Meet Luke Frank, Dan, Phil, Laura and Joel and hear how they respond to some frequently asked questions about the Honors Program at UW-Stout.
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How is Honors different from traditional classes?
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Would you join the Honors Program again
if you were starting over as a freshman?
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What is the Honors Program all about?
Luke: Honors at Stout is basically enhancing the education you’re already getting. It’s taking classes you would already take for your major and putting them in more of a personal setting with other Honors students.
Frank: The Honors program consists of Honors Seminar classes which are kind of ‘above-the-bar’ classes that take the place of most of your general education classes that you have to take.
How is Honors different from traditional classes?
Frank: The main difference of Honors classes and regular classes is it’s really discussion based. One of the best parts about it is you get to talk with other people instead of just listening to the teacher lecture the whole time.
Luke: Instead of the teacher standing up in front like they do in the regular classes and lecturing the whole time to you, you’re sitting down with a group of the Honors students and a professor, and you’re all discussing together about a topic. You’re bringing information to the table, the professor is bringing information to the table, and they want to know what you think about that; they really want to get your input in it instead of you sitting back, listening to them lecture, listening to them read out of a text book, you’re actually getting in on it.
Why should you join the Honors Program?
Dan: When I first came to UW-Stout I really wasn’t sure about the Honors Program, ‘cause I didn’t know if it was just going to be a bunch of snooty know-it-alls, and that wouldn’t have been very nice, but that’s totally not the case. You have a great group of people with different personalities from all different cultures and backgrounds, and it’s great.
Phil: And it really adds to the overall experience of college. You meet a lot of people which is I think is the greatest part of being in the Honors Program; people with different views, different ideas, and they challenge my ideas and I challenge theirs and it can get aggressive at times, and you know, [chuckles,] it’s fun. It’s fun.
Would you join the Honors Program again if you were starting over as a freshman?
Laura: I would definitely do Honors again. I’ve met most of my friends, actually, through Honors, the other way being through classes or dorms, but people who I probably wouldn’t have met normally or wouldn’t have at least talked to a lot in depth. But now people who I just see on the sidewalk, we can start up a conversation about something a lot deeper than, “Hey what did you do last weekend?” It’s given me a great little community, just being able to go down to the Honors office between classes, hang out, do homework, take a nap, as well as the other activities like snowshoeing, going to concerts. It’s been really great.
Joel: I think it’s a very worthwhile experience. I think it’s not as much work as a lot of people worry it’s going to be.
Laura: Yes! Join the Honors program, or at least try it and see if you like it.