Can I get into the College of Letters & Science Honors Program?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

<p>I've read over their website, and I still have a couple questions. My first question would be whether I apply before entering as a freshman, or during my freshman year. My second one is, are all my classes in the honors program, or will some be regular classes with everyone else at the university?</p>

<p>If the whole list of everything I've ever done in high school is needed, here it is:</p>

<p>Classes (only academic ones):</p>

<p>Freshman year:
Honors Physics PCB - A both semesters
Honors History of World Civilizations - A both semesters
Honors Freshman English - A both semesters
Advanced Algebra - A both semesters
Honors French 2 - A both semesters</p>

<p>Sophomore year:
Honors Sophomore English: B both semesters
Honors French 3: B, then A
Pre-Calculus - A then B
Honors Chemistry PCB - B both semesters
Sociology - 1 semester, A
Brain Studies - 1 semester, A
I did take a Marketing and an Intro to Business class. Each was 1 semester, and I got an A in both, but they don't count towards my academic GPA.</p>

<p>Junior year course load:
Honors Junior English - B both semesters
Honors French 4 - A both semesters
AP US History - B first semester, then an A, got a 4 on the test
AP Calc AB - B both semesters, got a 5 on the test
Honors Bio PCB - B both semesters
Honors Consumer Education 1st semester - B
Public Speaking 2nd semester - A
My 1st semester gym counts towards my academic GPA too (t's honors gym) - A</p>

<p>Overall GPA as of now:
Unweighted is about 3.7
Weighted is like 4.36</p>

<p>Senior year course load:
AP Psych
AP Stats
AP Chem
AP French
AP Lang
That honors gym again, but for both semesters
Independent study/research project with my Brain Studies teacher from sophomore year on the subject of using medication to treat mental illnesses versus alternative methods such as meditation and exercise.</p>

<p>ACT = 34 Math, 34 English, 30 Reading, and 33 on Science, with 11 on writing.</p>

<p>My school doesn't rank, nor does it give percentiles. I'd estimate top 25%, maybe 15%, but I really have no idea.</p>

<p>Extra curricular activities:
Erika's Lighthouse club: 9th-12th
PAWS animal club: 9 - 12th grade. Board position for senior year.
FNHS: 10th -12th grade
Job as an assistant at an orthodontist's office a couple days a week, usually from about 3:30 to 6 if it's a school day, and 8:30 to 1:30 on some Saturdays.
Safe Rides volunteer Junior and Senior year, basically I taxi kids home from parties or other social events from 10 p.m to 2 a.m. about once a week. I lead a crew this year.
Small group leader in a program where juniors take incoming freshman around the school for 1 night a week for 4 weeks, and answer questions about high school. Each night is themed to a different aspect of high school - what the school is like, academics, extracurricular activities, and social life.
Counselor for a local middle school's outdoor education program - I stayed with a group of about 10 sixth grade girls (a specific homeroom) for 3 days and 2 nights on their school trip. There were also teachers who came with to activities, but within the cabins, I was the one in charge of them all. Throughout the trip we did various activities like zip lining, canoeing, hiking, etc.</p>

<p>I got a recommendation from my calc teacher last year, as well as my guidance counselor. I'll notify the university that those will be coming.</p>

<p>Intended major: Probably something in the field of biology/psychology/neurological sciences. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Wow! Yes you can get into the L&S Honors program. Not all your classes will be honors (you decide). You apply as soon as you get the invitation-to-apply email which comes soon after you accept the offer of admission from UW. Pay close attention to the strict deadline in the email (with the link to the application) because that is your specific deadline, not an overall deadline for everyone. I guess you could call it a rolling deadline for the honors program.</p>

3

<p>Lol - honors gym.</p>

<p>Also apply for the L&S scholarships. Minimum of 31 ACT needed to apply. Google the application to see when it opens, and the deadline (around Feb 1).</p>

4

<p>@Madison85‌ - Yeah, honors gym is a thing lol. We do lots of spinning, swimming, road runs, and circuit stuff. Our final is a 60 minute run. Our teachers give us oranges after and it’s actually kinda nice.</p>

<p>Thank you for the information, I’m really hoping to become a part of this honors program. A big 10 school with smaller classes that go in depth into topics is perfect for me.</p>

5

<p>I have never heard of anyone applying to the L&S Honors program who did not get in (unless the rolling deadline application was submitted late).</p>

<p>You may also enjoy one of the Learning Community dorms (there is no ‘Honors’ dorm), such as Chadbourne.</p>

<p>If you like the feeling of a smaller class, you may be interested in a FIG (First-Year Interest Group). </p>

6

<p>Echoing Mad85’s advice. My kid is currently in Honors program, and to be clear – Honors offers a range of opportunities to go deeper in your courses, in a variety of contexts. There are Honors only smaller classes, though what mu kid has generally done is take the Honors discussion section of a larger course. So, he is currently in a majors class with about 75 kids. He is in the Honors discussion section, of about 15 kids which meets with the prof, instead of a with a grad student TA. They do extra work compared to the regular sections – extra readings and short papers etc. Honors creates the opportunity to get to know profs better – an Honors section in freshman year led to the possibility of doing research with that prof. </p>

<p>There are smaller classes at UW that are not Honors, depending on the subject matter. He has had a couple of regular classes that are around 20 students, even though there is room for more. </p>

<p>Lastly, each admitted student is invited to apply to Honors – the idea is, every student at UW is capable of doing Honors level work but not all are interested in it. The app requires info on the same type of high school grades etc and ECs, that you are used to typing into apps. There are also essays – thought provoking, interesting topics. My sense was that those essays were what mattered – are you a reflective person who could contribute to higher level engagement. </p>

7

<p>Both my son and I have UW Honors degrees- in different majors. The program was good in my day and even better now. You choose as many or as few Honors courses, depending on your interest and ability in different areas. In the various biology majors (there’s botany and zoology for two, plus several other variations) I would recommend waiting to take the Honors Biocore sequence which requires Organic Chemistry. Honors being offered to all is a fairly recent thing. I am happy they still do not segregate Honors Program students or try to put them all in one dorm- my fellow Honors Chemistry majors and I had very different tastes in where to live. Remember that everyone who attends UW has their own unique experiences.</p>

<p>btw- you are likely to be admitted to UW- first step. Once admitted you can apply to the Honors Program. You then get an Honors advisor for SOAR (summer orientation) to help you figure out your courses for fall. </p>

<p>We are talking about the L&S Honors Program, btw. </p>

8

<p>You could do better than Madison! Maybe it’s your safety school, or cost is a factor.</p>

9

<p>Not many better for bio and psychology areas. </p>

10

<p>I think in post #1, madison85 meant to say ‘after you RECEIVE the offer of admission.’ Not after you ACCEPT.</p>

<p>@veggie716, the merit scholarships at UW are small. Every possible $ is worth some effort, but if one gets anything, it will not likely be a large award, unless one is URM. Merit money is not a reason to apply to UW-Madison for non-URM. I think people apply there because they like it. And for in-state kids, it’s priced reasonably for the very good quality of education they provide. </p>

11

<p>Thanks! - I wasn’t sure if the Honors application invite emails go out after students receive the offer of admission or after they accept the offer and mail in the deposit.</p>