Honors Peer Advisors are an integral part of UHP advising, providing mentorship to new Honors students and providing a student perspective for the Honors community at large. They advise on honors experiences, classes, housing, and all the facets of life at GW as a Honors student. Are you interested in applying to be an Honors Peer Advisor? Applications are now open!
Apply here if you’re applying as a new Honors Peer Advisors
Apply here if you’re applying as a returning Honors Peer Advisors
Apply here if you’re interested in a leadership positionwith the Honors Peer Advisors. Please note that leadership candidates should also fill out a regular application.
The application deadline is Monday, January 23. Please contact uhppeers@gwu.edu with questions regarding the application.
The following post was written by Peer Advisor Prakriti, a sophomore in CCAS studying economics and political science.
Making the Most of Student Organizations At GW: Knowing When to Quit
Student organizations are an important part of college; they are where you meet many of your friends, explore passions outside the academic realm, and become involved with your community. As a result, students often struggle with knowing if and when it is the right time to quit a student organization. In fact, it is probably one of the hardest things to consider about a student organization, especially for those of us who tend to overcommit and are highly motivated to be involved. Quitting tends to come with a negative connotation. But ‘quitting’ is not always bad. There sometimes comes a point when being in an organization is not worth it anymore and quitting becomes the best action to take. It does not make you less smart or motivated or involved. Sometimes doing the right thing for yourself is leaving one organization so you can pursue something else more beneficial. As a quick disclaimer, this post is not trying to promote quitting student organizations or not getting involved. I am not advising to drop every single organization that takes up some of your time or gives you one negative experience. At that rate, you wouldn’t be involved with anything. However, this post is to prompt students to consider the environment they are in and ask if they are getting the experiences that they want. If you aren’t happy in the organizations you are in, then you should at least reconsider your involvement. If you are confused about leaving an organization, here are some factors to consider that will hopefully make your choice a little easier:
Time. Consider how much time your organization is taking up and pay attention to whether you find yourself skipping classes, ignoring homework, or avoiding sleep on a regular basis. You may need to tone down your individual involvement or, if hours are not flexible, consider leaving the organization.
Benefits and Opportunities. Consider the opportunities that the organization gives you. Sometimes an organization looks great on paper or social media, but it may not actually be what you hoped for, and it isn’t worth being in an organization just so you can list it on a resume; if you cannot genuinely speak to the ways in which it helped you grow, then it probably is not worth your time.
The Opportunity Cost. Being heavily involved in an organization takes away from other things you could be doing. Keep your options open and know that it is okay at times to leave something when a better opportunity comes your way. You cannot do everything and need to pick and chose your commitments carefully with your personal goals and the future in mind.
Socializing. Joining a student organization does not necessarily guarantee that you will make friends or more often times, that you will make the friends that you want. If you find yourself questioning the character of people you spend your time with or realize that you are not having fun, then you might want to consider leaving that organization for another one.
Losing Friends. You might find that a student organization is not worth it for you personally, but you do not want to lose the great friends that you have made. Keep in mind that if these people are actually your friends, then it won’t matter that you quit.
Time Investment. A major reason I didn’t want to quit an organization in the past was that I felt I had already invested so much time into it. I know it might be hard to negate the time you’ve already spent, but a lot of times, it is just cognitive dissonance and not a valid reason to stay in an organization.
Quitting is “Bad”. Students feel like by quitting, they are admitting that they couldn’t handle the pressure or that they failed. However, quitting is not always a bad thing. Make sure that you are quitting for the right reasons and are following the path that you want.
Deciding to leave a student organization can be daunting and there are a lot of factors to consider. At the end of the day, however, there is really only one fundamental question to consider – Are you happy in the organization that you are in? If you don’t know the answer, then you should rethink your involvement. While I would not advocate making a rash decision, I would suggest reconsidering the pros and cons with your involvement. You might decide to reduce your involvement, rethink your approach to an organization, or quit altogether. Trust your instincts – you know what is good for you better than you may realize.
