Nursing Honors Program 101: Common Questions and Answers

Most LEAD Scholars receive their invitation as prospective first-year applicants (prior to even beginning college). However, if you were not chosen, do not worry! In the spring semester of your first year, you also get the opportunity to apply for a select number of spots in the program and explain why you are interested in being a part of it. 

1. While most nursing students don’t step foot into an NYU Langone hospital until their junior year, you will actually be able to wear those violet scrubs for the first time during your observation experience at NYU Langone Orthopedics in your first year. As a part of the “Nursing and the Health Professions” class you take during your first spring semester, you will be required to complete a day-long shadowing experience with your assigned healthcare professional and share your stories with the class. 
2. You will also receive additional advising and mentoring, including a professional mentor to help you with your final LEAD Capstone Project. A requirement of the honors program is to complete and present a capstone project which will span throughout your junior and senior year. 
3. And when you finally graduate nursing school and are waiting to walk across the stage at graduation, one last reward awaits you at the end, and that is the transcript and diploma that says you have graduated “with Honors in Nursing.” There is also an additional separate LEAD Honors Program Ceremony honoring LEAD Scholars! 

Yes, and we actually HIGHLY encourage you to because you are introduced to new environments and their respective healthcare systems! However, there is one little caveat and that is you can only study away during the spring semester of your sophomore year (during the academic year). In addition to all the fun electives you can register for, you will also be participating in an online “Global Perspectives in Health” class. This course will explore topics like health equity, social justice, and sociocultural and political awareness but on a global scale. 

If you would like more chances to study away, there are also shorter opportunities like our J-term away at NYU Abu Dhabi or summer sessions at other sites.

Being a part of the honors program does sound like a huge added workload, and it honestly sometimes does feel that way, but you have so many resources available to you to help create this healthy balance between school and life. Here are some tips that have personally worked for me: 

• Plan your days whether that is with a physical planner or Google Calendar!
• Lean on your upperclassmen for advice because they have already been through it all!
• Remember to set aside time for you to simply relax and do activities you actually enjoy! This can be something as small as watching TV on your bed or attending a nursing club event!

Being an honors student has had its ups and downs, especially as a person who struggles with writing, but you truly do grow so much as both a nursing student and an individual! I have learned so much about the interconnectedness of our healthcare system and how lucky we are compared to some other countries. You also enter your clinical sequence in junior year feeling a lot more prepared than others, knowing that you have a strong support system from your fellow honors students and professors!

Nursing school is undoubtedly tough, and there will be moments when you question if this is truly the path you want to pursue. But remember, you’re not alone in this journey! Lean on your honors professors and friends because they understand what you’re going through more than anyone else.

Woah- that was a lot of questions and information, but I hope some of the questions you’ve been dying to ask were at least answered! Whether you’re a high school senior finalizing your NYU application or an NYU first-year considering the honors program, I hope my own experience gave you a better sense of what to expect and helps you feel more confident in taking this next big step in your nursing journey!