Honors Points & Activities
Track your progress in the program and be recognized for your achievements.
In earning their points through a variety of different activities, Honors students develop a wide array of professional skills while also building a sprawling network of connections both at Saint Mary's and beyond.
Points Goals
- To graduate with Honors: 120 points
- To earn an Honors Medallion: 150 points
Recommended milestones: 30 points per year
Note: Meeting either threshold satisfies only part of the Honors graduation requirement; for more on the complete fulfillment of this requirement, refer to the Activity Goals section below.
Exceptions can be made for Transfer students or for students who joined the Honors program after their 1st year, as well as on a case-by-case basis. Please consult with the Program Coordinator or Director.
Activity Goals
Each activity can earn a student a certain number of points toward a their graduation goal. By the time they graduate, students who have met one of the points thresholds above will have participated in each category of activities below. Expand each item to learn more about the points and details for each section.
Honors Activities
- Attendance
Standard requirement: 8 total (1st/2nd year)- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must attend the equivalent of 1 Honors Peer Perspective for each semester on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- I.e., attending a total of at least 8 Peer Perspectives is required for a student on campus and enrolled in the Honors Program for 4 years; for 3 years, 6 Peer Perspectives.
- The recommendation is to use the first half of a student’s time in the Honors Program to attend Peer Perspectives in order to develop familiarity with the format and come up with ideas for their own Peer Perspectives (1st and 2nd year).
- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must attend the equivalent of 1 Honors Peer Perspective for each semester on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- Hosting
Standard requirement: 4 total (3rd/4th year)- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must host the equivalent of 1 Peer Perspective for each year on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- I.e., hosting a total of at least 4 Peer Perspectives is required for a student on campus and enrolled in the Honors Program for 4 years; for 3 years, 3 Peer Perspectives.
- The recommendation is to host Peer Perspectives in the latter half of a student’s time in the Honors Program (3rd and 4th year).
- Complete the Event Proposal form to propose a possible Peer Perspective.
- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must host the equivalent of 1 Peer Perspective for each year on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
Being mentored
- Honors Peer Mentoring
Standard requirement: 1 total (1st year)- All students in their 3rd/4th year in the Honors Program will be paired with an Honors student in their 1st year as mentor and mentee, respectively.
- To receive credit, Honors Peer Mentees must complete the mentee feedback form after meeting with their assigned mentor.
- Contract Peer Mentoring
Standard requirement: 1 total (3rd/4th year)- When drafting their first Honors Contract proposal, each student is required to meet with a Contract Peer Mentor to review their proposal and learn about the Honors Contract process.
- After completing their first Honors Contract, an Honors Student will be eligible to serve as a Contract Peer Mentor.
- In the first two weeks of the semester, all eligible Honors students will have the chance to serve as a Contract Peer Mentor for other Honors students preparing their first contract proposals.
- Refer to the Honors Event Calendar for a full schedule of available Contract Peer Mentor sessions.
- Professional Mentoring (in development)
- Honors students have the opportunity to be paired with an alum or other expert in their field of interest to learn more about career options and expectations about their next steps after college.
- Complete the Professional Mentor Request Form if you're interested in getting paired with a professional mentor.
Being a mentor
Standard requirement: 2 total (3rd/4th year)
- Requirement details: All Honors students must mentor another Honors student at least twice:
- Once as an Honors Peer Mentor
- Complete the mentor feedback form after meeting with your assigned mentee to receive credit.
- And once either as a Contract Peer Mentor or again as an Honors Peer Mentor.
- Complete the Contract Peer Mentor form to sign up as a Contract Peer Mentor in the first 3 weeks.
- Complete the Honors Peer Mentor form if you're interested in getting paired with a first-year mentee and earning Honors points as an Honors Peer Mentor for the coming semester.
- Once as an Honors Peer Mentor
Links
- Attending
Standard requirement: 8 total (1st/2nd year)- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must attend the equivalent of 1 Honors Program Event for each semester on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- I.e., attending a total of at least 8 events is required for a student on campus and enrolled in the Honors Program for 4 years; for 3 years, 6 events.
- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must attend the equivalent of 1 Honors Program Event for each semester on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- Leading/supporting
Standard requirement: 4 total (3rd/4th year)- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must lead or volunteer to support the equivalent of 1 Honors Program Event for each year on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- I.e., supporting a total of at least 4 events is required for a student on campus and enrolled in the Honors Program for 4 years; for 3 years, 3 events.
- Requirement details: At a minimum, all Honors students must lead or volunteer to support the equivalent of 1 Honors Program Event for each year on campus while enrolled in the Honors Program.
- Types
- Academic Events
- Service Events
- Social events
Links
- Participation in a Non-Honors event: 1 point
- Leadership role/organization of an event: 2 points
- Service role at an event: 3 points
- Conferences (1 minimum)
- Presenting research at an SMC conference (including the SMC Student Conference): 3 points
- Presenting research at a conference (non-SMC): 5 points
- Student jobs (full and part-time): 3-5 points (depending on hours)**
- Uncompensated Summer course or volunteer service (without receiving academic credit): 5-10 points
- Paid internship: 3 points
- Unpaid internship: 5 points
- Other forms of experience for which you are not receiving financial compensation or academic credit can also be petitioned for points (orchestra, service, attendance at academic events not required for a class, study abroad, etc.)***
**A student can earn a maximum of 20 total points from student jobs in 4 years.
***Athletic events do not count as Non-Honors activities.
- Attending
Standard requirement: 1 total (1st/2nd year)- Requirement details: Although only required once, attendance and/or support (volunteering, setting up, teardown, etc.) of the Student Research Conference each year is strongly encouraged.
- Presenting
Standard requirement: 1 total (3rd/4th year)- Requirement details: All Honors students must present at the SMC Student Research Conference & Showcase at least once.
- Eligibility: Each Honors student must present, in person, at one or more conferences hosted by SMC. The content of the presentation can be related to any discipline, as a course requirement or voluntary, and as a solo presentation or with a group.
- Complete the Conference Application form by the application deadline to apply.
Links
Honors App
Track Your Progress
In Summer 2023, we built a new app to track student success. Now, Honors students can track and assess their own learning in the classroom and beyond.
As you progress through your academic years, you can plan your journey and optimize it for your individual needs.
SMC Login Required
Open the app