The following post was written by Peer Advisor Sam, a CCAS junior double majoring in political science and communication.
A week into the semester and you’ve started questioning your course-load. “Why did I decide to take two WIDS at the same time?” “I don’t think I actually want to take acting as my GPAC arts credit.” “Was taking ALL the sciences this semester really such a great idea?”
You think about how you’re going to talk yourself through it. “I just need organization,” you might say. But soon you find yourself on the registrar’s website again, scrolling classes that seem perpetually full. Then you remember you’re in the Honors Program, and you have a sweet solution for this problem: CONTRACT COURSES! But do you qualify? Is it even possible? CAN IT BE DONE?!
As you freak out, the Honors Program gods (*Cough* Catherine and Mary *Cough*) shine a light down on you when you ask “Who can take these classes?” They mix fairy dust, love, and magic together when they sprinkle you with the answer “Anyone who is interested.”
So you think to yourself, “This is too good to be true.” You’ve realized that you can get credit for an internship, do independent research, or even find an Honors research assistantship. All you have to do is find a professor who will supervise your work and meet with you regularly to review your progress.
This sounds amazing. Incredibly, it turns out to be even better than you’ve originally anticipated. You find that professor who you connect with, you talk to the boss at your internship, and you start drafting ideas for an incredible paper. This paper helps you grow beyond that boring lecture you dropped. Your research makes you interesting to other students, faculty, and real-world folk. People start to ask about your research. Organizations and future internships become interested in you because you took initiative as an undergraduate. Future you looks back on current you and nods in approval.
Current you realizes that you need to take one of these classes immediately. So where do you start?Make an appointment with a Program Officer to talk specifics. Then, head on over to this page for some clarifying points, draft a proposal, and then jump right in to your new favorite semester. You done good, honors student.
This post was written by Peer Advisor Michaela Stanch, a junior in SEAS studying Civil Engineering and minoring in International Affairs. Not me.
I, like many UHPers, hold myself to a certain level of excellence. In the spring of my sophomore year, I wanted to maintain this level in all aspects of my life. I had an internship, leadership positions in multiple student orgs, and I was going to take 19 credits: four engineering courses, two honors courses, and LSPA 1037, or Indoor Soccer. Due to many unexpected and traumatic circumstances, I ended up taking three incompletes, dropping two leadership positions, and missing at least five weeks of my internship. The only thing close to the standards that I had set for myself in January was the “A” I got in Indoor Soccer. By the time I finished my incompletes, my GPA for that semester was a 2.57.
In order to stay in the University Honors Program, you need to maintain the mathematical possibility of finishing with a 3.4 GPA. While yes, you can do this by keeping your GPA above a 3.4 all your semesters, that’s not required. Your overall GPA doesn’t need to be a straight line; it can (and probably will) go up and down, as long as it ends at or above a 3.4. You are in the UHP because the UHP knows you are capable of that. Also not me.
I took Indoor Soccer last spring for fun. I am no Ella Masar nor Meghan Klingenberg, but I genuinely enjoy the sport. However, after our first class, I knew two things: I was bad, and everyone else in the class was good. Some days, I was really bad; I passed the ball to the other team, I kicked someone’s shins instead of the ball, and, the one time I was allowed to play goalie, the ball slowly rolled right in between my legs into the goal. Other days, I was actually decent; I blocked goals with everything besides my arms, I passed the ball to people on my own team, and I even scored a goal once.
However, my bad and good moments also didn’t really matter to my teammates nor my coach; what mattered was that we played together and were healthy and happy. When I got a mild concussion from getting hit in the head by a ball, my coach made sure I got rest and didn’t go to class. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t there on the team; my health was more important than any goals, passes, or blocks I missed. After making a comment about how bad I was in April, my coach said “You’ve really grown this semester. You’ve gotten to be a pretty good defender.” At that moment, I felt a little closer to Masar and Klingenberg. That’s more like it.
