Unique Opportunities in the Classroom at WNE

In addition to being a Biology major, I am also a Secondary Education major and I am a part of the Honors Program. These are unique experiences offered at Western New England University for undergraduate students. The Secondary Education program can easily be combined with any major. That is one of the reasons that I chose to go to WNE. It is one of the few schools in Massachusetts that offers this type of combined major program. I am now taking my first education class, Principles and Problems of Education. The best aspect of this program is that it allows your curriculum to focus mostly on the classes that cater to what you will teach later on. So for now, I can enjoy what I love most: learning about Biology so that I can use my knowledge as a part of my teaching career.

I am also a part of the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program. Eligible students are sent letters encouraging an application to the College of Arts and Sciences or Business Honors Program during their senior year of high school. The Program offers a wide variety of classes that are actually chosen by students. The Honors Program strives to have all of their class offerings fulfill general education requirements that all students must meet. With this, members of this program can still take the required courses and not have to sacrifice time or credits with unnecessary classes. For example, this semester, I am taking “How Computers Think” which fills my Computer Science requirement which is needed in order to graduate. It is, as all Honors classes are, a very interesting class. Today, we got to dress up and have a debate about Mac vs. PC computers. 

These classes allow you to think outside the box and are, in my opinion, usually more fun than typical general education required classes. Many of these Honors classes do not have tests. Rather, students are graded based on participation in discussions or essay writing. For more information about the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, please visit this link. For information about the College of Business Honors Program, please check out this link.

These are just a few of the perks that WNE has to offer its undergrads and they are making my spring semester successful and exciting.

Cheers! 

Brandi