Honors Student FAQs

Students who participate in the Honors Program at North Hennepin Community College share a passion for learning and a desire to expand their academic and personal horizons during their studies. Students in Honors programs are widely recognized as those who are both academically talented and those with the motivation to make the most of their college experience. The NHCC Honors Program offers students the opportunity to deepen their learning experience at NHCC by offering students access to academically-enriched courses, unique learning activities, and by providing attentive academic mentorship. Honors level courses and seminars provide high-achieving students with opportunities to dive into their studies more thoroughly than they may in regular classes. In addition to advanced learning opportunities, Honors students receive individualized faculty mentoring and opportunities for “Honors Student Only” scholarships. In terms of educational and professional pursuits, the notation of “Honors” on your transcript signals to potential employers or learning institutions that you are a candidate who possesses advanced studies, self-motivation, and high academic success.

• “Honors-only” NHCC scholarship opportunities
• Direct & meaningful interaction with NHCC faculty
• Individualized faculty mentoring during your time in the Honors Program
• A built-in community of similarly intellectually-driven peers
• Opportunities for personal growth & intellectual enrichment; motivation to develop your fullest academic potential
• Priority registration each term (for who earn “High Honors” and “Highest Honors” levels of participation)
• Opportunities to participate in unique cultural and social events as well as other enrichment activities
• Honors recognition on your official NHCC transcript – a boost for your professional goals
• Increased opportunity for transfer to four-year universities

Taking the Honors Track at Community College

The Benefits of Earning Honors Credit at Your Community College

All NHCC students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and 12 credits are eligible to join the Honors Program. If you achieve this G.P.A. and have earned 12 credits, you will automatically receive an invitation to join the Honors Program. Invitations for qualified students are sent out every term.

In your Honors Program invitation, you will be asked to attend an Honors Program orientation session where you will learn about the requirements and opportunities of the program. If you select to participate, you will sign a pledge (an informal contract) to participate in the program. Upon pledging, students will then be able to access the Honors Program D2L page where they will find detailed information on how to successfully participate in the program and work towards earning their Honors signification.

Yes, it does. Your participation in the Honors Program will speak volumes about your abilities and aspirations. Students in Honors Programs are widely recognized as being the best students at a college, having both talented academic ability and the motivation to make the most of their college experience.

Consider what an American college degree means to the general public. Because there are more than 3000 colleges and universities in the United States, most people have no way of evaluating, for example, the scores of colleges in California, and they have only a vague idea about the quality of colleges in their local area. But everyone knows that if you join an Honors Program, you are obviously a superior student who is clearly committed to getting the best education – and the best courses and professors – available to you.

To be certified as an NHCC Honors Program transfer student or graduate, a student must successfully complete specific course and learning activity requirements of the program. Students must also earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 at the time of their graduation. When all course requirements and program requirements have been fulfilled, students will then have “Honors” listed as a permanent feature of their NHCC transcript.

No, there are distinct differences between high school and college Honors courses. In many high schools, Honors courses are simply regular courses “made harder” with extra hard grading of students. But at NHCC, Honors Seminars are specially “enriched” courses, not simply regular courses made harder, and grading standards are the same as in regular college courses. Enriched Honors courses stimulate your thinking; they use provocative and innovative materials covering central concepts and cutting-edge explorations, ranging from the classics to the ultra-hip; and they provide an informal, small class environment that encourages discussion and debate on important topics. Honors enrichment means offering students unique learning and cultural experiences, bringing guest experts into the classroom such as poets and visiting professors, lawyers, journalists, or doctors – or offering whatever is relevant and illuminating for the class.

No. If you were invited to participate in an Honors Program, you have the ability to succeed in your Honors courses. You will also gain confidence in your own abilities by working together with (not competing with) the best students on campus. In Honors courses students and faculty really do learn from each other. Sometimes Honors courses may require a bit more work than other courses, but not excessively so; and Honors courses and the faculty are often so stimulating that students barely notice that they are doing more.

Contact Honors Program Director, Prof. David Mantini at David.mantini@nhcc.edu for questions or for more information.

Honors programs at more than 1000 colleges across the United States are special academic programs designed to help superior students – who are sometimes bored or unchallenged by conventional courses – make the most of their college experience. If a college is like a big swimming pool, an Honors program is the opportunity to swim in the deep end. You don’t have to be there all the time, but you should not miss it. A typical American Honors Program offers a series of small classes or seminars, taught by the best faculty at the college to the students with superior academic abilities, and emphasizes class discussions rather than lectures. Because these characteristics are often associated with very expensive Ivy League educations, which may be out of reach for most families, Honors Programs occupy the place of pride on their campuses and have been recognized as one of the greatest bargains in American higher education.

Sometimes this is true, but very often it is not. In fact, more than a thousand colleges have established Honors Programs precisely because good students do better in them! Without a peer group that values academic excellence, social life can easily become more important than studying. Talented students can be bored in normal classes and coast through or put off simple assignments (just as they did in high school). Unfortunately, students who avoid challenges and try to take the easy way out often face severe shocks in college (it’s not grade 13!) and graduate with mediocre academic records.

No, Honors courses aren’t graded harder (or any easier!) than other college courses. A student who averages a 3.6 in regular courses will probably have a 3.6 GPA for Honors courses too.

Certainly, and you will meet many other students doing the same. Most Honors students are able to participate successfully in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and still maintain a balance with their academic work.

No, Honors students are as fully a part of college life as is possible. Honors students take a mix of Honors and non-Honors courses, and they find their friends both in and out of Honors.

Yes, there is good evidence that participation can be an asset for your future. As an Honors student you will be identified as possessing not only superior academic abilities (often supplemented by solid extracurricular involvement), but you will be recognized as having the commitment and motivation to take on challenging work. Thus, Honors students are eagerly sought by employers and preferred for admissions by graduate and professional schools. Your Honors research projects provide you with research experiences that prove your ability to work independently at an advanced level.