A Four Year Journey with Some of the Best Minds
Students (from L to R) Tara Mueller, Sydney England, Cole Conley, Gentry Hamrick, Mary Ruth Pruitt, and Timothy Wilder.
Every August, hundreds of students make the trip up Interstate 81 to exit 26, where nervous incoming students prepare for the beginning of an experience that will change their lives. Emory & Henry College will shape more than just a student’s mind; it will help define the values and principles held by some of the world's future leaders. Although the students who roam the 300-plus acres in Emory, Va. come from different places, they share one common thing: they have no idea what the future will hold before they walk across the graduation stage in four years.
Four years is a long time and much can change. For example, in 2006 we had one extra planet in our solar system. Four years later, that planet was not a planet. Even the places you would go to share this news with your friends and family have changed. Four years ago, you would send an email to express your thoughts on the solar system. These days, you can post your thoughts on Facebook and have them “liked” by people all around the world.
It was this great unknown that led us to wonder how the Emory & Henry experience changes some of the best young minds. Over the next four years, we will follow six students from the college’s Honors Program to see how they change both in and out of the classroom. Formed in the fall of 2009, even the program itself is likely to change by the time the Class of 2014 says its goodbyes to their E&H home.
The Emory & Henry Public Relations staff met with first-year students Cole Conley, Sydney England, Gentry Hamrick, Tara Mueller, Mary Ruth Pruitt and Timothy Wilder. We asked them to answer six questions. We will revisit these questions in four years, comparing their answers today with what they say then.
1. What is your major or career interest now?
2. Have you ever performed community service? Do you plan to engage in that at E&H
3. What do you see as the most pressing problems facing the world today? List the top three.
4. Name a person -- not a member of your family -- whom you most admire?
5. If you had to describe Emory & Henry to someone, what would you say?
6. What are your impressions of the Honors Program?
7. One of the benefits for the program includes a stipend that can be used during your four years at E&H to support study abroad, undergraduate research and academic program support. Do you have any plans yet on what you would like to
do, or which of those on the list interest you the most?
THE E&H HONORS PROGRAM
Each year, approximately 15 new students are invited to join the Honors Program. A few additional students with outstanding academic performance in their first semester or first year may be invited to join the program at the beginning of their second or third semester.
Admission into the program is competitive, and prospective students are encouraged to apply for general admission to the College early. A selected number of accepted students are invited to Emory & Henry College’s annual Scholarship Day. Successful candidates are awarded an Honors Scholarship and admission to the program. Decisions to invite students into the Honors Program are determined by the following criteria. Students who do not meet the minimum GPA and test score requirements may still be considered depending upon the strength of their high school curriculum, special gifts and talents, and specific knowledge areas conducive to the Honors environment.
Requirements include:
- High school grade-point (minimum GPA 3.60 in academic subjects)
- Level of courses taken with AP, IB or honors preferred
- SAT minimum score of 1850, ACT minimum score of 27
- Successfully complete an Honors Panel interview during Scholarship Day
Students selected for the Honors Program will enjoy numerous benefits that include preferential pre-registration for classes, special access to guest speakers, travel to professional conferences, $1,000 Honors Scholarship; independent of other financial aid offered and $2,000 stipend to be used during a student’s four years to support study abroad, undergraduate research, and academic program support.
