students in Honors and they have 93 different majors.
- Would there be anything special on my diploma or transcript that would indicate that I was a member of the Honors program?
Yes. On your diploma there is an Honors seal and the words “Honors Program” are printed on it. On your transcript “Honors Program” is printed across the top. You will also receive a medallion to wear around your neck during graduation.
- What is the biggest challenge for those in Honors?
It depends on the student. Some say it’s time management; some say it’s attending cultural events; some say it’s studying math or science; some say it’s finding a balance; some say it’s learning how to say “no”; some say it’s discovering the right major; some say it’s self-discipline; some say it’s learning how to really study and master the facts; some say it’s challenging to be a small fish in a big pond after having been a big fish in a small pond for most of their lives.
- What can Honors do for me?
Provide much needed community, stimulating classes, upscale housing, upperclassmen peer mentors who live on your floor in the halls, faculty advisors in the halls, Honors staff in the halls, scholarship monies awarded to help with travel costs for foreign travel, conferences, etc., prestige, and residence halls full of students who take academics seriously.
- What else can I expect?
Our courses are taught by enthusiastic faculty members known for the attention they give to their students. As an Honors student, you'll have other academic opportunities as well, such as participating in stimulating symposia, meeting with visiting scholars, taking advantage of special mentoring options, having an opportunity to join the RSO (Registered Student Organization) specifically for Honors students (Honors Programming Board) and contributing to the Honors newsletter, The Endeavor.
- Is it difficult to get good grades?
Honors Program students typically find their course work challenging, but not excessively so. The average college GPA among Ferris Honors students is 3.56, well above the minimum required.
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