Fall 2025 Honors Program Application for Admission

Use this form if you will be entering college for your first semester as a full-time college student. The minimum qualification for applying is a 3.5+ high school GPA. Meeting the minimum eligibility requirement does not guarantee admission as we evaluate your essays for aptitude to contribute to the Honors community of scholars. Admission into the Honors Program is selective.

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Name Name First Last
Nickname or other preferred name
Email

Please list one you check regularly!
Address Address
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region Postal / Zip Code Country
Phone Phone - ### - ### ####
What is your intended major? (if undecided, name one or two you're considering)
Your high school's name (Applicants who are currently full-time college students should instead use our application form for continuing students)
High School GPA
Standardized test scores (optional)
List any IB, AP, Honors, or other advanced courses you have taken. Let us know if none were offered at your school. Don't list dual enrollment here; save it for the next section.

This information does not affect your standing if you have not had the opportunity to take these courses.
List any dual enrollment/other college courses you have taken, and the name of the college/university. (Don't count courses listed in the previous question.) Let us know if none were offered at your school.

This information helps us plan, but does not impact your Honors eligibility.
What are the four most impactful experiences you've had that have shaped your development as a learner, thinker, or community member? Write one sentence to describe each experience.

Don't be afraid to be different! Honors students aren't all alike.
Write any two essays chosen from the list of topics below.

You may submit only two essays.
Each essay should be 250-300 words in length.
Avoid clichés and repetition.
We want to know specifically about you and your actual interests, not a list of accomplishments.
Choose the two topics that best allow you to express different perspectives on your experiences and ideas, so that we understand more about you from each essay.
Do not provide dictionary definitions.
Use details to support what you say.
At the beginning of each essay, write the letter corresponding to your topic choice.

Topic Choices
A) Elaborate on one of your answers for the question above (four most impactful experiences) that, in your mind, best demonstrates your unique experiences and identity as a learner and thinker. Include an explanation of why it stands out in contrast to your other three answers.

B) Think about some of your academic interests that are not related to your chosen major. Write about the one that is very different from your future major, while still deeply intriguing to you. Describe an experience or two that reflects how this interest has influenced you, and what you might hope to do with it during college.

C) Describe a situation in which you learned something complex on your own in a non-academic setting, and then applied that knowledge or learning experience to an unrelated, completely different classroom setting.

D) If you consider yourself a creative thinker, why? Give details of how you approached something creatively, including one or two examples. Make sure you explain its implications for you. Do not define creativity; focus on what makes you consider your example(s) important in your own way of thinking or living.

E) If you plan to use your future career to address a specific change--one that is not generally associated with your planned career path: What are some ways you would like to use Honors to prepare more deeply for that?

F) If community engagement is an integral part of your life but not part of your major field of study, in what way could you realistically make an effort to develop your approach during college besides volunteering hours or recruiting others? Is there a way you'd like to innovate to sustain efforts after you graduate?

G) Write about a complex friendship you’ve had. What did it help you learn about yourself and the ways you interact? In what way(s) have you applied it to other experiences? Be careful not to resort to clichés.

H) What is the most difficult yet productive discussion you have had with someone who was not a friend? Evaluate what you learned, as well as what occurred in the discussion.

I) Have you had an unusual experience as a leader or team member? What did that unusual experience teach you about leadership, and what does it change about the way you view leadership?

J) If the essay choices listed do not let you express the most important aspects of your qualifications to be an Honors scholar, choose one of your strengths or interests that best reflects those qualifications. Explain its significance: why does it show your best qualifications? Give some examples to illustrate its importance for you.

Don't forget: Start each essay by writing down the right letter—so we know which topic you are choosing.
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