Alpha Dogs: Finding Community and Inspiration in the FCRH Honors Program

Something weird happened during my senior year of high school. Due to bizarre scheduling, there were only ten students in my AP Lit class. It was odd, especially after four years of classes with 20 to 30 students each. My teacher also expected us to participate in a "roundtable discussion" format whereas past teachers had mostly lectured at us. Thanks to that class, I learned something important about what I wanted in college: small class sizes and discussion-based learning. And that's exactly what drew me to the Rose Hill Honors Program at Fordham. 

The honors program accepts about 35 students from each entering class. Though students don't have to complete a separate application for admittance to the program (they receive an invitation shortly after being admitted to Fordham), I sent a letter to the Honors Program director asking to be admitted. 

(Click through for larger image)
Most of Alpha 2016 at our last Secret Santa exchange; I'm in the bottom row, second from the right!
These kids are smart. Easy on the eyes, too. ;)

The honors core curriculum differs completely from the regular Rose Hill core. You can view the course layout here. Each semester consists of mainly literature, history, and philosophy courses that focus on a specific era of the world. 

Off the top of my head, here are a few immediate benefits of being in the honors program:  

• Class sizes of about 10-14 students, sometimes even less
• Fabulous professors--and the opportunity to develop close working relationships with them
• Alpha House 

Maybe the biggest tangible benefit of being an honors student is getting a key to Alpha House: a small cottage-turned-building dedicated to honors classes, complete with couches and free printing in the basement. It functions as a 24-hour space for both studying and bonding. Just two weekends ago, we held a Lord of the Rings (Extended Edition) marathon in Alpha. We've held our "Secret Santa" exchange party there for the past two Christmases. Even if we're there just to cram in a paper due the next morning, we get to help each other unwind and stay sane.

With all of its required philosophy and literature classes, the program forces us to consider how humanity has reached this point in history, and how we should prioritize our own lives as a result. I've taken classes I wouldn't normally have chosen on my own. As much as I struggle with philosophy, my philosophy classes have been surprisingly pivotal in helping me understand the world and figure out what I believe to be true. 

I've also had some of my favorite professors at Fordham through the honors classes, and small class sizes allow us to have actual relationships with them. For example, my philosophy teacher from last semester, an honors alum herself, has a tradition of taking her classes apple picking upstate. That day trip is easily one of my most favorite honors memories so far.

Apple picking with Dr. Jude Jones back in October. We climbed trees (technically against the rules), ate pumpkin cheesecake, and danced to a live folk band.

Honors rounds out not only the academic aspects of my life, but also the social ones. I can't speak for every entering class, but the program gave me an instant community of genuinely nice kids who genuinely enjoy learning about the world. I'm honored (haha get it? "honored"?) to be in such great company. My classmates make me want to work harder--they're smart, funny, interesting, articulate. Sometimes I even feel a bit out of my league during class, but that just means I'm actually being challenged. I know I've become a better reader, writer, and thinker for it. Best of all, everyone supports each other. Our Facebook group is always alive with jokes and collective study guides, commiseration and plans to hang out. My Fordham experience wouldn't be the same without these kids.

If you have any questions about the honors program, don't hesitate to e-mail me at vagovida@fordham.edu! 

Gabelli School-Global Business Honors Program

As I sadly approach the end of my four years at Fordham, I figured I’d write a quick piece about a great program I am a part of, the Gabelli School’s Global Business Honors Program, in an effort to give a bit of insight into what has been my best experience here at Fordham throughout the years. The Global Business Honors Program is a group of around 16 students who are selected from each incoming GSB freshman class to partake in a specialized experience here at Fordham. The program aims to provide a slightly more challenging curriculum with an added emphasis on studying and understanding global business.

The program features a few classes each semester that will generally go beyond, or approach differently, the material taught in a traditional GSB class. In a GBHP student’s senior year, they are responsible for producing a capstone thesis in an area that they are interested in.

My favorite part of the program however, had to be the trips that our group took during the first three years of the program. At the end of each school year, the group as a whole spent some time studying business abroad. While we didn't actually take classes in these countries, we did met with various businesses on a daily basis, and got a chance to observe the business and cultural differences in these nations. Our first year, we spent about a week and half in London and Paris. Our second year, we spent a week in Beijing, China. Our third year, we spent a week in Santiago, Chile. Three continents in three years. In speaking to friends at other universities, I have yet to hear of a program like this.

What truly makes this program great however, is most certainly my fellow students. With all the time we have spent together throughout the years, I feel like I have developed a great bond with the other members of the program. My roommates are all in the program, and I have met most of my closest friends here at Fordham through it as well. It has become very much like a family, and I have been truly fortunate to spend a great deal of time with all the tremendously gifted people involved.

If you have any questions about the program, or anything else about Fordham, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at minutoli@fordham.edu. And as always, best of luck to everyone in their college search!