Student Profiles
Kim Schlesinger
English and Physics
Class of 2011
The honors program has introduced me to so many topics that now it seems like I can learn anything. That was actually one of the biggest reasons I came to Notre Dame—to mix things up and take a variety of classes.
For instance, I became a physics major because I had the opportunity to take my first physics class in my freshman year. Next summer, I hope to study German in Vienna—some of my friends in the program are helping me learn the language now so that I can prepare. In addition, I’m thinking about writing an English novel for my senior thesis.
I’ve met so many people through the honors program. A lot of my friends are in it, and they love to talk about what they’re learning. It’s great to have these kinds of discussions outside of class—it really does enhance your education.
I have friends who are majors in all kinds of different areas. For example, I have a friend who’s a Japanese major, and we’ve watched all these Japanese TV shows together and learned about Japanese culture. I have friends who are science majors, and I’ve learned what they’re doing in biology or chemistry.
I love to talk to my friends about what I’m learning. These are the kind of peers I have in the honors program. They’re very welcoming, and many of my friends who aren’t in the honors program share in this culture of learning and can benefit from it as well.
Another great thing about the program is that it offers plenty of travel and grant opportunities. I think that sometimes students aren’t as aware of these as they could be, but the honors program makes it easy for you to travel anywhere and study almost anything.
The staff organizes trips as well—we have an annual fall trip to Ontario for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. We see three Shakespeare performances over the weekend, and it’s one of the best experiences that I’ve had here. We also take spring trips to Chicago to attend an opera performance and explore museums.
I would definitely encourage incoming students—if you have the opportunity, sign up for the honors program. You can get out of it whatever you want to put into it. I feel that the goal is to gather a lot of people who are really into learning and to provide them the chance to learn together while at Notre Dame. It’s really about making sense of the world and making things better.
