IS joining a college honors program worth the extra work required?

USA Today explores:

Should I join my college’s honors program?

College honors programs are designed to facilitate academic challenges and growth opportunities for exceptionally motivated students. These programs may have a generalized scope, or certain schools may offer a variety of honors programs that specifically focus on one area of study, such as the arts, history or STEM.

Though honors program requirements differ from college to college, most institutions require a high GPA at minimum. Certain colleges or universities may also require you to wait until a specific semester or year, or to have a given standardized test score.

Some schools automatically enroll eligible students into an honors program upon acceptance to the institution. Others require students to apply via the submission of an application, letters of recommendation and a personal statement. Once admitted into an honors program, students may be required to maintain a specific GPA, attend special activities and/or take particular classes to remain eligible.

Getting into – and staying in – an honors program is no walk in the park. These programs are meant to be academically rigorous. But there are also great benefits to participating in one.