When I was a student at the State University, I qualified for Honors College.

Membership in the Honors College had three distinct advantages.

1. We could register for our classes before all other undergrads, except for elite athletes.  In those days, registration meant standing in long lines to get a Key Card (an ancient computer punch card). By going first, we were able to get the classes we wanted and stand in fewer lines.
2. The advisers for Honors College Students were full professors with high status in their departments.
3. Honors College students were allowed to take Honors Classes, taught by the best professors on campus in small classes. My non-honors trigonometry class had 300 students; my honors psychology class on special topics had 30. A class with 30 students was a rarity on a campus with over 40,000 undergrads.

During my junior year, I took an honors humanities class, which was limited to 12 students. On the first day, we assembled in an ornately decorated conference room, lined with book cases in one of the oldest buildings on campus. Our professor was late. Continue reading →