Karina Gonzalez
For honors student Vaughan Gendelman, 29, anthropology major, the Honors Program is the conduit towards his point of destination. “I’m glad there’s an Honors Program,” said Gendelman. “It’s a nice way to ensure that I get into UCLA.” Unofficially, he is looking to transfer next year. Having learned about the program from a friend last year, Gendelman is confident that he is prepared to forge ahead and ready to face new challenges along with his peers in the program because he feels they are equipped with the skills that are needed to advance to the next level. He has completed two honors courses at Pierce and is currently enrolled in one this semester. Gendelman admits openly that he feels, overall, he hasn’t “ever been cheated” by the program’s pledge to set them on the course for the upper-division classes. Though Gendelman expressed some concern about the lack of help, sometimes, from the honors department due to the small staff, he would still recommend for those interested to join. The Pierce College Honors Program, with more than 800 students, is among the best in California and the biggest in the Los Angeles Community College District, according to the Program Director Barbara Anderson. Compared to other transfer schools, the Pierce Honors Program sets higher academic standards that consistently exhibit positive results indicating its success, thus, proving that it belongs among the best. For instance, the Pierce Honors Program brochure says: “After transfer, former Pierce students do better at UCLA than any other community college students.” That is because the program’s goal is to prepare honors students for the upper-division courses. Seeing that it aims to stretch the student’s academic boundaries, the honors courses are often thought of being taught in classes “on steroids.” For example, Anthropology Professor Dr. Noble Eisenlauer assigns 20-plus-page papers in his classes. This is due to his philosophy that the students be prepared for the upper-division courses and beyond. All writing assignments are designed in the same manner that is used at top universities such as UCLA and Stanford. Because of his teaching experiences at both, Eisenlauer knows what will pass or fail at the four-year universities. His goal is to teach the fundamental research skills that are needed to excel even at graduate schools. The extra workload and the substantial writing assignments may sound daunting and cast doubts for some students about entering the Honors Program. However, the benefits in completing the program and receiving the certificate outweigh the negatives. Honors students are privy to some opportunities that are not available for others. Every November, Pierce rents a bus for the honors students and drives down to UCLA to attend the UCLA TAP/Transfer Conference and talk with UCLA academic counselors and student program representatives. They learn the details about how to apply for a scholarship worth up to $5,000 that is known as Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) among other things. Since Pierce continues to maintain well-established relationships with prestigious universities such as UCLA and UCI, the honors students have a great chance of being accepted to one of the top schools.Additionally, a system called “priority consideration” places the honors student’s application in the front, also, boosts their chances of being admitted. Approximately 90 percent of the honors students get accepted to one of the schools of their choice, according to Anderson. Though most apply to UCLA and UCI, their choices of schools are wide and varied that stretch from coast-to-coast.Some former Pierce Honors Students have been admitted to the University of California, Berkeley and as far away as New York University. “Trust me, guys. You’ll be thankful that you did this,” said Chris Lauterdale, an honors program senior office assistant and a former Pierce honors student in the ’90s. Lauterdale is a strong proponent of the program and looks forward to those who wants to get in. “Come and see me,” Lauterdale said. She is eager to answer any questions about the program. The students must be aware that there are some strict guidelines in applying to the Honors Program. Some of the requirements include: a 3.25 GPA in all UC transferable units, be eligible for English 101 and must have completed a minimum of 12 units. The program is open to high school students, too. Every semester the Pierce College outreach representatives travel to local high schools to tell juniors and seniors about the Fast-Track Honors Program among other opportunities. “This UCLA-supported program allows high school students to transfer to UCLA after just a single year of full-time study at Pierce,” according to the Fast-Track Honors Program web page. ESL students have successfully completed the Honors Program in the past. For details about the Honors Program, go to:http://www.piercecollege.com/students/honors/index.aspxPhone: (818) 710-2524 or (818) 710-2888Fax: (818) 710-4237 For Program Director Barbara Anderson, the Honors Program is a way to bring together a like-minded people and sharing the joy of learning, something akin to the words spoken by Gandhi: “Live as if today is your last; learn as if you’ll live forever.”