So by the title, you can probably tell I'm not an honors student at USC. I'm just a normal freshman, I don't live in the Village. But in high school, I was an honors student. So does that change, that tumble down the academic ladder hurt? Sure, my pride, my dignity, a little. But I've given it a lot of thought since the start of the year, and I think it comes down to a lot more than just a pride thing. Just a tiny, miniscule disclaimer: feel free to disagree, but these are just my opinions - honest, uncensored, and potentially a little disparaging. But I'm fine with that, because that's just what opinions are -- disagreeable to some, truthful to others.
The website for the McCarthy Honors College claims that by grouping the scholarship students together, they strive to foster a "vibrant, tight-knit community of scholars who share a commitment to rigorous intellectual and academic achievement". This is a statement that sounds fine and all, until you realize that this is a description that could technically be used to describe any group of students, in any dorm at USC. Living in New North or Pardee Tower doesn't make you less of a "scholar" or less committed to "academic achievement", does it? Most people I've met in my 1.5 semesters at USC are incredibly motivated, uninhibitedly ambitious, and the epitome of an "intellectual". So I suppose that my problem with the premise of honors housing is that they use this statement, and by extension, this mindset, to refer specifically to the students who live in the McCarthy Honors Residential College.
Starting with a retreat and an earlier move-in date, the extensive privileges and the early housing application available for Ilium (although not guaranteed a spot) the following year, these McCarthy students are immediately relegated to a more "special" status. In a 2017 article, the Trojan Family Magazine explained that the McCarthy housing would offer "unique opportunities available only to honors students", such as "exclusive academic, cultural and social activities" (USC Trojan Family Magazine Staff). It seems that whilst the stated goal of creating a freshman honors college is to foster community and spur intellectual stimulation amongst the "nation's brightest", doing so has the (perhaps) unintended consequence of upholding a sense of elitist exclusivity.
Does this imply that the rest of us are not student "scholars"? By virtue of having been admitted to USC, each and every student here is a "scholar", but the existence of the freshman honors housing delineates a distinct difference between those who are "honor"-ed enough to receive scholarship and qualify for that elite community and those of us who are part of the academic proletariat.
The honors students are among the only freshmen to live in the Village, the newest and most luxurious extension to the USC campus, whilst most other freshmen reside in the main part of campus. This physical distance translates to a metaphorical one that can be felt within the campus dynamic. In my own experiences and from listening to others', oftentimes, just hearing someone answer "McCarthy" in response to "Where do you live?" creates an immediate distance because oh, they live in McCarthy and I don't, so I guess they're smarter than me. That unbeknownst feeling of inferiority settling in is a little discomfiting and probably not based on the most sound logic, but, it's still a valid feeling that some students experience. I believe that immediate chasm between students is indicative of the toxic comparisons that happen at USC. College, in general, especially at a high-achieving one like USC, creates a high-stress environment where competition surfaces at every turn and exceeding the norm is the primary goal. The phenomenon of the honors dorm may foster the sense of falling behind, right from move-in day.
While yes, I agree, outstanding students should be rewarded for their outstanding performance, but I'd like to clarify that I'm not opposed to the idea of scholarships, because many of those gifted students might not have been able to afford or have been willing to come to USC, had it not been for the scholarships. It is merely the physical, tangible separation of honors students versus the rest of us that I believe is a detrimental factor. One of the most important aspects of a successful institution is to cultivate an environment where students believe in themselves and in USC, to facilitate and amplify their journey, and it's totally my unpopular opinion that honors housing stands in the way of that.
