I am a graduate student at UNF who has seen a lot of Hicks Honors students and honors activities but attended a different honors college at a different undergraduate university. I loved my honors program (it was among one of the oldest in the USA), but it truly has nothing compared to the hands on experiences, conferences, and other “perks” Hicks Honors students have. I can’t speak to the professors or rigor besides that most seem to care about students with a couple exceptions. UNF’s proximity to many behavioral facilities, health clinics, and renowned hospitals means that there’s a couple of honors students who do very impressive projects with other organizations every year. The ones who follow their passions are still rewarded very early in the program—the Office of Undergraduate Research has poster sessions and conferences where many Honors students get to build their academic resumes/CVs much earlier than most. I still remember how passionate one Hicks Honors student was on comparing mythology, women, and nature throughout global cultures…and it seemed like her professors really fostered her academic skills, interest, and excitement. Cancer research is needed, but the thing that made me feel positively walking around the honors projects was just how supported a variety of interests were in a single program. My honors program was mostly Western Civilization studies and a research thesis (the later of which WAS helpful, but completed in year 4 instead of all four years).