2008 Woodie Awards
Top students not getting top honors
By: Matt Ullrich
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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Are the Webster University criteria for receiving university honors when one graduates unfair? Is it appropriate to assume the Webster University Honors Board, which decides who receives honors, is biased when departments and schools across campus are not represented fairly?
Is it unreasonable that a student who meets the requirements to receive honors could be denied honors when he or she graduates because "the Board reserves the right to use its discretion in making these evaluations?" Even though I am graduating with honors and have benefited from the system, the answer to these questions remains an unequivocal "Yes!"
University Academic Honors are given to students who have high GPAs and take a variety of courses but are not necessarily given to the best students or those who have taken difficult courses. University guidelines state that a student must have "a minimum of 45 graded credit hours at Webster University, a minimum of 90 graded credit hours accumulated in [one's] entire college career, a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.7, a minimum of six graded courses outside of the major in addition to the general education requirements for the student's degree, [and] a minimum of two graded upper-division courses (3000 level or above) outside the student's field of study," according to http://www.webster.edu/ugcatalog/acad_policies.html.
These guidelines are skewed and favor students who take courses in the humanities. If a student is interested in taking political science, math, finance, computer science or psychology, there are no upper-level courses that do not require prerequisite classes. Therefore, in order to take any upper-level classes in these fields, one has to take many prerequisites.
However, if a student is interested in philosophy, english or religion, there are numerous courses one can take to fulfill the University Honors requirement of taking "two graded upper-division courses." In fact, according to the 2005-2007 Undergraduate Studies Catalog, there are six philosophy classes, 13 English classes, and 14 religion classes listed at 3000 and above that require zero prerequisites.
Is it unreasonable that a student who meets the requirements to receive honors could be denied honors when he or she graduates because "the Board reserves the right to use its discretion in making these evaluations?" Even though I am graduating with honors and have benefited from the system, the answer to these questions remains an unequivocal "Yes!"
University Academic Honors are given to students who have high GPAs and take a variety of courses but are not necessarily given to the best students or those who have taken difficult courses. University guidelines state that a student must have "a minimum of 45 graded credit hours at Webster University, a minimum of 90 graded credit hours accumulated in [one's] entire college career, a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.7, a minimum of six graded courses outside of the major in addition to the general education requirements for the student's degree, [and] a minimum of two graded upper-division courses (3000 level or above) outside the student's field of study," according to http://www.webster.edu/ugcatalog/acad_policies.html.
These guidelines are skewed and favor students who take courses in the humanities. If a student is interested in taking political science, math, finance, computer science or psychology, there are no upper-level courses that do not require prerequisite classes. Therefore, in order to take any upper-level classes in these fields, one has to take many prerequisites.
However, if a student is interested in philosophy, english or religion, there are numerous courses one can take to fulfill the University Honors requirement of taking "two graded upper-division courses." In fact, according to the 2005-2007 Undergraduate Studies Catalog, there are six philosophy classes, 13 English classes, and 14 religion classes listed at 3000 and above that require zero prerequisites.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
DeAnna
posted 4/30/07 @ 8:19 AM CST
So what you are reporting is that if I have a GPA of 3.7 and have met all the requirements for graduation in my field of study (Psychology) I will not receive honors if I did not take any classes outside my "normal" course work? THAT IS ABSURD!!! My sister just graduated from UMSL with a 3. (Continued…)
SJT
posted 5/02/07 @ 11:23 AM CST
DeAnna, this is not absurd. It is the sad truth. I graduated from Webster in 2006 with a 3.81 GPA and met all the requirements for receiving a "magna cum laude" as an IR major. (Continued…)
ad nausea
posted 5/02/07 @ 4:57 PM CST
Typical pretentious Webster University (oooooh - WORLD headquarters!) crap - SGA and so forth, what a JOKE this all is!
Howie Feltersnatch
posted 5/11/07 @ 1:07 AM CST
I go to UMSL and my girlfriend goes to Webster. We are both going for a degree in Business Management. It seems as though she can just walk into her class and get an A without having to do any work. (Continued…)
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