The Beauty of an Honors Education

When I entered my junior year of college, I expected all of my classes to be focused in my major. What I always forget to realize is the beauty of an honors education. Within the first thirty minutes of class with Dr. Williams, I was ready to broaden my education experience. Humor—it is not a subject people usually talk about. In fact, I have never asked myself the definition of humor. When Dr. Williams asked the class this question, we had a hard time piecing together a response. That being said, after a few months, I feel as if I could form a definition. Honors classes provide students the ability to learn a variety of subjects in a discussion based setting, cultivating a diverse intellect among students.

            I have taken a wide variety of honors classes, and each of them has provided me a unique experience. My freshman year I took Africa and the African Diaspora. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and encouraged to learn about a culture I had never studied. It was in this class that I wrote the essay for which I am proudest. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the essay, and I continued to present it in the AddRan college of liberal arts festival. I stood in front of five scholars and presented material that I would have never learned if not for the honors college.

            My first semester of sophomore year, I took an honors political theory class. While this is not an incredible creative topic, my teacher pushed me in ways I had never been pushed. Each day we were required to study famous thinker and philosophers, arguing their positions on issues going on in the world. There were times when I was frustrated and times when I was happy with the conversation. My professor evoked passion and determination from each student, motivating us to argue our positions and dive deeper into the material. While most political theory classes would consist of lecture, she never lectured once. She let the class take the discussion where it needed to go my throwing in a key idea that we then discussed. Again, the honors education is evidently different from a normal education. A topic that I would normally dislike became something I was passionate about because of the discussion based classroom.

            My second semester of sophomore year, I hopped back into the creative classes. I took a class titled “College Life and Identity.” This class was much different than political theory, but it diversified my education. I learned about what it meant to be a college student and what it meant to face all of the different social pressures that exist on a college campus. I presented research on diversity, education, and religion. Topics that are not usually covered in a normal classroom were unveiled in this class, further growing my passion for my honors classes.

            Now I am in my junior year, and I am taking a class on Literature and Civilization—with an emphasis on humor. Each day we speak our minds and discuss different forms of humor. Honors classes have the ability to take a topic or experience, such as humor, that people do not normally discuss and find a way to study and learn more about the root of the topic. Again, humor is not usually talked about, but from the class readings and class discussions, I have widened my perspective as a student. I treasure the ability to partake in classes such as this one, for I have friends at others schools that have completely different experiences in their classrooms. I am taking this class for the sole purpose of experience. I have already earned the credits this class offers, and I am enrolled in two other honors classes this semester. I am in it to simply learn.

            For the past few years, I have watched what my honors education diversify my educational experience. Through a wide range of topics and different teaching styles of professors, I am proud to say that I have polished a part of me that will benefit me in the future. If the person reading this is considering whether or not to pursue an honors education, I highly recommend he/she does it. There truly is something special about learning a wide variety of topics that will push one to be a thinker—a skill that will reap rewards in the future as an individual.

"So Tell Me About Yourself"

“So Tate, tell me about yourself”

I am constantly asked this question, and the answer is harder than it seems. When an employer asks me this question, I have thirty seconds make an impression. The first impression is extremely important, and it is my job to answer this question with ease and assertiveness. I want to paint a picture of who I am as a person. My goal of my thirty second pitch is to engage the person and create a want to ask me more questions.

In my foundations class, we practiced this question intensively. While I feel like I have a good answer, I can always improve it. In my opinion, a first impression is almost as important as the rest of the interview. If the initial judgment from an employer is positive, then the tone for the interview has a solid foundation.

Confidence is key.

If I come in with a confidence and polite tone, I know that I can make a good impression on someone. The idea behind this question is something to consider. A person who asks this question wants to hear, in around thirty seconds, who one is as a person. Employers hear hundreds of answers, and they are looking for an answer that stands out from the rest of the applicants. The reason an employer asks this, in my opinion, is that in the business world one has to interact with a customer. A customer will judge the rest of the conversation based off of the first thirty seconds of the conversation—just like the interview question! When I first heard this question, I did not think there was an importance to it. I could not be more wrong. This question is extremely important, which makes it even more important to have the best answer.

Finding the best answer includes many steps. One must look at his or her self from a different perspective and find the top three or four qualities to showcase. Choosing one’s top qualities is not easy. The goal is the showcase the main aspects of yourself in a calm and natural manor. If I can do this, then I will make the best first impression possible.

While it is important to have the best answer possible, the most important thing is to be genuine. My goal is to have an answer that is conversational. I want the listener to feel enticed and eager to learn more about me because I seem genuine and real.

Practice makes perfect, and it is true! Every day I make it a goal to practice my elevator pitch. Each time I do it, I find something to improve and work on to make it better. With enough practice, I know that I will have an elevator pitch that will not only impress an employer but also showcase who I am an as individual.

Pre-Med--A Painful but Necessary Experience

When I looked back on my freshman year, I struggled with the idea that I wasted 13 hours of classes. I was a pre-medical major, and the biology and chemistry classes mean nothing toward my major. It means I cannot double major, add a minor, or apply to the business school at the same time as the other students.  All of the information that I slaved over for months was now irrelevant to my education. I figured that I did not learn during my time as a Biology major.

I could not be more wrong.

These are the things I used to say to myself when I decided to switch majors. Now, I see it through an entirely different lens.  My freshman year, I worked harder than I ever have toward a subject in school. I had long nights of studying, early mornings of studying, and more studying.  It was brutal, but it was what I thought I wanted to do with my life, so I stuck with it. I told myself that if I worked hard enough, I would succeed. Little did I know, if I put this same hard work toward a subject I loved, I would achieve much greater results.  After switching into different classes, I still put in the same amount of hard work, and the results are unbelievable. My entire life changed. I began building new relationships, smiling more often, and building identity capital. I joined a few clubs, adding to my resume the things that exemplified who I was as a person.  This is the section of my resume that will make the biggest difference.

I could not be happier.

Looking back at the science courses I took, I realized I built a skill no textbook could teach me—hard work. When I apply the hard work toward something I truly love, the results are beautiful and impressive. A few weeks ago, I attended a Neeley seminar on Entertainment Marketing. I absolutely loved it. The speaker had students walk to the front of class and role play meeting a famous person. She developed our personal communication skills and focused on the small details that could make or break a first business meeting. I love this. I thrive off of an interview setting, using my charisma and personality to engage with a person. She made us work with a partner and treat them as if we had two minutes to impress him or her. I focused on my handshake, keeping eye contact, and asking genuine questions with an honest tone. I thrive off of learning how to engage with people on a deeper level.

After the seminar was over, I figured I had finished learning. I was wrong. Afterwards I spoke to the speaker for an additional thirty minutes, and she asked me questions that make me think. She wanted to know what I wanted to do with my life and why I wanted to do that with my life. I loved it! I was able to work on my communication and interviewing skills, and I felt like I walked away a better applicant for an internship next summer.

Every time I leave seminars like these I am reassured with my switch from pre-med to business. The business environment is where I thrive and opportunities to improve my skills and connect with people give me energy. I am constantly reminded of what I learned as a pre-med student, however, and I am thankful for the experience. Pre-med pushed me to work hard and allocate my time accordingly. I truly believe that if I started in business I would not have the work ethic I have today. The business environment requires someone to be innovative and a hard worker, and pre-med gave me those skills. Sure, the hours of classes will not add to my degree, but the idea of never having to deal with a hydrocarbon again puts a smile on my face.