Bing Honors College Overview

Bing Honors College (BHC), one of the three September Studies programs, is a three-week program in early September for students actively engaged in researching and drafting their honors theses. BHC participants work individually and collectively on their theses during this time. As a result, BHC students begin senior year in an atmosphere of shared intellectual purpose with a serious commitment to independent scholarship.

BHC was inaugurated in 1993 as part of the Bing Teaching Initiative, a series of curricular innovations designed to improve the quality of undergraduate education at Stanford. Begun as a pilot program with 28 students, BHC has grown steadily each year. It currently accommodates over 100 students from the following undergraduate programs.

BHC Goals

BHC seeks to achieve the following three main goals:

• To accelerate progress on honors theses by offering students an uninterrupted block of time in which to focus on their work
• To enhance opportunities for students to form mentoring relationships with faculty and advanced graduate students in their field
• To foster a sense of intellectual community among students pursuing honors work, both within and across academic disciplines

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2012 Participating Honors Departments or Programs

• American Studies
• Anthropology
• Center for International Security and Cooperation
• Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity
• Division of Literature, Cultures, and Languages
• Economics
• Education
• English
• Ethics in Society
• History
• Human Biology
• International Relations
• Philosophy
• Public Policy
• Political Science
• Religious Studies
• Sociology
• Symbolic Systems
• Urban Studies

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Program Dates

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Enrolling in BHC

Students enroll in Bing Honors College through participating honors departments and programs. For a list of participating programs and departments, consult your honors director or undergraduate student services administrator. Each major is responsible for managing its own selection of students and admitting them to the College.  View the Honors Programs Descriptions by Department or Program or click on the specific major listed above. Once a student has been approved to participate in Bing Honors College, both residential BHC students and Day Students must complete the Student Commitment/Registration Form by 5 p.m., May 21, 2012. Residential students withdrawing from this program after June 13 will be charged a withdrawal fee of $300 on their University bill. Exceptions due to illness require a doctor’s letter in order to waive the withdrawal fee. In other circumstances students must work with the Bob Jorgensen, Associate Director for Academic Administration, to discuss having the fee reduced or waived.

For students with demonstrated financial need, summertime earnings replacement funds are also available. Contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@stanford.edu. They will work with you to determine how loans or grants may be used to offset your lost earnings.

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Student Selection Process and Criteria

Each major is responsible for managing its own selection of students and admitting them to the College.  View the Honors Programs Descriptions by Department or Program or click on the specific major listed above.

Participation in the Bing Honors College (BHC) program requires Faculty Leader(s) and departmental approval. Residential student participants are expected to fully commit to Bing Honors College. This means attending all class sessions and mandatory college-wide activities. Students cannot work a full- or part-time job or travel outside of required class activities during the program. Because of conflicts with required training schedules, RA and RCC roles preclude participation, as do some other dorm staff positions. Any dorm staff positions should be disclosed as possible conflicts on the commitment form, and faculty leaders must be notified. Students must confirm with their Faculty Leader(s) that they will attend the entire Bing Honors College. There may be a waiting list in case admitted residential students’ plans change over the summer.

Department-Approved Residential Students

Students participating in BHC live in a campus residence, receive free room and board, and enjoy special access to computers and a photocopier. BHC residential staff are involved in the planning and organization of BHC-wide social activities. Social activities help students form new friendships and reinforce social bonds as they begin their senior year.

• Residential students with on-campus Autumn housing will be authorized to move into their Autumn housing assignment for 2012-2013 the afternoon of September 13. Only on-campus early arrival housing charges from September 13 through September 20 will be paid by the program.  

• IMPORTANT:  BHC students are required to have an on-campus Autumn housing assignment for 2012-2013 OR accept responsibility for making their own living arrangements from September 13 through the conclusion of the program (Friday, September 21).

Department-Approved Day Students

Student participants who cannot fully commit to Bing Honors College have to option to request to participate as a day student.  This means students who cannot attend all class sessions and mandatory college-wide activities, work a part-time job, have committed to a residential staff position, or must travel outside of required class activities during the program. Students who cannot fully commit to BHC but would like to participate as a day student must notify and discuss with their Faculty Leader(s) their conflicts as soon as possible. Faculty Leader(s) will then decide if the student will be allowed to participate as a “Day” student.

