FSU’s party-school reputation has a way of blinding people from how academically driven our student body is. The acceptance rate is a competitive 23.8% for a reason, and for those with an ambition of being a college honors student, it’s even harder to get admitted into FSU’s Honors Program.
As disappointing as that rejection might be, there’s no need to take it personally when opportunities like the Honors in the Major (HITM) program exist.
What is honors in the major?
HITM is a chance for students to conduct research on a graduate level with the guidance of a tenured professor. Honors theses can either be research-focused, intending to define and explore a specific question, or a creative project containing original work.
Whatever route your chosen topic falls into should be related to your major, but more importantly, should reflect your interests. The program is designed for you to interact with your project very intimately over the course of several semesters, so you want to make sure it’s something you feel like you could get a lot out of.
The Honors in the Major Handbook is gonna be your go-to resource for all the intricacies of what it entails, but I know that I wished for a more digestible guide when starting my own HITM journey. Below is a simplified crash course with insights from my own experience that can help shape your expectations.
Application Semester
This semester is just as paperwork-heavy as it sounds, but it’s the most important for defining your project. The first step in the HITM process is to find a director in your major to supervise and mentor you, and this has to be a full-time faculty member with a terminal degree.
In trying to find my own director, I emailed countless professors whom I’ve either had classes with or others I’ve never met before. Most from the second category encouraged me to take a course with them before they felt comfortable agreeing, which is a good thing to keep in mind when thinking about who you want to work with.
Another factor that impacts getting a faculty member to commit to the role is how busy they are. Most of the time, you’re not the only student asking them to be a part of a committee, so it’s in your best interest to ask as early in the application semester as possible.
You’ll also need to be able to pitch your research idea, and I encourage being upfront about what details you’re still working out and how their expertise might contribute to that.
After you’ve found your faculty director, you can make an account in the HITM Online Portal and fill out all the information about your project. DocuSign, which is free for FSU students, is also going to be your best friend for securing the many signatures you’ll need for HITM.
Prospectus Semester
Once your application has been approved, the next semester is when the real work begins. It’s good to meet with your thesis director early to discuss deadlines, check-ins, and the challenge of finding two more faculty members for your thesis committee. One of these individuals will be from your own major, while the other is from another department entirely.
Having trouble deciding which of your favorite professors you want to ask? The program allows for an optional fourth committee member if you feel like you’d benefit from the extra guidance. How involved each member is with your project is entirely dependent on you and them, which may be something you want to discuss before cementing their spots with digital ink.
With your project underway on a timeline suited to you, there’s one other important deadline you’ll have to meet for this semester: your prospectus. For research-based theses, this will be a 10-page document, while creative works only require three pages. The prospectus is a place for you to outline what your project is about, what motivated it, and other information detailed within the HITM handbook.
Intended to be an early draft for the longer research paper required in the last HITM semester, the prospectus is a space for you to set a foundation that your future self can expand on. Once completed and sent out to your committee members for signed approval, you can refocus on your project in preparation for the final part of your thesis.
Defense Semester
Your priority for the defense semester should be finding a time everyone can agree on for your oral defense. Doodle is a great online resource for this exact purpose.
You’ll also need to decide if your defense is going to take place in-person or virtually. If the only thing holding you back from an in-person defense is concern over where it’ll be held, I’d recommend visiting the office in your department’s building. The English office helped me secure a room in the Williams Building for my own defense, and this is, again, something you’ll want to do as soon as possible.
Your last step before the defense is finalizing your project and completing the required final written product. This extension of your prospectus should be 10 pages for creative projects, while guidelines on lengths for research theses vary by major and can be found in the handbook.
It’s advised that your completed project is sent to your committee two weeks before your defense, giving them substantial time to review it. I also made sure to reiterate my defense time and location, so that nobody would have to go digging through old emails to remember.
The defense itself is unique to each individual and their committee, but for mine, I gave a brief presentation on my project before opening the floor to each of my advisors. They took turns asking me questions and providing feedback, and suddenly the most terrifying aspect of HITM became the most validating. It was a big confidence boost to have this be well-received by established FSU faculty.
The final part of your HITM experience is, you guessed it, more signatures from your committee. Fortunately, those will be the last you need, and following the upload of your project to the Research Repository, you’ll have completed your honors thesis.
So, is HITM worth it?
There’s no doubt that working on an honors thesis is a challenge that requires discipline and a strong work ethic, but the outcome is more than worth it.
Had it not been for my HITM creative project, I wouldn’t be over 10,000 words into a draft of my first novel with a clear idea of how I want to move forward with it. For students whose projects are research-based, their thesis serves as a professional stepping stone into their field and makes them eligible to submit to journals for publication.
HITM also helps you build meaningful relationships with faculty that can follow you beyond your four years at college. It never hurts to have connections who know what you’re capable of and can vouch for your character.
If that’s not enough to convince you to pursue an honors thesis, then maybe the flashy medallion that comes with completing the program will. After all, who doesn’t want another accessory for their graduation photos?
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