Hi all! I was accepted to Scranton and invited to the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. I know that it offers alternate courses for general education requirements and makes it easier to get a major in Philosophy. As a student likely to major in some combination of History/Political Science/Economics and a student in general, what are the benefits and advantages of the SJLA program?
In the SJLA program, you will spend 4 years taking the most rigorous courses from the best professors together with 20 or 25 of the brightest students at the University. The curriculum is as close to a classical education as one will find today, and the program’s emphasis on “eloquentia perfecta” turns out students who impress with their ability to write, speak and think. Students have the advantage of a close-knit academic community in the SJLA program, while still taking half of their courses within the university at large. In my SJLA cohort, a great variety of majors were represented: physics, English, biology/pre-med, history, economics, accounting… Fordham’s honors program is the program which most closely resembles Scranton’s. Fordham is a fabulous school, but Scranton has the advantage of being the best-kept secret in the northeast, so a top-notch, honors-program student will likely receive greater merit aid at U of S. The SJLA program combined with the warm, fun spirit that draws so many to the Scranton campus makes Scranton a great choice!
Thanks! The SJLA Honors Program sounds like a great experience. Funny enough, Fordham is another school I’m heavily considering.