• Department-Approved Day Students do not live in Bing Honors College dorms, although they are authorized to have lunch in the program dining hall from September 6 through September 14 and meals served at BHC-wide events.
  • Day students must swipe their Student ID at the Wilbur Dining Hall cashier kiosk. YOU MUST BRING YOUR STANFORD ID CARD. If your card does not work, contact the dining hall supervisor.
  • Your host department will arrange lunches from September 17 through September 20. Check with your faculty leader for the location and times.
• Day students with on-campus Autumn housing assignments for 2012-2013 will be authorized to move into their Autumn housing assignment the afternoon of September 13 with the rest of the BHC residential participants. Only on-campus early arrival housing charges from September 13 through September 20 will be paid by the program.  
• IMPORTANT:  BHC students are required to have an on-campus Autumn housing assignments for 2012-2013 OR accept responsibility for making their own living arrangements from September 13 through the conclusion of the program (Friday, September 21).

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BHC Activities and Course of Study

The BHC program balances college- and discipline-sponsored activities with ample time for writing, library research, individual conferences with advisors and informal interactions among students.

Each Bing Honors College disciplinary group organizes collective activities to impart skills needed for successful scholarship and to counter the isolating aspect of individual research. Discipline-sponsored activities, organized by faculty supervisors may include the following:

• Oral presentations by students for one another and peer-reviews of writing and research plans
• Seminars with reading assignments and discussion on research approaches in the field
• Review of previous honors theses and development of a model thesis
• Library orientations, including meetings with curators and demonstrations of research tools
• Special skills workshops, such as statistical analysis and software applications
• Thesis writing or prewriting workshops
• Oral communication workshops
• Faculty presentations on their own research and writing process
• Field trips to local archives and bookstores
• Written assignments for the end of Bing Honors College

The college sponsors several activities, which include the following:

• Cross-disciplinary workshops on topics such as research methodologies, cultivating positive working relationships with faculty advisors, PhD studies and post-baccalaureate fellowships
• A Bing Honors College banquet for students and their research advisors, which takes place on the final evening before Autumn quarter begins. This is a spirited evening where the BHC faculty supervisors "pass the baton" to faculty members with whom students will work throughout the year.

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BHC Living Accommodations

Department-Approved Residential Students

Residential students participating in BHC live in a single campus residence, receive free room and board in assigned BHC residence, and enjoy special access to computers and a photocopier.

• Residential students with on-campus Autumn housing will be authorized to move into their Autumn housing assignment for 2012-2013 the afternoon of September 13. Only on-campus early arrival housing charges from September 13 through September 20 will be paid by the program.  
• IMPORTANT:  BHC students are required to have an on-campus Autumn housing assignments for 2012-2013 OR accept responsibility for making their own living arrangements from September 13 through the conclusion of the program (Friday, September 21).
• Residential students should contact their faculty leader or grad affiliate regarding their department arranged lunches from September 17 through 20 (no lunches will for this period will be available in the program dining hall).
• Some residences will not have dining services the weekend after the completion of the program, September 21-23; students living in these residences will be responsible for making their own dining arrangements during this time.

Department-Approved Day Students

• Department-Approved Day Students do not live in Bing Honors College dorms, although they are authorized to have lunch in the program dining hall for the duration of the program.
• Day students with on-campus Autumn housing will be authorized to move into their Autumn housing assignment for 2012-2013  the afternoon of September 13 with the rest of the BHC residential participants. Only on-campus early arrival housing charges from September 13 through September 20 will be paid by the program.  
• IMPORTANT:  BHC students are required to have an on-campus Autumn housing assignments for 2012-2013 OR accept responsibility for making their own living arrangements from September 13 through the conclusion of the program (Friday, September 21).
• Day Students should contact their faculty leader or grad affiliate regarding their department arranged lunches from September 17 through 20 (no lunches will for this period will be available in the program dining hall).
• Some residences will not have dining services the weekend after the completion of the program, September 21-23; students living in these residences will be responsible for making their own dining arrangements during this time.

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