When I tell people I live in the Commonwealth Honors College, I frequently get a reaction along the lines of a snarky “oh wow,” or an even more sarcastic “so you must be smart.” Many people I meet are put off by honors students, and it’s an understandable reaction. While I have met many wonderful people in the Honors College, it is the only residential community with little benefits that allows self-righteousness and entitlement to fester among its residents.
I initially joined the Honors College so I could write a thesis. I applied to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the English program and was excited to hear I could also complete a creative portfolio if I was in the Honors College. At the time, there was also the promise of guaranteed housing, and I can’t say I wasn’t enticed by the idea of having central AC. With all things considered, I talked to my advisor and applied to the Honors College.
Despite all of these perks, being a part of the Honors College has resulted in more frustration than I had previously imagined. As the years went by, I found the program and residential community had less to offer me. I would get excited for the Dean’s Award, only to find that the Honors College charged me $300 for using its “resources.” Guaranteed housing quickly slipped from my fingertips, leaving me frantically calling friends around campus because housing options ran out hours before my appointment. I put myself through courses that were often reiterative — or worse, had no real focus — only to find out this year that I didn’t need the Honors College to do a creative portfolio whatsoever.
Of course, there are people who benefit from the different opportunities the Honors College offers. The ability to construct an independent thesis and use the college’s research grants can certainly be helpful. The Honors College also offers programs like the International Scholars Program, Study Abroad, Sophomore-Serve and Residential Academic Programs (RAPs), so students can branch out academically. But I feel that you can easily find similar opportunities elsewhere on campus.
There are plenty of RAPs not associated with the Honors College that provide a similar experience, not to mention the hundreds of study abroad opportunities that don’t require the college. I know plenty of students who pursue papers or research on campus, either independently or within their department. Many of the talks that the Honors College either hosts or advertises are available for anyone to attend.
But my problem with the Honors College extends beyond the program. Usually, residential communities with a focus give students the ability to connect with others who share similar experiences, cultures or identities. These micro-communities give students a sense of belonging they may not have had before, or assist them in getting acclimated to UMass’s community by interacting with those who understand their identity better. This is what makes the Defined Residential Communities on campus so important: each community provides different students with the chance to explore their own identity while finding others who can relate to them and make them feel seen.
The Honors College offers nothing of the sort. When I came to college, I had hope that people had matured past cliques and comparing grades. For the first time in my life, I wanted to focus on what I was passionate about rather than letters and numbers on my transcript. But some of my peers did not share the same sentiment. My first year, some people continued to brag about their GPA, pass judgement on others’ majors and put down each other’s work.
When judgement wasn’t being passed among the people within the Honors College, it was being passed toward other residential communities. Southwest was a punching bag for the honors students, even when they traveled there every Friday night to a pregame. Groups formed and lines were drawn. Just as I had seen in high school, honors students were more focused at setting themselves on a higher pedestal than on building real relationships.
Past freshman dorms, it felt like it had stopped being a residential community. Honors students were more focused on bunkering down in their suites and apartments than trying to get to know other people. The sorry sense of camaraderie I had my first year disappeared entirely.
The real problem with Honors College is the place itself. Setting up a residential community centered around academic achievement can perpetuate a sense of superiority among its residents. Living in the Honors College has stunted students’ outlook, not allowing them to grow past a high schooler’s mindset. They are almost at a social disconnect as they grapple for validation. Many honors students still feel they are deserving of “something better” when they have a campus filled with amazing resources and people at their fingertips.
I don’t believe there is a need for the Honors College. The program can be substituted with other academic and social opportunities on campus, and the physical residential halls could be opened to the entirety of the student body. Not many honors students appreciate the program to begin with, as I have heard some say they stick with the classes only to drop the certificate last minute, so they don’t have to write a thesis but can keep the housing. If anything, honors students would benefit from getting away from a world fixated on grades and achievements. No one will be checking their GPA on a resume. There are things that will matter more than letter grades, and it’s better to learn about that sooner rather than later.
Hailey Furilla can be reached at [email protected].
