The two levels operate independently of each other, but both require strong academic credentials. Another 100 students will be admitted second semester, after applying for admission and earning a minimum GPA of 3.5 in their first round of college courses. This midyear window accommodates students who perform better than expected in college. The first myth about the Honors Program is that it only benefits academic superstars. In fact, students who enroll in the Honors Program spend most of their time in regular classes, stimulating other students-and faculty.
Honors students can be pretty demanding.
They're very, very verbal, and they routinely raise the level of discussion a couple of notches. Ron Cavanagh, vice president for undergraduate studies, cites the Honors Program for spawning numerous innovations across campus. Syracuse University's quest to provide smaller, more rigorous classes and more intensive advising for all students is modeled after the honors approach. The freshman seminars in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and The College of Arts and Sciences are also inspired by freshman seminars in the Honors Program. Integrating research into the undergraduate experience originated in the Honors Program, as did blending boundaries between our liberal arts and professional schools.