Upper Division Honors

Transfer Student Profiles

Adam Sanford

Introduction:  As the program advisor, I often get to meet many students and work with them during the course of their work in the program.  I know there are a wide range of reasons that a student chooses to participate.  One reason for many of the students is that the experience will allow them to get a head start on their graduate education.  Adam Sanford and I spoke about this fact in many of our conversations together concerning his experience in writing his undergraduate thesis.  The experience during his tenure as an Undergraduate at UCR is just one of the many reasons he is successful now as a graduate student of the Department of Sociology.  I asked Adam to give a few answers to my general questions.  I know that by reading his answers you’ll receive a sense of what I am talking about and how writing an undergraduate thesis has been impactful for his academic career thus far.  ~Emily Nudge

As a transfer student where you involved in an Honors program prior to arriving at UCR?

No, I was not. I was an honors student, but not involved in an Honors program.

What was the main element about UCR that interested you in attending?

UCR Ph.D. Graduates were some of the best instructors I ever encountered at the community college level. Since I wanted to teach at the college level, UCR seemed to be the most intelligent choice I could make. I have since discovered that there are many good reasons why UCR is probably the best college-instruction university in the area.

How has your experience been so far with the Upper Division Honors program?

I really enjoyed the one-on-one mentorship I received in the different aspects of my work: personal, academic, and financial. Having Alicia Chavez help me with my graduate school applications and fellowship applications was a godsend, and having Emily Nudge encouraging me when I ran aground or became frustrated and was about to give up was invaluable and indispensable.

How do you feel the Honors program prepared you for your life after UCR?

I plan a career and life as a professional academic. Simply put, the Honors program gave me a leg up on how to manage it. Doing the honors thesis prepared me for the demands of graduate school in many ways; I'm no longer afraid of doing my master's paper or my doctoral dissertation, because I've already been through the process once, thanks to the Honors program here.

Was it hard to do your thesis?

Doing my thesis was both the hardest and the most rewarding work I've ever done academically. It opened numerous doors to conference presentations, personal interaction with professors in several departments, and cross-discipline input from other students as well as professors on the content of my thesis. It was hard, but it was worth every minute of work that I put into it.

What was the deciding factor in committing to the program?

I knew before I transferred to UCR that I wanted to go on to graduate school. Hearing that the Honors program would prepare me for graduate school made me want to enter it just for the experience and preparation that I knew I needed.

How do you feel you are as a student because of the program?

I have always been an overachiever. Being in the Honors program simply whetted my appetite for more academic achievement. The difference was that there were milestones of recognition built into the program in ways that independent work doesn't have available.

What is the biggest strength you’ve gained from the experience?

The ability to refine my thoughts from the raw, initial flashes of theory and observation into a cohesive, smooth final product. This is an experience most undergraduates simply don't get:­ the ability to write, receive criticism, and revise through several drafts and presentations until they have achieved the best outcome that they can. I did not have the knowledge or understanding which would have allowed me that crucial, objective perspective on my own work before doing my thesis in the Honors program; now, thanks to the program, I have it. That will serve me for the rest of my life in very positive ways.