Community College Honors Programs: What’s the Deal?

Community College Honors Programs Of 800 schools in the National Collegiate Honors Council, 20% are community colleges One-third of the 2-year colleges that offer honors programs are comparable to those found at smaller universities

Difference Between High School Honors and College Honors The general distinction between high school and college honors courses:

High School Classes Are Distinguished from Non-Honors  Greater amount of work required  The faster “accelerated” speed at which they progress.

College Honors Classes Are Designed to Develop Critical Thinking Skills  student-centered education  help students develop their own ideas  encourage innovation in an atmosphere of open exchange, where students’ views are solicited and respected.  more opportunities for contacts outside of the traditional classroom setting – more instructor contact, research, etc.

 Transfer appropriate curriculum  Enrollment priority  Smaller classes  Great and dedicated instructors  Find hidden scholars and…… Focus of the Community College Honors Program Prepare students to continue studies at a four-year school by offering more personalized services:

Focus of the Community College Honors Program  Maintain transfer “priority agreements with colleges and universities  Honors students can seamlessly transition from a two-year school to university life.

 Save Money!  Second chance - didn’t get the offer from high school try as a transfer and plan to use one or multiple contracts, TAP, TAG (in CA)  Don’t want to bother with all the high school college prep – SAT/ACT, college applications, stress, etc.  Not ready for university (or the parents aren’t ready) Why Students Use Community College Honors Programs as a Strategy

Honors Transfer Council of California (HTCC) – Over 60 CCC memberships  Negotiates special transfer agreements linking community college honors/scholars’ programs to specific universities, large or small, public and private.  Students enjoy enhanced transfer consideration at the partner campus:  priority acceptance consideration  special scholarships  housing priority  and a range of other academic and social benefits such as library privileges even before transfer Resource for California Community College Honors Programs

 Students are well-prepared for the university experience. Honors courses encourage analytical/critical thinking.  Students are motivated and driven (many are top students academically—but not all)  Allows community colleges to recruit and encourages students non-traditional populations to prepare and apply to elite universities (UCLA TAP agreement seeks underrepresented, non-traditional, first generation). Benefits for Transfer Schools

Sample of How this Works Santa Monica College Scholars Program  Students submit Scholars Application  Must have English 1 eligibility  3.0 high school or college GPA  No more than 30 college units completed  Essay/writing sample  At SMC we have decided to cast a wide net and capture many groups, including those that are targeted by UCLA – keep the GPA criteria low  {Some community colleges want to have a program that highlights the high achieving student (higher GPA criteria) more “elite” type program}

Completion of SMC Scholars Program  Students complete 15 semester units of honors courses  Must meet target GPA  SMC certifies completion  Universities give priority consideration (SMC’s largest honors transfer schools are UCLA, UCI, Loyola Marymount University)

Transfer Year UCLA Transfer Students From SMC Scholars Certified (TAP) UCI Transfer Students from SMC UCI Scholars Certified (TAP) UC Berkeley Transfer Students from SMC UC Berkeley Scholars (No TAP/Scholars Agreement) Fall applied 650 admitted 190 certified 178 admitted 131N/A Fall applied 600 admitted 200 certified 182 admitted 9344N/A Fall applied 663 admitted 223 certified 203 admitted 10355N/A Fall applied ???? admitted 219 certified 192 admitted N/A44N/A Fall applied 726 admitted 232 certified 211 admitted 553 applied 114 admitted 51 certified 49 admitted N/A Fall applied 592 admitted 205 certified 182 admitted 1053 applied 551 admitted 96 certified 84 admitted 1027 applied 237 admitted (23%) 174 applied 73 admitted (41%) Transfer Statistics for SMC Scholars Program