If you love your major, take Honors — you’ll get flexibility, personalization and a close cohort of friends.

Honors wasn’t even on Megan’s radar, but now she can’t imagine not being in the program.

This is five-part series profiling the Faculty of Arts Honors students who are presenting at the inaugural Arts Honors Mini-Conference on November 17, 2020.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Megan Teare and I am in my fourth and final year at the University of Alberta. I am currently completing a Bachelor of Arts Honors in Classical Studies.

How did you come to be in the Honors program?

The honors program wasn’t even on my radar until well into my first year of university. I didn’t entirely understand what an honors degree was when I first was applying to the U of A back in high school and applying directly into an honors program wasn’t an option at the time anyways. I believe the first time I really thought about it was when I was contacted by our department’s Outreach Coordinator, who was professor Pownall at the time, for doing really well in one of my first classics courses that year. She invited me to meet with her and discuss an honors degree in classics and all of the exciting things that it allows you to do. When I learned a little bit more about it and about the many ways in which it sets you up for success after graduation I decided that I definitely wanted to pursue my honors degree. Pretty soon after that initial meeting with professor Pownall I submitted an application for the program and was accepted in the summer. I had lots of help and support when I was first learning how to navigate honors and choose courses, as well, which made it a very easy transition into my second year starting.

What has your Honors experience been like?

My experience in the honors program has been so amazing, though it is not at all what I expected it to be. I figured that it would be a bunch of extra work and would make my life incredibly stressful, but as it turns out, I was already putting in all of that extra work in my regular bachelor’s degree and it’s for that reason that I found myself qualified for honors in the first place. I am so grateful that the program allows us to take way more credits of our major. I definitely believe that it’s important to branch out and experience other subjects or faculties, but when you love your major this much and there are so many incredibly exciting courses to take, it’s a relief to be able to take a whole lot more and fit them all in.

I have made so many incredible friends that I otherwise never would have made and being a part of honors actually kind of feels like you’re a bit of a VIP some of the time (especially when you get a special little desk in a special little honors room where you can work on homework and papers!). I have made a little cohort with the other honors students in my year and it’s really awesome getting to move around throughout classes with them. We sort of follow each other through different courses and it’s always a relief seeing one of my other honors buddies in class with me! I have also gotten to know a lot of my professors so much better and they have come to know me, which I have loved! It is such a good feeling having one of my professors check up on me or my progress every now and again because it’s such a huge reminder that I have support if I need it.

Something that also really has stood out to me throughout my honors degree is how flexible it is. This semester I was supposed to be participating in an exchange in Glasgow, Scotland, which was unfortunately cancelled because of COVID. However, before we knew about the virus, my honors advisors had helped me figure out how I’d be able to work my fourth year honors thesis around the exchange. I think a lot of people sometimes assume that honors is inflexible and makes it difficult to pursue other things, but this is definitely not the case and I think it’s important for people to recognize that.

What will you be presenting on at the Honors mini-conference?

I have yet to completely narrow down my topic for my honors research paper, but even when I do, I assume it will morph a bit as I work through the research. I have just recently decided that my area of focus will be on the supply lines of subsistence material to the Roman army on the northern British frontier. I will be looking mostly at archaeological and zooarchaeological evidence for this topic, though there is also an important amount of literary evidence which I plan to look into, as well. I am very excited to delve into the research!

How did you find this topic or area of interest to focus on?

My plan after graduation is to pursue a graduate degree in archaeology. This has been my goal ever since I first applied to the U of A. Because of this, my interests very much lie in archaeological research (not that I value literary material any less) and I really enjoy putting it together to make inferences about the complex situations of the past. It’s like a puzzle! I have chosen to research Roman frontier in Britain because this is an area in which I’d love to work one day. This interest has developed over the past few years out of a combination of courses, reading material, and conversations with others who are similarly interested. I didn’t always know that this was what I loved learning about, but having taken a couple of seminars in which either the entire focus or some of the focus has been on Roman Britain has made me realize that this is what I want to do someday. I have also recently been in a seminar about zooarchaeology and I really enjoy learning about what animals can tell us in the archaeological record. I figured it would be interesting if I could somehow incorporate zooarch into my honors thesis and so I decided to focus on supply lines to the Roman army, since animal products (especially meat) feature heavily in that.

What would you tell someone that is considering applying to Honors?

I think that for a lot of high school and first year students the idea of an honors degree can be very daunting, especially when you have no idea what will be expected of you going in. I was intimidated by my first year of university alone, and considering an honors degree — which I figured would be even harder — seemed out of the question at the time. All I can say is that an honors degree, for me, has been no harder or scarier than a regular bachelor’s degree. If you are considering an honors degree, then you are already a hard working, dedicated, and achievement-driven person. You already put in all of the effort required of an honors degree in school and in your everyday life, so why not embrace it and be recognized for it? I can guarantee that you will not only love the academic freedom that comes along with an honors degree, but you will build strong ties with other honors students and with many of your professors that you will hold on to for a long time. I have met some of my closest friends through the honors program (one of those friends is actually my roommate now!). You will get to pursue a research project that inspires YOU, not your professor (and I mean that in a good way). I would also point out that for anyone thinking about the more long term benefits, an honors degree is required for consideration at many graduate schools and for those who aren’t interested in graduate studies, an honors degree significantly increases employability! If you are at all considering the honors program and aren’t sure about it or have doubts, please don’t hesitate to pursue it and realize how incredible and fulfilling it is for yourself.

Learn more about the Honors program and all the undergraduate degree programs that the Faculty of Arts has to offer by:

• Visiting the Degree programs page on the Arts website,
• Watching our Program Overview Videos on the Faculty of Arts YouTube channel, and
• Discussing your options with an undergraduate advisor — email arts.undergrad@ualberta.ca or book a one-on-one advising appointment by clicking here