This learning community is offered through the Honors College. The Honors College is a small, intentional community of high achieving students - exceptional scholars who embody academic excellence. Learn about the Honors College and more ways you can engage with this exciting, strong community.
Honors Learning Community
The Honors Learning Community (HLC) is a place of residence for those who wish to pursue great conversation and big ideas with others. It’s an open atmosphere of students who are interested in all things a University can provide. From art to business, music to philosophy, dance to chemistry, and creative writing to math. This cosmos of passionate and learned students wish to excel through mentorship, guidance, discovery, adventure and conversation.
The HLC is offered through the Honors College.
Important Information
- First Two Years | $200
- Last Two Years | $75
- Residence Location | Founders Hall
Contact Us
- honors@bgsu.edu
- 419-372-8504
Our Mission
The mission of the HLC is to create a seamless educational environment that supports the goals of the Honors College. When one becomes a member of the HLC, this educationally motivated community comes alive as one shares their experiences of fascinating conversations in their small-size Honors classes. When one enrolls in the Honors College, it is highly recommended, however not mandated, to live in the Honors Learning Community.
The Atmosphere
Friendly, relaxed, supportive, respectful and fun. Social, cultural and intellectual events are offered to enhance the BGSU and the on-campus living experience. This creates a living learning community comprised of academically talented students, staff and faculty.
Community Highlights
- Direct access to Honors College faculty and staff
- Free access to computers, wifi, a meeting space, the Honors Den and books for use in common reading discussions
- Connect with the community through civic and service involvement, partnering with many student organizations on campus
- Participate in some of the most compelling and engaging discussions you could ever witness or take part in
Engaging Experiences
- Participate in fully-funded local and regional overnight trips. Past trips have been to Chicago, IL; Louisville, KY, Stratford, Ontario and other regional locations
- Field trips to plays, museums, musicals and community events
- Participation in book discussions, essay contests, and the “Great Ideas” dinner
- Enjoy peer-to-peer discussions, Honors faculty symposiums and nationally-recognized speaker forums
Honors Learning Community
Residential Requirements
Fee + Residential Fees
- First Two Years | $200
- Last Two Years | $75
Must live in the community?
- First Year: Yes
- Second - Fourth Years: No
Allows roommate pull-ins? No
Residential Requirement | The Honors Learning Community (HLC) is a popular option among both new and returning Honors College students. Honors College students are not required to live in the HLC. However, first-year HLC members are required to live in Founders Hall. Those enrolled in the the HLC after their first year at BGSU, can live anywhere, including Founders Hall.
Students who are members of the HLC must room with someone who is also a member of the community. Want to live with your friend who is not admitted into the Honors College? Have them apply to be a member of the HLC and you can be roommates.
About the Community | HLC students live in a diverse population in Founders Hall along with other highly ambitious and motivated students. Students work, live and hangout together to ease the transition to college life, while supporting each other throughout the honors program.
Founders Hall | Founders Hall houses nearly 600 residents and offers air-conditioned Single Rooms with a shared In-room Bathroom and six-person Suite-style Rooms. The hall features an Outtakes Quick Cuisine location and is close to the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, many academic buildings and the heart of campus.
Please note: Students accepted into the Honors College will be given priority for enrollment in the HLC. Those who are not admitted to the Honors College will be admitted to the HLC as long as space is available.
How to Apply
Each community has a set of residence hall rooms speifically designated for them. To sign up for one of these rooms, you must apply, and be accepted into the community, prior to April 25, 2018. To ensure your chance to live in the community, please review the following information.
Applying as a new, first-year student:
To apply to be a member of the HLC you will need to access the MyBGSU web portal. It is necessary for HLC members to live in Founders Hall and to be a member of the Honors College. Because of this, you must enroll in the HLC and sign up for campus housing in separate steps.
| Step 1 |
Complete your housing application |
| Step 2 | Apply here and login with your BGSU username and password |
| Step 3 | Click on Add a New Community Enrollment Request and choose your desired community and academic year/term |
| Step 4 | Once you have requested enrollment, please ensure that you have taken the proper steps to preference (New Students) or sign up for housing (Returning students wishing to live on campus). |
| Step 5 |
If you haven't already done so, please also submit your Honors College Application here. |
Additional Information:
As an incoming freshman, if you are in the process of applying to the Honors College, please do not wait for acceptance into the College to sign up for the Honors Learning Community. Those accepted into the Honors College will be given priority and immediate enrolled in the HLC. Those who are not admitted to the Honors College will be admitted to the HLC as long as space is available.
Returning Students can choose their preferred room during the Returning Student Housing Process during the Spring Semester.
Learn More about our community
Live, hang out, learn, experience, adventure and excel. That’s all what we ask of you.
“A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.” ~ Rudolf Steiner
Welcome to the Honors Learning Community. We hope you enjoy your personal exploration through our program. Even if you don’t attend BGSU, and even if you do and don’t join our community, we hope you find us to be a positive, uplifting and welcoming community. By combining academic vigor, critical thinking and amazing experiences, we aspire to be the premiere track for all students motivated to succeed.
