Marlena Clement

English Comp II

Ian Cole

31st October 2019

“Honorable Mention to the Honors College”

The transition from high school into college is, undoubtedly, a struggle for many students

and, arguably, one of the most challenging of changes one will make throughout their lifetimes.

For many, it is a time filled with firsts, whether it be the first time living away from home, doing

laundry, having a job, getting an internship, taking out loans, or filing for federal aid. Keeping

this in mind, it is no question that many students' performance during their first transitional year

or so of college can be discouraging. The Rutgers Camden Honors College helps combat this

problem of disheartenment in students, by rewarding their previous accomplishments as high

school students and acting as an additional incentive for students to perform well in their foreign

college environment. However, simultaneously, students are encouraged to rise above and

beyond expectations, not only academically, but also in terms of extracurriculars and community

involvement.

The Honors College can admit students into the program either as first-year students, by

an application, or as rising sophomores. The majority of honors students enter the program as

first-year students, about three-fourths of them. In the case of being admitted as a first-year

student, students must complete a four-year program as dictated on the Honors College's website.

For students admitted via an application, as rising sophomores, or as transfer students, staff offer

consultations for specialized planning and requirements. Rising sophomores have a separate set

of criteria. Students admitted this way are required to have between 24 and 45 credits, a GPA of
3.75 or more, and a maximum of only one withdrawal on their transcripts. Transfer students need

between 30 and 60 credits and must meet with an advisor of the Honors College. Students may

also apply to join the college by submitting an application found on the website between the 1st

of April and July.

Once admitted to the Honors College, students must meet certain conditions to stay in the

program. The requirements are honors courses, experiences, and engagement opportunities. All

honors students must also graduate with a GPA of at least 3.0 to be considered an Honors

College student. The Honors College offsets the high expectations of its students by offering an

even fuller support system for them than the already readily available resources for students on

campus, like free tutoring and counseling. Honors students are often offered scholarships and are

all provided one-on-one academic advising, and uniquely developed, engaging classes that

satisfy general education requirements. The honors courses consist of four honors seminars

selected by each student for each semester of their first two years, as well as honors English

Composition I and II. The classes offer general education credits by focusing on lesser-known

topics, simultaneously urging students to think outside of the norm and examine aspects of the

environment around them more critically. Some examples of courses offered in prior years and

their brief descriptions are available to look over on the Honors College's website. Examples

include, "Spirituality in Business: Balancing Head and Heart," “The Evolution of Worms and of

Peace,” and "Dead Sea Scrolls, Messiahs and the End of the World." These courses are limited to

only a few students, further encouraging students to truly be engaged and involved in the

material and the class in general. The Honors College also requires honors students to attend

campus activities and get engaged. Three on-campus events that have been approved by the

Honors College are required for every student each semester. These events can be found either
on the Rutgers app or directly on the Honors College website in the events calendar. Activities

include hearing speakers, attending workshops, watching education school productions, and

much more. Honors students are also required to participate in an experience program. This

includes either two academic enhancements or one academic commitment. Some examples of

the possible enhancements are independent studies, internships, and clinicals. Commitments

include a double major or a minor, as well as programs for a dual degree. Not only do students of

the Honors College have more intriguing and unique classes available to them, but they are also

set up to be awarded more opportunities down the road by staying in good standing with the

program to graduate as an honors student. Many honors students, upon admittance, are awarded

at least one scholarship by the college itself, further compelling their academic achievement by

encouraging them to stay eligible for it. This positive reinforcement, mixed with the daunting

possibility of being kicked out of such a prestigious program, seems to make for a synergistic

blend of motivation for students. The retention rate of first-year college students for Rutgers

Camden is higher than the national rate, and higher still, inside the Honors College of Rutgers

Camden.

The Honors College itself does not have only one goal for how it impacts its students.

According to the website, the purpose, and goals of the program are focused around persuading

students to enroll in Rutgers Camden and then assisting them during their time at Rutgers, as

well as helping students transition into college and offering advising that will keep students on a

path of success by urging them to stay eligible for scholarships and moving them towards

graduation. It also aspires to achieve the development of positive relationships with other

students and to encourage a broader, more comprehensive learning experience, enriched by the

requirements of the Honors College. The program seeks, ultimately, to graduate students who are
more than adequately prepared for graduate college and professional work. It is difficult to

assess, for at least some of these goals, how well the Honors College is meeting them. I know, at

least for me personally, the Honors College played a large part in my enrollment in Rutgers

Camden. Because of the highly competitive nature of the Honors College at Rutgers New

Brunswick, it is much easier to gain acceptance into the program at Rutgers Camden. For this

reason, I was offered more scholarship money at the Camden campus than the one at New

Brunswick, thus swaying my decision to attend Rutgers Camden instead of Rutgers New

Brunswick. I presume that the acceptance into Rutgers Camden as a whole and the Rutgers

Camden Honors College keeps many students interested in attending Rutgers when they are

rejected from similar programs on other campuses, or denied from other campuses as a whole.

Upon asking other members of the honors college if being accepted into the Rutgers Camden

Honors college affected their decision of where to go, I got very positive responses. In terms of

the honors advising, there are mixed emotions. Some students felt that it was depicted as being

much less restricted than it is in terms of walk-ins. Two students informed me that they had

enrolled in a class that they had already fulfilled the requirement for because their advisor had

not notified them that the course meets a general education requirement they had previously

gotten credit for. However, students overall enjoyed the one-on-one nature of the meetings and

the specialized attention they were receiving.

Based upon this feedback, it is safe to deduce that the Honors College has at least

partially met some of its goals. The program may still have a little while to go towards meeting

their goals fully, but it is also clear from the website that many students have benefitted from

their experiences in the Rutgers Camden Honors College. There is a section showing some of the

work students currently enrolled in the Honors College have taken part in. Their
accomplishments consist of different types of internships (one of which was at NASA), research

trips (in marine biology for example), and other external programs. Hopefully, this list will

continue to expand and become more dynamic and varied as the Honors College itself makes

more vast strides towards their goals.

Sources:

Honors.camden.rutgers.edu. The Camden Honors College, September 7th 2018. October 29th

2019.