Spend a semester learning how a mayor runs a city. Find out what medical school is really asking when it asks why you want to become a doctor. Build a law school application, prepare to compete for a national award or spend eight weeks putting your imagination through its paces.
This spring, the Honors College is offering students an unusually varied lineup of one-credit Honors Trajectory courses built around experiences and decisions that can shape what comes next.
Led by faculty, professionals and experts in their fields, the courses give students a chance to explore an ambition before committing to it, prepare seriously for a goal already in sight or discover a possibility they hadn't considered.
"Honors students are wonderfully ambitious, but ambition doesn't always arrive with a roadmap," said Lynda Coon, dean of the Honors College. "Our Trajectory courses give students access to people who have deep experience in the worlds they may be considering and invite them to ask questions, test assumptions and get a much clearer sense of what it takes to move forward. Whether a student has been planning for medical school for years or walks into a class and discovers an entirely new direction, we want them to have the space and the expertise around them to think seriously about where they might go next."
Honors College Trajectory
These one-credit courses are designed to help students maximize the honors experience by gathering top faculty and experts to guide students exploring innovative careers, professional schools and competitive awards. Coursework is designed to fit easily into a busy honors schedule. For courses requiring an application, the deadline is Oct. 8 at 5 p.m.
Catapult: This course is designed to place ambitious, high-achieving students on a trajectory toward nationally competitive awards and/or graduate and professional programs of study. Students taking the course will prepare their academic resume, construct a personal statement and answer essay prompts, all of which will be consistent with graduate or professional school admission. Additional topics include tips on studying for advanced tests such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), building a graduate or professional school timeline and preparing for interviews.
Taught by Emily Voight, senior associate director, and Matthew Halbert, associate director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, class time will provide students with practical steps and help them develop skills to move toward their goals.
"This course is for amazing students who want to do amazing things," Voight said. "We want to help students get set up and pointed in the right direction to apply for nationally competitive awards, as well as being prepared to apply for graduate and professional schools."
The Imagination Workshop: This dynamic eight-week seminar will explore creativity as a practical and vital skill. Through hands-on activities, collaboration and reflection in a supportive environment, students will discover their unique creative potential and learn to apply it to enhance academic and professional goals.
Led by Sandy Edwards, senior adviser for University Advancement at the U of A and former senior director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, class sessions will also feature experts from a variety of fields sharing their own experience with creativity. No artistic background is required! Just bring a willingness to experiment and a desire to see creativity as a powerful tool.
"Everyone is creative," Edwards said. "I want students to go into their academic careers and learn all those technical things they need to learn and all the things that will make them successful academically, but when they leave this class, they'll also know how to harness their imagination to find successful outcomes to problems."
An application is required for this course.
Law School: This course is designed to provide honors students with an overview of the legal profession and help them prepare for the law school admissions process. Students will consider different careers in law including private practice, public sector and corporate law, as well as being asked whether law school is the path for them and which schools meet their needs.
Andrew J. Dowdle, professor of political science and director of legal studies, and Jonathan Langley, Honors College Futures Hub's director of graduate and professional school planning, will lead students in a variety of discussions and practical learning projects such as the preparation of a complete draft of admission materials.
"We designed this course to give students a better understanding of the career options available to law school graduates," Dowdle said. "Our guest speakers include Honors College alumni who have been successful in a variety of endeavors, and current students from top law schools who can address questions about both legal education and the admissions process itself."
An application is required for this course.
Mayor: This course will provide students with the unique opportunity to learn directly from Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn, who is currently leading one of Arkansas' fastest-growing cities. Coursework will center on the leadership, partnerships and decision-making that shape her work and provide students with an inside look at the many moving parts of municipal government and the people who make a city thrive.
From the mayor and City Council to planners, engineers, public safety professionals, housing and economic development leaders, parks and recreation staff, transportation staff and water and sewer operations, this seminar opens a window on the challenges and opportunities of leading a modern city.
"I hope students gain an understanding of municipal government, as there is a real lack of civic literacy about what cities do, even among otherwise politically engaged students." said Mayor Rawn. "I hope it inspires someone to run for city elected office."
An application is required for this course.
Med School: In this course, students will be asked to think critically about such popular depictions as "doctor as healer" and the "genius doctor" and have discussions that help parse fantasy from reality. Students will engage in self-reflection as they begin composing authentic responses to the "Big Three" questions med school admission committees want to know:
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
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What qualifications do you have to demonstrate your fitness for becoming a doctor?
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What medically-related experiences have you had since deciding to become a doctor?
The course will be led by the Liebolt Chair of Premedical Sciences Dr. Mack Ivey and Jonathan Langley, the Honors College Futures Hub's director of graduate and professional school planning.
"The idea is to help develop students into strong medical school applicants," Langley said. "But the philosophy is a little different, because we really want students to ask themselves, 'Do I actually want to be a doctor?' and we'll provide opportunities for students to ask questions of working physicians to get closer to honest answers to that question."
An application is required for this course.
Student Development Courses: These are foundational student development courses designed to help honors students begin and continue to shape a purposeful and well-rounded undergraduate experience. Each course is taught by a member of the Honors College Futures Hub staff and will introduce key resources, campus and community partners, practical skills and reflective planning tools that support students' growth as scholars, leaders and engaged members of the U of A and beyond. Courses include:
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Career, taught by Louise Hancox, senior director of career innovation
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Pre-Med, taught by Jonathan Langley, director of graduate and professional school planning
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Research, taught by Chelsea Hodge, director of grants and research innovation
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Service, taught by Megan Hull, director of curricular planning and student engagement
"The Futures Hub is here to help students be intentional about both their time in the Honors College and where that experience might take them," Hull said. "These student development courses are really a launch pad. They introduce students to the people, resources and opportunities available to them. A student doesn't need to arrive with a four-year plan or a career already mapped out. Our role is to help them start asking those questions early, make thoughtful choices about how they spend their time on campus and connect those experiences to the skills, relationships and sense of purpose they'll carry into whatever comes next."
About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university's top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year, the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $80,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students' academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. All Honors College graduates have engaged in mentored research.
About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.
Contacts
Laurie Marshall, editor (graduate assistant)
Honors College
lauries@uark.edu
Shelby Gill, director of communications
Honors College
479-575-2024, segill@uark.edu