"Chapman is like an investment—what you put in, you get back, with interest. To reach the level of success you desire, you must merely be willing to work to get there. Everyone here wants to see you make the best of your time here, and they are more than eager to help. The Honors Program has allowed me to meet a lot of people with various backgrounds, and to get to know them on a level that is impossible within a normal classroom setting. To the new student: Don't be afraid to try new things, but don't let anyone else tell you where your heart lies, except yourself.”

One of the best things you can do as a student at Chapman is talk with your professors! The advantage of a small school is that they will actually talk back. Establish communication with them so that they know who you are and what you're working on. This can lead to benefits such as: reduced stress during finals, more guidance for essay assignments, a better letter or recommendation, a mentor and a friend.

Join a club! If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs due to the lack of activities on campus, there is no doubt a club or organization is having a meeting at that very time-- to which you can join. Clubs provide an excellent way to stay informed about a wide variety of issues as well as a nice place to meet fun, motivated people.

The Honors Program feels like a secret society sometimes. We have our own little room hidden in the corner of Roosevelt Hall, no one really knows who we are except other fellow honors students, and we have our own classes with kooky titles. Every moment of the Honors experience at Chapman is rewarding and stretches your mind and essence of being.

My favorite Honors activity was participating with other Honors students in the Race for the Cure, which we did to honor our director Pat See, who was undergoing breast cancer treatment. The support we got from the honors group was amazing and we really enjoyed ourselves while supporting a good cause.

The fall retreat in 2003 was great. The first night we went out to dinner and bowling and I really got to meet some great people. The second day we rented a pontoon boat after doing the ropes course. We had a blast and just enjoyed ourselves and got to know each other a lot better!

The best tip I can give is to get to know your professors. A personalized education is all about one-on-one, and if you work with your professors you can not only meet great people but also come across many great opportunities.

Daniel Yoo, Class of ‘05

I remember with fondness playing board games at Pat See’s house. And the Book Forum is great. Trips and excursions outside of classes such as conferences, and general, simple conversations that provoke others to speak candidly about whatever happens to be on their minds are my favorite activities. The best class? In Search of Relationships. While here, speak up, become active, take advantage of your resources before you grow old and craggily.

Nathan Robbins, Class of ‘07
Business Major
Alta Loma, CA
robbi105@chapman.edu

Chapman is unique school full of countless opportunities that at many other schools would not be available to you.  Take advantage of these by getting involved and trying things that in previous years you may not have wanted to do.  Go beyond your limits and explore.  Chapman provides you the resources and the opportunites to grow as a person and have some extraordinary experiences - so take advantage of them.

The Honors Program is one of these opportunities.  Some Honors students take advantage of what they have and do not utilize all of the great things about this group.  The people who really get involved in the program will have awesome memories for the rest of their lives.  From the discussions in class to the exploring on trips and conferences, there is never a dull moment and there is always a friendly face.

My two favorite Honors classes have been In Search of Knowledge and In Search of Relationships.  Both had small classes and allowed for great discussion and we really got to know each other well.  My favorite memory so far has been traveling to the 2004 Regional Honors Conference in Montana with my group from In Search of Knowledge.  We had a great time presenting and we really got to know each other better.

Honors is the best thing Chapman has to offer. Those who make the most of it know it is more a family than just a minor or a club.  I know I can always find support within Honors, whether it be from my fellow students or my professors. If you come from out of state like I did, Honors can be the best place to make friends in an environment where you can find people you have everything in common with or people you have nothing in common with that will love you just the same! I think honors is Chapman's best kept secret.

The National Collegiate  Honors Conference in Salt Lake City is one of my fondest memories - seeing how many people we could fit in a Subaru outback and watching movies in Nate's room.

I always have fun at the retreats. I loved when Lauren, Leslie, Daniel, Mike and I pushed all the bunk beds together in the middle of the cabin and the guys spent all night trying to scare us.

My favorite Honors classes have been In Search of Relationships and Sociology of Death.  Both are awesome.  Any class  with Pat See (Honors Director) is a must.  I learned so much in Sociology of Death, I can honestly say it changed my life.

Make friends in honors! Get to know your professors and find one who will mentor you.

Joining the Honors Program at Chapman has been the best possible decisions I've made in recent memory.  The honors students and professors I have met during my short time here are not only great people, but also some of the best friends and mentors I have ever had.  I can't say I have one favorite honors class or activity in mind, but the most memorable of recent fancies include:  In Search of Reality, the Western Regional Honors Conference in Missoula, MO, Honors Forum, and Book Forum (which I highly recommend).  Finally, the one piece of advice I would give on surviving Chapman would be to "seize the day," so to speak.  Get to know your professors and your fellow students and pretty soon, it will seem like you wouldn't belong any place else.

I read a news story a few years back about a lucky man who went on a skydiving expedition:

There he was sitting on the plane several thousand feet above the empty desert all geared up with his triple harness and parachute and emergency parachute and helmet and goggles and ready to take the plunge.  Finally his turn came up.  The little light went on and out he jumped into the air and started this looooong free fall towards the ground.  I have never been skydiving (what with the crippling acrophobia and all), but for those who have I am sure that you can empathize with whatever powerful emotions he was feeling as he was going down. 

Well, the time came for him to open his parachute.  So he pulled the cord... ... and nothing happened!  The 'chute did not open.  So he pulled the emergency cord... ... and nothing happened!  Down he kept coming.  Every second that ticked by he went 9.8 meters per second faster than he was the second before, as he watched this empty desert moving closer and closer to give him the Kiss of Death.

Well, this is where the weird stuff began to happen.  Supposedly the high desert winds began pushing him horizontally as he fell, which made his fall a little less than straight down.  It also just so happened that this slight adjustment made it so that instead of hitting an empty patch of hard ground he came streaking down through the roof of a single solitary barn in the middle of this wasteland that was filled with loosely piled hay.  He broke practically every bone in his body but he survived and lived to tell about it.

Basically, this story describes perfectly what the Chapman Honors Program has meant to me.  I have no idea how in this typically cruel and unfair world I scored such a blessedly lucky break to end up here.  But somehow I did.

The best advice I can give to "prospective students" is to get to know the people in the Honors Program.  True, there are a few bad apples ... but my picture should appear right next to this little ditty so you'll be able to avoid me!  Other than that we have a really dynamite cast of geeks, nerds and scholars with a saucy stride and a rather unique outlook on life (and especially college life).  Always different.  Not boring, though.  This program is the barn in the desert, baby.  Dive in!

Oh, and join the Book Forum!  A splendid time is guaranteed for all.