Is Honors Right for Me?

Do you enjoy intellectual challenges?

Honors students thrive on academics. Research, creativity, and intellectual curiosity are the core of our mission. The Honors experience at UWF is largely defined by “HIPS”—High Impact Practices. These experiences include supervised research, internships, conference travel, study abroad, and service learning, to name just a few. Honors is right for you if you are ready for a truly transformative college experience that pushes far beyond the classroom. If you’re the kind of student who only does the bare minimum to get by, you probably won’t enjoy the Honors experience.

Do you enjoy tackling difficult issues?

In Honors, we don’t shy away from difficult topics just because they make us uncomfortable. We value conversing and debating while pursuing reason, facts, and verifiable claims. We embrace science and the scientific method, welcome free speech, and acknowledge the risks and rewards of sharing our ideas with others. If you shy away from difficult discussions or dislike questioning your worldview, Honors is likely not a good fit for you.

Do you embrace diversity?

Being part of an Honors community means living and learning with others from different backgrounds. We actively promote diversity within our community and our curriculum. We seek students excited by the opportunities and challenges that arise from working closely with peers who sometimes experience the world differently. Our definition of diversity is intentionally broad, including race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexuality, sexual identity, class, physical disability, autism, and mental health.

Do you value balance?

Balance is a fundamental quality in Honors. We value balance across multiple fields of study and seek balance in our lives. Honors students choose a major like all other UWF students, but we also take extra courses that challenge us to think outside of our major areas of study. The most vital qualities in Honors students are intellectual curiosity and the willingness to examine problems and research questions from multiple points of view. If you’re only good at one thing or interested in one small area of study, you won’t get the most out of Honors.

Do you push yourself to be the very best you can be?

Being in Honors takes drive, passion, and ambition. In Honors, we cultivate a drive to succeed and like setting the bar high. While we’re not ultra-competitive (Honors is more of a family than a group of individuals), we value hard work, rigor, and the desire to be the best. We are looking for students who want to be the very best they can be---academically, personally, and professionally.