4 minute read
A Transformational Experience
For more than 20 years, the Oxford Honors Program has changed lives by giving students the opportunity to study at the world’s greatest university
Perhaps no other program better illustrates the transformational nature of Georgetown College’s education than the Oxford Honors Program. In the program, students take courses and are mentored by faculty in preparation for a semester abroad at the world’s greatest university. Although the program has existed as the “Oxford Honors Program” since 2008, the program was first established through a relationship with Regents Park
College at Oxford University in 1998, and has been catapulting students to success ever since. Dr. Bradford Hadaway, professor of philosophy, has been with the program since nearly the beginning and has witnessed firsthand the powerful results. “Oxford University uses the tutorial method, and we quickly realized that if we were going to do this program, we needed to fully prepare students for that method of study,” said Dr. Hadaway.
The tutorial method emphasizes small-group sessions with faculty members, as well as individual advising, where students are routinely asked to orally communicate, defend, analyze, and critique the ideas of others, as well as their own.
Students in the Oxford Honors Program undergo training and specific courses in their first years at Georgetown College designed to introduce them to this method of instruction and prepare them for what to expect while studying abroad.
This preparation is key to students’ success once they travel abroad. “The Oxford Honors Program is constructed in such a way that students often feel overprepared when they get to Oxford,” said Brynn Sandquist ’21. “You take rigorous classes, seminars, and workshops to prepare you for the application at the very end of sophomore year. In addition to learning how to think, read, write, and argue like an Oxford student, the program inherently helps you learn how to balance coursework with extracurriculars.”
AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY The culmination of the Oxford Honors Program for students is the journey to Oxford University, to study alongside the best and brightest students and work with some of the most brilliant academics in the world. For Sandquist, the moment she arrived at Oxford University is a moment she will never forget.
“I was stretched mentally, physically, and emotionally in ways previously unfamiliar, but stepping off that bus in Oxford was the closest thing to magical I have ever experienced,” said Sandquist. “That moment made me so excited for all the dreams I will dream in the coming decades of my life because now I know what it takes to achieve them.”
If the tutorial method is a highly individualized style of learning, the Oxford Honors Program shines
in part because of the camaraderie developed among students in the program.
For Sandquist, experiencing the program with her Georgetown friends is what made it so special. “I do not have the words to describe how much more meaningful their presence made my Oxford experience,” she said. “Through experiencing such a profound shared goal that we all worked so hard for, we grew even closer, and I know we will be reminiscing on this time for the rest of our lives.”
Of course, along with the rigorous coursework at Oxford University, students also experience living overseas and adapting to a new culture. This lifechanging adventure can have a profound impact on many aspects of a student.
“My trip to Oxford reinforced my belief that every person should take a period of time — be it weeks or months — to live in a culture that is not their own,” said Sandquist. “I learned so much from talking to the different European students and
learning about their worldview, their language and vocabulary, and their hopes and fears.” BRIGHT FUTURES To an employer or graduate school, seeing Oxford University on a resume is impressive.
“We have had countless students receive opportunities that may not have been there if not for their Oxford experience,” said Dr. Hadaway. “One student noted that in his acceptance letter to law school at Georgetown University, there was mention of wanting to talk about his time at Oxford.”
Former Oxford Honors student and current Georgetown College Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Caliesha Comley ‘14 also experienced this opening of possibilities. “I know that having Oxford University as a line on my resume or CV really opened up the possibility of certain graduate schools for me.”
And the benefits of the Oxford Honors Program extend far beyond a line on a resume.
“I remember coming back from Oxford with a sense of purpose,” said Dr. Comley. “I came back with full knowledge that I was capable of anything. Before the Oxford experience, I had not considered graduate school. I certainly didn’t consider getting a Ph.D. or being a college professor. I know that the Oxford experience is what instilled that passion I now have for education, as well as the confidence to achieve those goals I set for myself.”
