MSU’s Shackouls Honors College representatives speak to students about the honors college experience
As St. Patrick students begin to think about and prepare for college, Mississippi State representatives visited the school Tuesday, January 24, to discuss college life, specifically honors college life, with the students. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who displayed impressive academic skill in their classes were invited to attend the informational session with their parents. Though the session was geared specifically toward Mississippi State’s Shackouls Honors College, all students came, regardless of whether Mississippi State was on their list of potential colleges.
A wide range of topics was covered, from honors college curriculum to study abroad opportunities to graduate school options. To begin the session, the students and parents were told about the impressive scholars that have recently graduated from the Shackouls Honors College, including Rhodes Scholars. The honors college at State focuses on giving their students the best education possible so they have the amazing opportunity of earning impressive academic titles such as that of a Rhodes Scholar.
The honors college system does this by promoting students’ education more than that of a normal undergraduate program by providing the students with a smaller, more intimate learning environment. This allows students to become closer to their professors, which in turn helps them boost their GPA.
Along with this smaller scale setting, State’s honors college emphasizes the importance of undergraduate research for its students. To help students explore all the research fields available to them, State offers several different scholarship opportunities such as their Presidential and Provost Scholarships and study abroad scholarships. Studying abroad is a very popular path at Shackouls, as State has several amazing study abroad programs, including one in conjunction with Oxford University in England.
Choosing to apply to an honors college can only be beneficial, as the student will be able to get more out of their classes and will have a higher chance of getting into prestigious graduate and professional programs after completing their years as an undergraduate.
The Mississippi State representatives encouraged anyone interested to apply to Shackouls Honors College as there is no cutoff to be eligible for entry.
Story by Jeanne Torp