Hailing from “good old Iowa City,” Hiruni Sumanasiri found her “right family” in the honors program—in its faculty-led discussion sections, student clubs, peer mentoring, honors contract option and support for experiential learning.

Dear Prospective Student,

I am excited to congratulate you on finishing up with high school. You are at an exciting point in your life, and I’m so happy you are considering the University of Iowa and looking into the honors program!

Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Hiruni and I’m a first-year student from good old Iowa City, majoring in microbiology and neuroscience with minors in psychology and biology on the pre-medicine track! I remember as I came closer to deciding where I wanted to go to college, I realized the University of Iowa was the right place for me because I grew up so close to the campus, and because I knew that the programs here would benefit my future the most. If I had to go back and make a different choice, I would still choose to go to the University of Iowa because of all the ways this college has given back to me for being a student here.

The program that stood out the most to me when I applied to Iowa was the honors program. Ever since I can remember I have always been someone that liked working in smaller groups because I was able to learn better, and the University of Iowa has lecture halls that exceed over 400 to 500 students in a single lecture, so when I learned that I was going to have discussion to take on top of lectures I wanted to be in a discussion section where I would feel heard and I knew that the people in the section had a similar mindset as I did. Which is something that is so beneficial because you will then be directly working with the professor in some of your classes and labs, thus helping you gain more insight onto the class and helping you gain closer relationships.

Another reasons I chose to join the Honors Program was because I knew that it would help me enrich my coursework. As a freshman I have been able to gain insight on getting into research labs, teaching assistant positions, and have sat down with the director of the program to discuss how certain classes might be modified. The honors program offers you extra guidance and helps the path that you have picked more desirable to learn about.

I will truthfully say that my biggest support system at the university has become the honors program and the people within it. As an honors student you will have a peer-mentor to meet with, and they will guide you throughout your time at the university and the honors program. I will say that my peer mentor and I have become close friends and he is one of the many people I constantly go and get advice from because of the experience the honors program has helped him to access. There are also many organizations you can join within the honors program. From the DEI council to the Social Squad, there is something for everyone to feel like they’re home and they have met their right family.

The program requirements are straight-forward but flexible. You will need 12 semester hours (s.h.) honors course credits, which includes your first-year seminar and Honors Primetime. My favorite feature of the coursework requirement is the contract option. Any class you take may count towards the 12 coursework credits when you contract it. To do this, you speak to the professor and together agree on an individualized project, which not only gives you honors credit but helps you form bonds with your professor.

The other component of University Honors is 12 credits/units of experiential credit, which I think is my favorite requirement. Whether it’s internships, volunteering, teaching assistant practicums, independent research, or honors in the major–it all counts for experiential learning, aided by a guided reflection process. Experiential learning is what truly enriches an honors student’s academia because it pushes you to go out on your own and experience the world. I hope that you choose the University of Iowa and the honors program as your home for these exciting, upcoming years of your life. We honors outreach ambassadors will be here to welcome you with open arms and set you on the right path. For now, I hope the rest of the school year goes excellently for you and you achieve everything your heart desires.

Best,

Hiruni Sumanasiri