<p>I am wondering about the honors college at UK and how hard it is to get into it. Also, how would I apply? I am a junior, but I would like to gain some information now. Thanks!</p>
<p>Currently, the Honors Program application is a part of the general and scholarship application that one fills out when applying to the University. Things have changed from last year, when my DD went through the process, and could change again before you are ready to apply, so always check the website for up to date and accurate information.</p>
<p>When she applied, it was very competitive. They seem to have changed the admission process, by adding an early action track. I do not have first hand knowledge of how this will affect Honors Program admission. It appears that UK has realized that some very qualified students were not offered spots, when students who were offered spots decided to attend other schools. Just my thoughts, however. The school does appear to be trying to improve on their ability to offer the Honors Program to as many qualified students as possible. Even though my DD did not get accepted into Honors, she was still able to take an Honors section of a Math class, which she appreciated.</p>
<p>A big advantage of being in Honors is priority registration and getting to know the other students in the program. Although she does not have this, there are many ways to get involved, including Living Learning Programs. She has checked obsessively about a class that she wanted to take next semester but was closed out of, and a spot just appeared 2 days ago in that online class that did not have a wait list. At least for now, the lack of being in Honors has not impacted her ability to get the classes she has wanted to take.</p>
<p>Thank you! @NaperMom </p>
@Napermom was your daughter a National Merit Finalist?
Yes she was. She is now in her second semester and loving UK.
@Napermom thank you for the information. It is good to know that an Honors College rejection did not adversely affect your daughters experience at UK.
My son may be looking at UK. He will likely get NMF if historical scores are a good indication. It sounds crazy that students who are NMF can’t get into the honor college. Do you know the reasoning behind that?
The very nice rejection letter had mentioned the amount of applicants that they had received for the 400 spots. I cannot remember right now the number, but I believe it was between 1800 and 2400 somewhere. Maybe she did not have enough extra curricular activities, or they might not have liked her essays. Maybe they wanted to balance the number of people from specific states or majors. Who knows for sure? With the early action track, they can probably better assess how many spots will go unfilled, and not reject as many NMFs, but just my guess.
I think that not being in the Honors Program is not the end of the world. She did get closed out of a class that she wanted to take next year that is a prerequisite for other classes, one which I think is only offered in the Spring, but we can’t complain with how generous that scholarship is. This will not set her back in her program. That was the one perk that is a big loss for her. She is still loving her time there, even with all of the snow days they have had this year.
She has applied for a position supporting her Major Department next year. Keep your fingers crossed that she gets it. Maybe being closed out of that class is just what is best for her if she will be working her dream job, as she right now has one less class than she had anticipated taking.
Best of luck to her- I’m sure she’ll love it there!