Most classes at Sinclair Community College can be taken for honors credit. Derek Petrey, director of the Honors Program, said the trick is asking your teacher during the first week of class.
To take a class for honors you need at least a 2.8 grade point average. After signing up for an honors class, you need to complete additional work during the course. The honors classes do not have any extra cost. Petrey said there are two levels to the Sinclair Honors Program. One is taking classes for honors and the other is being an Honors Scholar. This work usually consists of research, community service, a writing project and an oral presentation, according to Petrey. All the work the student does is presented to the class at the end of the course.
Petrey said there are many benefits to completing the Honors Program, including scholarships for academic excellence. Students in the program with a 3.5 GPA qualify for the college’s Academic Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship offers $400 per quarter for up to six quarters. Also available is a $2,500 transfer scholarship to Wright State University per quarter for two quarters.
“Colleges want good students with proven track records of excellence,” Petrey said. “If you can establish that here, that’s a big point.”
The next level of the program is being an Honors Scholar. To become an Honors Scholar, students must have at least a 3.25 GPA, have recommendations from teachers, write an essay explaining why they wish to join the program and complete an interview.
Petrey said the program’s goal is to enhance the intellectual life at the campus, help explore their intellectual nature and help students connect with others who are committed to academic excellence.
Students who graduate from the Honors Program are given a medallion to wear. Petrey calls it “official graduation bling.”
“We see our honors students as leaders who work and help other students,” he said. “Our best ambassadors are honors students.”
There will be a symposium on Wednesday, May 19 in the upper level of the library with honors and service learning presentations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.