Diversity is a term you\u2019ve seen tossed around on colleges\u2019 brochures, viewbooks, and Web sites. It\u2019s as if schools everywhere are saying, \u201cNo matter who you are, you\u2019ll fit right in here.\u201d Most colleges actively seek applicants from different backgrounds\u2014demographic, economic, social, and so forth\u2014so that students can learn not just in the classroom but from each other.<\/p>\n
Clubs and activities spring from diversity, with something to fit nearly everyone, and an honors program is no exception. Many honors programs count diversity within their student body as a benefit, along with small class sizes and professors who get to know each of their students individually. In their arsenal of recruiting tools, some honors programs even offer scholarships exclusively for minority students.<\/p>\n
But when it comes to finding, within an honors program, a group for a certain type of student\u2014such as an athlete or a jazz impresario or a minority\u2014you\u2019ll be hard-pressed to find one. Fish around the honors section of the college of your choice. Within the FAQ, you\u2019ll find the answers to your academic concerns about an honors school, but rarely will you see information about sub-groups of honors students.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because most honors programs emphasize that students bond with each other. The students spend a lot of time taking the same honors courses, so friendly faces quickly become familiar friends. And a variety of programs encourage honors students to live in the same residence hall and to spend time outside the classroom together. It\u2019s not that honors students don\u2019t make friends or have interests outside their honors classes\u2014most students do have both. It\u2019s just that an honors program knows that honors students have similar goals and frustrations, and if they are backed by a solid group of similar-minded friends, honors students can weather the toughest of collegiate storms.<\/p>\n
Of course, not every school has a one-size-fits-all honors program. Bigger universities generally have larger student populations and are more likely to cater to different types of honors students. For example, the University Honors Program at the University of Maryland offers the Black Honors Caucus and the Latino Honors Caucus. The caucuses sponsor activities throughout the year, like cookouts, forums, game nights, and community service events. Although each group uniquely supports black or Latino students, respectively, both groups are open to everyone, regardless of race or whether or not a student is even enrolled in the honors program.<\/p>\n
No matter what honors college or program you choose, you can be sure that you\u2019ll find a group of students just like you\u2014and completely different from you\u2014to accompany you on your journey through the trials and tribulations of college life.<\/p>\n
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