Chance for honors?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Washington
1

<p>Hi! I'm interested in applying to the honors program at UW, and I was wondering if I'm a solid candidate. I'm interested in engineering, but I'm not sure which branch.</p>

<p>Some info: White, Female, resident of Nevada. </p>

<p>Academics:
-4.0 GPA uw, 4.85 GPA weighted
-33 ACT composite (35 english, 33 math, 34 reading, 30 science, 31 combined english/writing)
-National Merit recognition (not sure what kind yet)
-5s on AP tests (European history, US History, English Language, Calculus AB)
-Rank: #1 in class</p>

<p>Classes (my school doesn't give A+, just A-. What a rip off.):
Freshman
Honors English 1-2 (A/A)
Honors Algebra 3-4 (A/A)
Honors Biology (A/A)
Spanish 1-2 (A/A)
JROTC (A/A-)
Adv. Orchestra (A/A)</p>

<p>Sophomore
Honors English 3-4 (A/A)
Honors Trigonometry (A/A)
Honors Chemistry (A-/A)
Spanish 3-4 (A/A)
AP European History (A/A)
Chamber Orchestra (A/A)</p>

<p>Junior:
AP English 5-6 (A-/A)
AP Calculus AB (A/A)
AP US History (A/A)
Honors Physics (A/A)
Honors Spanish 5-6 (A/A)
Chamber Orchestra (A/A)</p>

<p>Senior:
AP English 7-8
AP Physics
AP Government (might be taking regular because my schedule might not work out)
Chamber Orchestra
Dual enrollment at a CC for Calc II/Calc III
Hoping to get an engineering internship </p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
Academic Olympics, 3 years (President, 1 year)
Science Bowl, 2 years
Philosophy Club, 3 years (Copresident, 2 years)
National Honor Society
Yoga, 4 years
Aerial Silks, 1 year
Lots of cello activity:
*School orchestra, 4 years (Section leader, 1 year)
*Reno Youth Symphony Orchestra, 4 years (Principal, 1 semester; first desk, 1 year)
*Solo & Ensemble, 6 years (Around 10 Superiors, including solos and various ensembles)
*Went to state for a solo in the S&E program
*Honor Orchestra, 4 years (First desk, 3 years)
*Private lessons, 6 years
*Cofounded the Reno Philharmonic Youth Cello Quartet, which raises money for the Reno Philharmonic by playing for sponsors (A volunteer thing)
*Paid Gigs (Christmas Tableaus, Plays, and hopefully the opera this year)</p>

<p>I'm hoping to get some volunteering/work experience this year too... As for my essays, I'm thinking they'll at least be interesting. I think I'll be writing about either my choice to become vegan or my respect of my father, who is gay. So, chances?</p>

2

<p>You definitely have the academic background to be considered, but the honors program doesn’t really select its candidates based on that alone (even moreso than the UW in general). From what I can tell, they judge more based on your activities and what you say in the essays are extremely important. It’s also important to keep in mind that they consider your entire application, not just the extra honors portion, so write good essays all the way through and you’ll be very competitive.</p>

3

<p>Alright, thank you!</p>

4

<p>I completely agree with compactrunner. You also have ONE recommendation letter to send into for the Honors application (no recommendations for general admissions!). That also carries weight into your application. Make sure the recommender doesn’t give you a general, “This person is a good student and yeah.” type application since the office can see that you do have a very outstanding academic background. Do a bit of research into the Honors program (make sure the recommender is familiar with it as well) and request a recommendation that focuses on what you can bring to the program based on your academic and extra curricular background.</p>

<p>Don’t slack on those essays and you’ll be a competitive applicant for sure.</p>