By SYDNEY ARNOLD ’27
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 04 April 2025
Freshman Isaiah Borchert sat back in his chair and laughed, “I had no interest in doing anything that was academically harder for basically no reason…but my mom encouraged me to apply for it.” He recalled thinking during his interview that the London Honors program sounded “like the coolest thing ever” and if he didn’t get in he would have cried. He smiled, “I got the honors invitation from two other colleges that I also applied to, and I threw those out immediately.”
London Honors at Houghton University is a writing and humanities intensive program only available to incoming freshmen. In the fall semester, the cohort participates in a proseminar that prepares them for their spring semester in London where students become immersed in the rich history of the world. Many colleges structure their study abroad programs as a senior capstone, but with London Honors, students can begin their time at Houghton with this experience.
From London’s stunning artwork to the city’s unexplored corners, students’ learning experiences are enriched through immersion in their course material. Whether that means spending the day at King Henry VIII’s palace or taking pictures with Big Ben, every moment is exciting and engaging. Studying abroad in a different culture provides students with a unique perspective, enhances communication, writing, critical thinking skills and better prepares them for future studies and careers. Although studying overseas early in an academic journey can seem daunting, the skills gained are valuable and lasting.
Like Borchert, many students are hooked the moment they hear about other’s experiences. Borchert’s classmate, Jennifer Bensley ‘28, shared, “I originally didn’t even want to interview… somehow my parents convinced me to go to the interview, and at the interview when they were explaining what the program was, I was like, ‘Okay wait, I think I want to do this.’”
Now that the students are in London they have endless stories to share. While the sights are incredible Bensley shared that the friends she made within the cohort have been even more significant.
“I feel like what sticks out more is the little things that were not really planned, but everybody was just like, hey let’s go out and do this,” Bensley said, and continued, “Those are the most fun and most memorable experiences.”
Of course, the semester is not only filled with traveling and late-night donut runs. Students have to balance their explorations with lectures, reading, art gallery journaling and writing.
They begin their week with lectures called “plenary” where one of the professors, either Associate Professor of English Jesse Sharpe or Professor of Political Science Peter Mielander, teaches the cohort about a new period in Western history. From there students are sent out into the city’s museums to explore art from that period, in addition to readings they discuss in small groups each morning.
At the end of the week, students are expected to synthesize literature, artwork, music and even architecture examples to prepare a thesis about the period they have studied. While Sunday is a true Sabbath day, this full schedule can be daunting.
Bensley shared that “one of the biggest challenges is trying to fit everything in and still get the work done. Going to class in the morning and then museums in the afternoon, and then if you have a show or something at night, it’s hard to find time to do the reading.”
She added that when you have the freedom to “go anywhere and do anything” it can be hard to balance seeing the sights and learning the course material.
Program assistant Megan Sensenig ‘25 shared that her main role in the program is to support the students.
“I monitor how they’re doing academically, mentally, and emotionally,” she stated, “if they need any help with papers or just with their emotions or whatever might be going on back home, I am sort of just like a big sister to them.”
She shared that one of the greatest joys of her time with the students has been watching them all come into their own.
Sensenig said, “I’ve seen so much independence in them now that wasn’t there at the beginning of the semester. They’ve gotten so much more confident, going out and doing things, bringing up really interesting connections in discussions that they’ve seen from the fall [coursework] or from the beginning of the semester.”
Despite the challenges of traveling across the world to a whole new environment, the students have gained so much from their journey. A fresh perspective on the world, new independence and memories they will have for a lifetime. ★
