Honors at Glasgow University

The Honors semester at Glasgow University will allow you to complete an Honors course elective, “The Ideas and Influences of the Scottish Enlightenment: 18th to the 21st Centuries.”

The University of Glasgow has created a unique course for our Honors students. Using major figures and ideas from the Scottish Enlightenment, Honors students will see how those ideas continue to be important in intellectual and cultural life in the 21st century. Interdisciplinary perspectives from art/aesthetics, religion, philosophy, politics/economics, and science will inform this course. The institutional model is the traditional Oxbridge model of public lectures and small group seminars. Leading scholars will provide over-arching ideas in the public lectures, which are then further developed through discussion in small group seminars/tutorials.

Take an additional 2-3 courses in your major or minor

The University of Glasgow has both breadth and depth in most undergraduate majors. Science, pre-med, and pre-vet Honors students will have access to a sophisticated range of disciplines and courses. Fine and liberal arts majors as well as business will have an exciting variety of course options. All Honors at Glasgow students will have access to level 3 and some level 4 courses not usually available to other study abroad students.

Emails from two of our current students that have studied there:

Dear Renee,

I’ve been at the University of Glasgow for a little over a month now, and I just wanted to write to thank Albion Honors for making the Principia Consortium program available to myself and other honors students. I couldn’t have chosen a better way to spend my semester! I love living in Glasgow, and my Scottish Enlightenment class offers a great taste of Scottish history and culture. It’s a really valuable class that I’m grateful to have the opportunity to take. We’ve gone on two field trips as a class, and I’ve met some great people.

In addition, the University of Glasgow offers a lot of day trips and weekend trips geared towards international students so that they can experience the best of Scotland. During orientation week, I had the option to go on a trip to Edinburgh, which was fantastic – though not quite as wonderful as Glasgow! Last weekend, I went on a trip with a friend of mine to Dundee, Stonehaven, and Aberdeen. At Stonehaven, we stopped at Dunnotar Castle, which is surrounded by absolutely stunning scenery that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen back in Michigan.

Best of all, however, is the sense of independence I’ve gained and the knowledge that the world is so much bigger than I previously realized. I remember thinking that students who had studied abroad were exaggerating when they raved that the experience will “change your life.” It does. I love the freedom to walk the City Centre if I’m in the mood for browsing the shops, plan day trips with my friends, and go beyond what I’m comfortable with. I’ve tried haggis, Irn Bru, and shortbread. The little differences – chip-and-pin machines, slang, the Glasgow rain – take a short bit of getting used to, but they made me realize that some elements of my day-to-day life that I take for granted are, in fact, distinctly American. My mind has become more open.

All in all, if a student has the chance, they should most definitely study abroad. This has been one of the best experiences of my college career.

Lindsay Weiss

Thanks to the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program at Albion, I had the incredible opportunity to go abroad- in scenic Scotland, nonetheless! Having spent more than 3 months here I must say it’s been more than an unforgettable experience; and it’s only getting better- my trip across Europe starts with this semester’s end on May 7th! In my time here I’ve made friends with locals, fellow American travelers, and other University students from all around the world. Once a week all the international students get together with the International Society for food, fun, and a night out on the town. Only at this time are students from all over the world together in one place and spending time with one another; it’s not uncommon to talk globally about political differences or questions regarding one another’s culture at large- a lot of playful finger-pointing at such events is welcomed. There are few instances in a person’s life where one can feel so globally connected with such a culturally diverse group of people. I can’t help but think that these are some of the memories that I will forever cherish in my heart. I can’t wait to return to Albion, but I certainly am grateful for the opportunity of having such an experience.

Andrew Zimmer

More unique opportunities for Honors at Glasgow:

  • Chance to study at an internationally recognized university
  • Be a member of a unique “Honors at Glasgow” program
  • Special cultural immersion events for Honors students both inside and outside the classroom
  • Possibility of service learning or internships
  • Meeting some of the 3,000 other international students from 24 countries around the world
  • Meeting, becoming friends with Honors students from our consortium member institutions in the U.S.
  • Travel in the U.K. and the European continent
  • Living in a “different” but accessible culture

Honors students may enroll either for fall or spring term through International Programs.

All scholarships and federal loans apply toward tuition. Albion tuition and room charges apply plus an off campus administrative fee of $1,300 per term.