I’m pretty bad with metaphors, but by the end of that semester, I felt as if LSPA 1037 was a metaphor for me and how to approach my life. I learned that you won’t be at your level of excellence all the time, and that’s OK. It is OK to not be perfect. Your mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health are far more important than being at the ridiculous level of excellence you set for yourself. You may not know all the rules, and that’s normal. That doesn’t mean that you can’t play. Most of all, I learned that it’s not about each good or bad moment; it’s about how you feel at the end. It’s about knowing that win, lose, or draw, you played your hardest in the circumstances you were given, and your team couldn’t be happier with that. It’s about knowing that you are meant to be in the position you’re in, even if you don’t believe you’re supposed to be there.
This semester, I’m taking 17 credits (two LSPA courses), focusing on fewer student organizations, and I have a fun, very casual job as an usher at Lisner on the weekends. I see a therapist every week. I could not be happier with the position I’m in, because I know that my circumstances and I have changed to where I can succeed academically without sacrificing my health. And hey, next semester I’m registered for Indoor Soccer. Maybe I’ll score two goals this time.
Your guide to finding (and losing) a second major, by Eva Martin. Eva is Vice President of the Peer Advisors, and is a junior double majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy. Or is she? Step 1: Get really excited about your second major. It’s a perfect fit, you just declared, and now you MUST be super marketable for all the jobs you want. Step 2: Take some classes in your major. Because you love the topic, you already know a lot of the basic stuff. The classes aren’t super interesting, but you like being able to nod along and put together the pieces of what you already know. And you get to write papers about whatever you want that’s related to class, so you investigate some very specific things you’re into. Which is pretty awesome. Step 3: Sign up for some more classes about things that you are into. They sound super relevant, and you’re excited to investigate further the things that you like. Step 4: It’s a new year. You’re doing some leadership things, so it takes you some time to feel settled. The classes are okay. You go over some things you already know (like where the Sunni-Shia divide originated… for the seventh time), but you’re confident that soon enough things will get interesting. Step 5: They don’t. You’re learning the same things you know. Over and over. With people who don’t know them, so they ask questions you know detailed answers to, and professors give them a quick 30 second rundown. And your papers are all on assigned topics, and it feels like high school (“Describe two challenges the Ottoman Empire faced and how the way they were resolved shaped the structure of society.”). Step 6: Get frustrated. This isn’t why you wanted to take this major. You wanted to delve into the details and build a complex knowledge base. You wanted depth of knowledge, and instead you’re hitting some arbitrary bottom, again and again. Step 7: Decide this major isn’t for you. You aren’t getting anything out of it. It’s frustrating. You don’t want to go to class, which being a typical Honors kid is weird. You usually LOVE class. You don’t feel like yourself, and it’s not right. Step 8: Talk to everyone you know who you trust as an advisor. Talk to Catherine and Mary. Talk to your favorite professors. Talk to your friends, even though they have no idea what’s going on. Tell them what’s going on, tell them how you feel, tell them you want out. Step 9: Tell your parents. It’s going to be okay. You can still get a job. Actively explore your options. Step 10: Go to your official advisor. Fill out a form. Drop your major. Experience the freedom of saying “no (more).”
If you ever want to talk about a major not fitting, shoot me an email (evamartin@gwu.edu). I’ve been there. Dropping a major isn’t a failure. Knowing something isn’t right for you and letting go of it is a sign of personal growth. Now I can take classes I like rather than ones that fulfill requirements. I can take an internship for credit, I can dedicate more time and energy to being an RA and peer advisor, and I can maybe graduate early. It turns out major changes (get it) can be a good thing.
Meet the 2015-2016 Honors Peer Advisors! Our Peer Advisors are a diverse group of UHP students dedicated to supporting our new Honors freshmen. All freshmen have a Peer Advisor assigned to them, but students are encouraged to meet any of the Peer Advisors with whom they may share interests. Check out their bios here, and search by name, academic interest, or advising speciality!
Are you interested in applying to be an Honors Peer Advisor? Applications are now open!
