Honors program eases you into college life

By James Crowell
March 28, 2011

Sitting there in my first class of my college career, I was utterly petrified. Petrified because I did not know what to expect, but utterly petrified because my first class ever as a college freshman was also an honors class.

It was 9:30 a.m. on a Monday morning and I barely knew anyone who was sitting around a large wooden table in the library conference room. Awkward silence filled the room. The professor, Dr. Wright, came in at exactly 9:40 a.m. and my Honors ECG class began. I would soon find out that living with the same group of people had its ups and downs, but overall the honors program eased me into my life as a college student.

Being a sophomore now, I can remember back to January 2009 when I got my acceptance letter to college. Enclosed in the acceptance envelope, there was also a letter from Dr. Primiano and Dr. Wright, explaining how, as co-directors of the Honors Program, they wanted me to join. Seven months later, I sat there on the second floor of the library, in that large, drafty conference room, wondering what my college life was going to be like, hoping that I wouldn’t have to wait to find out.

The answer to my questions would come soon enough. I am now a communication major and enjoying every day, feeling privileged to go to a small college that you get hands-on experience at everyday as well as learning from professors who actually care about their students. Despite where I am now, I would be nowhere without being in the Honors Program, especially the Honors living and learning community (LLC).

Dr. Wright’s, “Reacting to the past” ECG class broke down walls and broke the ice between me and my peers in the honors program. Due to the often frantic and acting-oriented class structure, I would find myself talking to and getting to know my classmates, who always were living on the same floor with me in East Residence Hall.

Another honors class I took with the Honors LLC was Dr. Primiano’s, “Search for Meaning.” The diverse topics covered and complex books read in the class simulated my brain and gave me the hunger to branch out with my procurement of knowledge. As with Dr. Wright’s ECG class, Dr. Primiano’s religion class really elevated my level of thinking about what it means to be in college and why I am in college to begin with, and without my experience so far in the Honors Program and the freshman Honors LLC, I would have been lost and unsure how to proceed with my life.

The Honors Program also allowed me to have a diverse background of cultural experiences. With trips to the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Peace Mission Movement of Father Devine, the Shrine of St. John Neumann and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, I can say that the Honors Program seriously expanded my horizons and opened my eyes to what life is like outside of my small existence. Before my trip to see the orchestra, I had never been into Philadelphia, so just briefly walking the streets of a major city was an experience in itself.

Being in the Honors Program really taught me a great deal about being in college and dealing with other people my age. Without those experiences that I had freshman year, I know my life would be drastically different. I am glad it turned out the way it did, and if I could answer myself back when I was sitting there petrified of what was to come, I would tell myself to not worry and to just enjoy what was to come.

 

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James Crowell

Senior com major at Cabrini College. Technical Director for LOQation. On-Air personality on WYBF-FM. Past News editor for The Loquitur, 2011-12. Passion for videography, tech news & quantum mechanics. Follow me @JamesCrowellJr

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