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Community College Honors Programs:. What’s the Deal?. Community College Honors Programs. Of 800 schools in the National Collegiate Honors Council, 20% are community colleges One-third of the 2-year colleges that offer honors programs are comparable to those found at smaller universities.
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Community College Honors Programs: What’s the Deal?
Community College Honors Programs Of 800 schools in the National Collegiate Honors Council, 20% are community colleges One-third of the 2-year colleges that offer honors programs are comparable to those found at smaller universities
Difference Between High School Honors and College Honors The general distinction between high school and college honors courses:
High School Classes Are Distinguished from Non-Honors • Greater amount of work required • The faster “accelerated” speed at which they progress.
College Honors Classes Are Designed to Develop Critical Thinking Skills • student-centered education • help students develop their own ideas • encourage innovation in an atmosphere of open exchange, where students’ views are solicited and respected. • more opportunities for contacts outside of the traditional classroom setting – more instructor contact, research, etc.
Prepare students to continue studies at a four-year school by offering more personalized services: Focus of the Community College Honors Program • Transfer appropriate curriculum • Enrollment priority • Smaller classes • Great and dedicated instructors • Find hidden scholars and……
Focus of the Community College Honors Program • Maintain transfer “priority agreements with colleges and universities • Honors students can seamlessly transition from a two-year school to university life.
Why Students Use Community College Honors Programs as a Strategy Save Money! Second chance - didn’t get the offer from high school try as a transfer and plan to use one or multiple contracts, TAP, TAG (in CA) Don’t want to bother with all the high school college prep – SAT/ACT, college applications, stress, etc. Not ready for university (or the parents aren’t ready)
Resource for California Community College Honors Programs Honors Transfer Council of California (HTCC) – Over 60 CCC memberships • Negotiates special transfer agreements linking community college honors/scholars’ programs to specific universities, large or small, public and private. • Students enjoy enhanced transfer consideration at the partner campus: • priority acceptance consideration • special scholarships • housing priority • and a range of other academic and social benefits such as library privileges even before transfer
Benefits for Transfer Schools Students are well-prepared for the university experience. Honors courses encourage analytical/critical thinking. Students are motivated and driven (many are top students academically—but not all) Allows community colleges to recruit and encourages students non-traditional populations to prepare and apply to elite universities (UCLA TAP agreement seeks underrepresented, non-traditional, first generation).
Sample of How this WorksSanta Monica College Scholars Program • Students submit Scholars Application • Must have English 1 eligibility • 3.0 high school or college GPA • No more than 30 college units completed • Essay/writing sample • At SMC we have decided to cast a wide net and capture many groups, including those that are targeted by UCLA – keep the GPA criteria low • {Some community colleges want to have a program that highlights the high achieving student (higher GPA criteria) more “elite” type program}
Completion of SMC Scholars Program • Students complete 15 semester units of honors courses • Must meet target GPA • SMC certifies completion • Universities give priority consideration (SMC’s largest honors transfer schools are UCLA, UCI, Loyola Marymount University)