Cool Experiences
In addition to direct access to Honors College faculty and staff, membership in the Honors Learning Community allows students to attend and participate in fully-funded local and regional overnight trips to plays, museums, musicals, and community events. Likewise, community members receive free access to computers, wireless access, meeting space, the Honors Den, and books for use in common reading book discussions. We also provide opportunities to connect with the community through civic and service involvement, partnering with many student organizations on campus. Finally, our community creates a positive environment to host some of the most compelling and engaging discussions you could ever witness or take part in. We host peer-to-peer discussions, honors faculty symposiums, and nationally-recognized speaker forums.
Past trips and experiences have included:
Stratford, Ontario
With William Shakespeare as its foundation, the Stratford Festival aims to set the standards for classical theatre in North America. Embracing our heritage of tradition and innovation, we seek to bring classical and contemporary theatre alive for an increasingly diverse audience. The overnight trip included two performances and a festival theatre tour.
Chicago, IL
The HLC spent a weekend in the Windy City! Chicago is known for the Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, Deep Dish Pizza and Chicago Hot Dogs. This trip included a theatre performance, a visit to the Field Museum and a show at the Second City Comedy Club. There was also free time to explore the city.
Various Locations
In lieu of participating in the HLC sponsored overnight trips, students who choose to participate in a bGAG sponsored alternative break will be able to get sponsored through the HLC for up to $200.00.
Toledo, OH
The HLC watched the Toledo Mud Hens take on the Louisville Bats at Fifth Third Field and enjoyed a grand firework show after the game! The Mud Hens play in the International League and are affiliated with the Detroit Tigers franchise of Major League Baseball.
Toledo, OH
The HLC took a trip to Toledo’s Stranahan Theater to watch The Book of Mormon. This outrageous musical comedy followed the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the good word.
Common Reading Program
Each year, HLC members receive a variety of complimentary books to support their participation in book discussions, essay contests and the “Great Ideas” dinner. Traditionally, members receive a minimum of three books including a copy of the BGSU common reading chosen by a campus committee and two selections (one in fall and spring) chosen by members of the HLC. Next year’s common reading selection will be chosen late Spring. Books chosen by HLC members range from very popular to classic literature. A list of recent books is listed below.
Common Reading Book for the 2017-18 academic year | Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Previous BGSU Common Reading
- A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
- The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
- A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
- No Impact Man by Colin Beavan
- This I Believe edited by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison
- The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
- Push by Sapphire
Non-Fiction
- Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
- Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Michael Hecht
- Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen
- The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo
- Blind Spots: Why Smart People do Dumb Things by Madeleine L. Van Hecke
- An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore
- If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski
Graphic Novels
- Watchmen by Alan Moore
- V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Classical Literature
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Popular Literature
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
- No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
- Children of Men by P.D. James
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
- Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
- Memoirs of a Geisha by A. Guide
- Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
- Night by Elie Wiesel
- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
- The Girl With Borrowed Wings by Rinsai Rossetti
Make HLC Your Community
We invite you to greatly impact our community through your wisdom, character and personality. We know you have a lot to offer, and as you continue on this adventure of collegiate success and beyond, we will be there as a supportive mechanism for your growth and mentorship. We believe that success is defined personally, whether that is finding life long friends, pursuing a life of service, curing cancer or making feature length documentaries. We want you to succeed, so join us.
Schedule a Visit
Deciding which college or university to attend is an important decision. Before you make your decision, you should consider all of the options available to you at the schools you are considering.
Schedule a visit with the Honors College to learn more about the privileges for Honors students, meet a staff member and take a tour of our learning community.
Individual visits may be scheduled by e-mailing us at honors@bgsu.edu or by contacting us at 419-372-8504.
First-Year Student Welcome
As a first year member of the Honors Learning Community (HLC), you will be required to participate in an important and fun-filled orientation program designed to help you discover new friendships and all that the HLC has to offer.
We want you to make the most out of the trips, programs and resources available to you as a member of the HLC. Because the orientation takes place prior to the start of Fall Semester classes, you will be allowed to move into your residence hall earlier than non-members. This is advantageous for first year students who wish to be oriented more slowly with the campus and first year HLC cohort.
Incoming first year students will move in several days before the start of the academic year. In addition to the Honors Learning Community orientation program, you will also participate in a mandatory campus orientation and an Honors College orientation (if you are a member of the Honors College).
There is no cost to you for your participation in the HLC orientation or for moving in early. Some meals are even included!!
Each year the schedule varies slightly, but it includes HLC, Honors College and Residence Life meetings. Please contact the Director of the Honors Learning Community at 419-372-8504 or at honors@bgsu.edu for more information.
Upperclass students are not required to participate in this orientation program but are encouraged to serve as Opening Weekend Group Leaders (OWGLs). OWGLs enjoy the opportunity to move in early, participate in leadership development training, and help first year students move in and transition to college.
RETURNING STUDENTS ONLY
Returning students are not required to live in Founders Hall in order to participate in the HLC. Membership during one year, does not guarantee membership in a future year. Returning students in the HLC will be provided information annually regarding housing and enrollment in the HLC.
LIVE AND LEARN WITH STUDENTS WHO SHARE YOUR PASSION
Join one of our Learning or Theme Communities and take advantage of unique opportunities designed to help you succeed in your personal, professional and academic lives. These communities are comprised of students who share a major or common interest.
Updated: 09/08/2022 09:16AM