If you attend this university, then you are probably thinking about registration for the spring semester. On Oct. 14, we supposedly got our registration dates with any registration blocks we may have. But with the combination of poor Internet service and a poorly crafted website (my.umd.edu), I have no idea when I’m registering.
What I do know is that when I figure out my registration date and take care of any registration blocks, there will still be an obstacle in my journey to my second semester of senioritis: a small, yet haunting, capital “H” found scattered throughout the course list.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: This chick just said she has senioritis, and she’s upset that she’s not in Honors? A) Senioritis and the Honors College are not mutually exclusive, and B) I’m not upset that I’m not in Honors. But obviously I’m upset about something, so let’s get to it.
The letter “H” and I first met my sophomore year, and it has mocked me ever since.
I sat with my adviser in my major’s mandatory semester meeting and was looking through the course requirements I still had to fill. I noticed an “H” at the end of a course’s already ridiculously long title (I believe it was ENGL342.5xCB) and asked my adviser what it stood for. She casually informed me that it stood for Honors and that only Honors students were allowed to take those classes. At first, I scoffed at the classes, which didn’t seem that interesting, and I was relieved I was not in a program that cared about my ability to achieve a GPA of 5.0 (that’s as high as it goes, right?).
It wasn’t until my junior year that this “H” really tripped me up. I actually saw a course I really wanted to take — I got excited about a class! My parents rejoiced; my hometown threw me a parade; my roommates asked if I was sick. I wasn’t, until I noticed the “H” mocking me from the end of the course title.
Again, it’s not that I want to be in Honors. But should I be penalized because of it? I’m sure half of the program is filled with super geniuses and the other half is people who slave day and night to get that 5.0. But just because I’m not a super genius doesn’t mean I’m not intelligent. And just because I took my newfound freedom in my freshman year and ran with it straight into a poor GPA, doesn’t mean I haven’t been working (kinda) hard since.
Would it be so crazy to offer these courses as both Honors and non-Honors-but-just-as-deserving classes? I’m paying — well, actually, my parents are paying a ton of money for me to go to this incredible university — but I’m restricted from taking classes that sound amazing. I’m not saying that “regular” classes are boring — I’ve enjoyed many — and I’m not putting down Honors students. I’m merely questioning the programs that create a sort of exclusive club, especially since the thing that we “regular” students are being excluded from is a chance to learn something that really intrigues us.
Ellen Linzer is a senior English major. She can be reached at linzer at umdbk dot com.
