Honors colleges offer the resources of a large research university and the community of a small liberal arts college. See any honors college brochure for a similar pitch.

Over 70 such establishments have appeared throughout the country, and their numbers have grown quickly since the mid-1990s, says the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The South Carolina Honors College ranks among the best in the nation. Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, a university dean, explains that the honors college “really attempts to focus on providing that elite, liberal-arts-college experience.”

South Carolina honors students live in a separate dormitory, complete a senior thesis, and enroll in seminar-esque honors courses. This neatly parallels our Schreyer Honors College, my personal favorite among such institutions.

According to the National Collegiate Honors Council, most honors colleges use the “best of both worlds” recruitment pitch. Such a pitch rings true. The Schreyer Honors College makes an excellent Penn State education even better.

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