How Academic Mentoring Works in The Honors College at App State

Every Honors student at Appalachian State is paired with an Honors Academic Mentor, and that relationship continues even after you declare a major. The mentor helps you connect your interests to concrete opportunities—research, leadership, internships, global learning, and graduate school—while a major advisor joins your mentoring team once you declare. The two roles are complementary rather than a replacement: the Honors mentor supports exploration across disciplines and beyond the classroom, and the major advisor guides discipline-specific progress.

Who gets a mentor, and when

Mentoring is a built-in part of the Honors experience rather than something you apply for separately. According to the college, every Honors student is paired with an Honors Academic Mentor. The pairing supports the college's broader model of small, discussion-based, interdisciplinary seminars (12–18 students) and a living-learning community, where first-year Honors students live together in Cone Hall and continuing students may choose Summit Hall.

What the mentor actually helps with

The mentor's role is to turn interests into experiences. The college lists these areas of support:

• Research — finding and pursuing original research or creative work
• Leadership — identifying leadership opportunities
• Internships — connecting academic interests to internship experiences
• Global learning — most Honors students complete a credit-bearing study abroad experience, often through an Honors seminar abroad
• Graduate school — planning and preparing for advanced study

A useful way to picture it: a student interested in environmental policy might use the Honors mentor to locate a research opportunity and an Honors seminar abroad, then work with the major advisor to ensure those choices fit degree requirements.

How the mentoring team changes after you declare a major

Declaring a major does not end the Honors mentoring relationship. Instead, the team grows:

The Honors mentor keeps the cross-disciplinary, opportunity-focused perspective; the major advisor adds expertise in your field's requirements and sequencing. Students should expect to coordinate between the two rather than treat either as a single point of contact.

Where mentoring fits in the wider Honors experience

Mentoring is one of several supports the college describes alongside interdisciplinary seminars, the living-learning community, global learning, and opportunities to present original work at regional Honors conferences. The student-led Appalachian Honors Association (AHA!) also hosts regular events, which can be a low-pressure way to hear how other students have used their mentoring relationships.

Practical takeaways

• Expect a mentor from the start of your Honors experience—no separate application is described.
• Use the mentor for exploration (research, internships, global learning, graduate school), not just course selection.
• After declaring a major, keep the Honors mentor and add a major advisor; plan to work with both.
• Ask early about credit-bearing study abroad through Honors seminars if global learning is a goal, since most Honors students pursue it.

For current details on seminar offerings and how to connect with the college, use the "Connect and Learn More" section of honors.appstate.edu.