We think there are many benefits to being part of the Honors College. Some of these are tangible, while others are less so. On the tangible side, being in the Honors College provides you the opportunity to live in Honors housing. Incoming freshmen live on Honors floors of Minton Hall, and upperclassmen who are in good standing with the Honors College can live in Bates-Runner or McLean Hall. This offers the advantage of being near a large pool of other Honors students who are taking similar courses and can help you adjust to life at WKU and the Honors College.

Another significant benefit of being in the Honors College is priority registration after you've been at WKU your first semester. (Incoming freshmen register through the Academic Transitions Program.) Honors students (regardless of class) register each semester along with the seniors. (If you apply to the Honors College less than a month before priority registration starts, then you'll get to register early the next semester.) This makes scheduling your classes much easier.

Despite these obvious benefits, the biggest reasons to be a part of the Honors College are also the hardest to quantify. We think the educational challenges and opportunities that honors provides are immeasurable, both now and for your future. An Honors education can be an important deciding factor when you are competing with others for that perfect job, scholarship or fellowship upon graduation. But just so you do not have to take our word for it, we have surveyed both our Honors College alumni, as well as the major graduate, medical and law schools in each state regarding the potential value of Honors education. Here's what we found:

'I was very pleased with my experiences in the Honors Program at Western. I believe without a doubt that my completion of the Honors Program - in particular, completion of an honors thesis - was crucial in my acceptance to medical school. I've come to learn that an honors education from Western is as good as any education the country has to offer. Thank you for your help and for what the Honors Program has meant to my career.'

'Reading through this has brought back a lot of good memories of both my time at Western and in the Honors Program. While it may not have visibly affected my professional situation (based upon my particular career field, which was more a technical and skill-oriented profession), my time in the Honors Program affected my personal life in a tremendously positive way. The people that I met, both faculty and students, and the circumstances that I experienced were very special.'

'The classes I took and the experiences I had with my classmates in the Honors Program contributed so much to my growth and understanding that I can't imagine what my life at WKU would have been like without them. The thesis also taught me that I am capable of great and complex things, which has aided my self-confidence immensely. Please keep up the good work - the students need you!'

'My general education classes taken through the Honors Program were of much more quality than regular gen ed classes I took. The professors seemed more involved and eager to teach. I thoroughly benefited from my honors-augmented class. It helped me narrow down where I wanted to go in my field. Overall, the Honors Program greatly enhanced my education at WKU!'

'As much as I disliked it during the first semester, I now realize the honors thesis was an extremely helpful and educational experience to prepare me for medical school. The in-depth library research, critical writing skills, and increased responsibility were aspects of the thesis that taught me valuable lessons that are still beneficial even today.'

'The Honors Program enhances many intangible skills such as critical thinking, communication, and personal integrity that may not show up directly on a resume, but are definitely evident. The Honors Program offered me unique experiences that I would not have had otherwise. I was also provided the opportunity to hone my creative thinking and communication skills for the enhancement of my professional development.'

'For my freshman and sophomore years, I lived in honors housing. This was a great experience for me! I made lasting friendships and still keep in touch with several people who lived on my floor my first semester. As a new student, it was beneficial to be around other students who had similar academic goals.'

'I enjoyed my experience in the Honors Program, and I think the honors classes and colloquia helped me more than any others in my law career because of the writing, discussion and critical thinking involved.'

'I am currently finishing a PhD in American studies at St. Louis University. The senior thesis, above all, gave me skills that I have used daily in graduate school. Also, the Kentucky Honors Roundtable gave me a head start on conference presentation, an essential skill in an academic career.'

'Completing the program assisted me in several ways - most importantly, I have no doubt I was accepted to an MA program ranked in the top five in my field because of my honors thesis and recommendations from the advisors who worked with me.'