My time in the Wesleyan Scholars Program has been thoroughly enjoyable. The time I spent in the honors courses helped me to grow as an individual inside and outside the classroom. In each class, I felt challenged and engaged. I’m thankful that I was able to be a part of the Wesleyan Scholars Program.

What you learned in each of the four courses and how this experience has added to your college experience. 

Popular Culture and Rhetoric, Comic Books and Crime, The Science of Cooking, and Supreme Court Case Review all taught me something different.

Dr. Whitney Myer’s Pop Culture class challenged me to be a better writer and person. My citation skills improved immensely after just three weeks in her class. As a junior in college, my citations were far from what they needed to be. Thanks to Dr. Myers and her class my writing and citing skills are much improved. The material challenged me to be more mindful of the media I consume. We examined everything from our ideas of masculinity to our ideas of appropriate children’s toys. I am more open-minded because I was in the Popular Culture and Rhetoric course.

Dr. Cary Adkinson’s Comic Books and Crime class taught me better critical thinking strategies. Comic Books and Crime was my favorite honors course because most Tuesdays and Thursdays Dr. A was the bright point of my day. I always looked forward to this class because I knew Dr. A would have a new engaging topic for us to discuss or a crime riddle for us to solve. Dr. A’s class made me more curious and more eager to learn in all my courses.

Dr. Christopher Parker’s science of cooking class made me more creative. I was never very interested in cooking or science until I took this class. Dr. Parker took two subjects I found mundane and made them exciting. I grew to love learning about different cooking techniques, and I loved trying out what we learned in the lab even more.

Dr. Michelle Payne’s Supreme Court course was the most intimidating honors course I took. I did not know anything about political science at the start of this course. I learned how to read opinions, write case briefs, and interpret a case’s effect on America today. The ability to read legal documents and understand is a skill I will continue to use as the Supreme Court continues to make rulings.

A discussion of how the Honors program has helped you in your major studies or in your area of specialization. 

The Wesleyan Scholars program made me more interested in learning. I was more curious after taking honors courses and wanted to know why not just what. As a mass communication major, I have to give presentations and pitches in front of large groups of people often. The honors program gave me more opportunities to speak in front of my peers and professors. The honors program also helped me become a better student overall with better time management skills.

An illustration of what kind of interaction with peers has been most beneficial to you personally and academically. 

The best interaction I had with my classmates in the honors program was in the Science of Cooking course. Each Friday we had a lab assignment in the kitchen of the church. As a class, we had to work together to complete the lab. We had to assign ourselves to tasks and help each other when we could. At the end of the lab, we got to eat what we all helped make. It was good to experience what teamwork should be.

A reflection of what makes these courses and the program unique compared to other courses in your academic discipline. 

The honors program courses are unique because they allow you to experience a broader range of ideas and perspectives. Mass communication has specific rules on different ways to write. I love to write, and it was refreshing to be able to be creative with my writing for the honors program. Most of the time there is no opinion in mass communication writing, only facts. I enjoyed having the opportunity to write without as many restrictions.

A statement of whether or not you would recommend the program to incoming freshmen. Include an explanation of why or why not. 

I would recommend the program to incoming freshmen or even upperclassmen that still need credits. I started the honors program in the spring of my junior year, and it became one of the best parts of my college experience. I would not have learned about as broad a range of topics if it were not for the honors program. I knew very little about each course topic at the beginning of each semester, but I felt proficient in each subject by the end. I am a better student and critical-thinker because of the honors program.