Spring Trajectory Courses to Help Students Explore Career Options

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This spring, honors students will have the opportunity to make the most of their honors experience as they envision and prepare for life after college. The Honors College Trajectory courses will bring in top faculty and experts to guide students both in thinking about innovative career areas and in taking concrete steps toward their chosen goals. 

One of the returning offerings is Catapult, a course designed to place ambitious, high-achieving students on a trajectory toward nationally competitive awards and/or graduate and professional programs, led by Vice Provost Suzanne McCray.

"Catapult is a great way to learn strategies for applying for post-graduate opportunities," said McCray, who has worked with hundreds of U of A students around nationally competitive award and graduate school applications. She has personally advised all 60 of the university's Goldwater Scholars, all 13 Udall Scholars, all four Gates Cambridge Scholars, 20 of 26 Truman Scholars, five of eight Marshall Scholars, two of 11 Rhodes Scholars and both Schwarzman Scholars, as well as many NSF Graduate Research Fellows and Fulbright Scholars. "The class does not create excellent students who are making a difference on our campus and beyond it, but it does provide guidance on how passionate and engaged students can effectively frame their accomplishments," she added.

Another returning Trajectory course is Inspired, taught by Sandy Edwards, former senior director for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and currently senior adviser for university advancement. The course aims to guide students on finding what ignites their creative souls and better understanding their creative processes.

"Effectively used, creativity becomes your superpower. Seriously!" Noted Edwards, whose course will bring in guest speakers from across the U of A exemplifying the creative spirit. "It can enhance your coursework, make your personal life more enjoyable and reveal a cool part of your identity."

Trajectory classes will meet for the first eight weeks of the spring semester. Applications are required for Inspired, Med School and Law School and due at 11:59 p.m. Oct. 29, as seats are limited. Interested honors students are encouraged to learn more and apply from the course pages linked here. 

The Spring 2024 Honors College Trajectory Seminars:

Catapult: Taught by Vice Provost Suzanne McCray, Honors College Catapult is designed to place ambitious, high-achieving students on a trajectory toward nationally competitive awards and/or graduate and professional programs of study. Students will prepare their academic resume, construct a personal statement and answer essay prompts, all of which will be consistent with graduate or professional school admission. Additional topics include studying for advanced tests such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), building a graduate or professional school timeline and preparing for interviews.

Inspired: From the generation of an idea to its realization, creativity is a part of everyday life. Sandy Edwards, senior adviser for university advancement, will lead this discussion-based seminar which provides an excellent opportunity for you to recognize your special brand of creativity and how you can best make it sing. Through a variety of engagements with some of the university's top-notch creatives and exercises that help you discover or evolve your unique creative process, you will leave the class with a new and/or improved version of your best creative self.

Law School: This course is designed to provide honors students with an overview of the legal profession and to prepare for the law school admissions process. Led by professor of political science and director of legal studies Andrew J. Dowdle and director of career innovation Louise Hancox, students will consider different careers in law including private practice, public sector and corporate law. They will consider whether law school is the path for them and which schools meet their needs. They will also prepare a complete draft of admission materials. 

Med School: The "doctor as healer" and the "genius doctor" are two common personae in the American psyche based upon popularized depictions of physicians and surgeons in media. And these prolific dramatizations often feed cultural and personal myths about what the life of a doctor can and will be. This Honors College Forum — led by Liebolt Chair of Premedical Sciences Dr. Mack Ivey and director of STEM and Premedical Professions Jonathan Langley — requires students to think critically about such popular depictions, as a way to enter conversations that help parse out fantasy from reality. Such critical analysis will become the starting point for students to engage in self-reflection as they begin composing authentic responses for medical school admissions applications.