<p>Just got my acceptance latter today. Anybody else? </p>
<p>Also, does anybody know how selective this actually is or know any other info about the program?</p>
<p>So I can respond to you in two places today!</p>
<p>My son is in Honors in L&S at UW. I like how Honors is done at UW because the assumption is that everyone accepted to the University is capable of doing Honors level work, so everyone is invited to apply. The students who get around to applying are more likely to be the ones who are intellectually engaged in their coursework. Honors program is a not a separate college etc. at UW – rather, it is a vehicle within UW to do more intensive investigation. I don’t know how “hard” it is to be accepted into Honors. My son wrote the essays, and I thought they were intriguing responses, but hey, he is my son so what do I know. Honors is as much (or as little) as you want it to be at UW. He is doing the coursework so far, as a freshman, to stay on track for Honors in L&S. He gets Honors advisors at summer registration as a freshman, and now, as a second semester freshman. He gets access to some extra research and other funding, and some other bells and whistles. He reported that his foreign language, Honors optional class, was fine, not a lot of extra work for the Honors component. He is taking an Honors section this semester, in an area of interest, and he says it is HARD p-- extra papers, etc, but worth it – has discussion section led by a favorite prof.</p>
<p>As a parent, I would say, if you are seriously considering UW, it is a terrific program. However, it does not, like at some flagships, create a school within a school environment. There are not Honors dorms, etc. But it does open up some incredible opportunities. </p>
<p>Good luck in your decision-making process!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about selectivity. Use it to further your education. It is for getting more out of college, as much or as little as appeals to you. Tailor it to your strengths. You do not need to take every course you can for Honors, I know I took regular German and did the rest of my 17 credits for honors as a freshman- plenty of work without adding to my load. Eons ago they did not have as much support and extras as they do now (computers make a difference) but the basic format has remained unchanged in 40 years- shows how they hit on a successful formula. btw- the Honors program was begun in the 1950’s in response to students’ requests (there was an alumni magazine article in the past about this). I learned of recent Honors Program courses when son was at UW. Many of the same Honors course numbers are still in use since my day- content updated, of course!</p>
<p>The students who choose Honors courses want to do more work, get more out of a class. Of course each course can vary in its worth- some are fantastic, others not much more than regular (can’t complain about the H on your transcript, however). It is something most around you may not be aware of- you do it for you, not for prestige. You do not get separated from the rest of the campus- a good thing. Honors students are as diverse as the rest of the student body- an Honors Chemistry major and an Honors English Lit major have more in common with their fellow majors than with each other. Thank goodness there are no watered down Honors survey courses or a specified curriculum that limits the other courses you can take. I have read other schools’ descriptions of their Honors Colleges and much prefer UW’s approach.</p>
<p>You will learn more once you are on campus. There is flexibility- no minimum course requirements each semester, for example. Of course, to get an Honors degree you will need to take enough courses for Honors credit (and you need at least a B in the course- I remember my only C in a certain Chemistry course junior year…). Enjoy the advantages of an Honors advisor at SOAR and take it from there.</p>
<p>Do you have any insight as to how students are chosen for the program? I know that this is no excuse, but I’d completely forgotten about the application until last night, the night of the deadline (I’d gotten the original email about it awhile ago but decided to put it off). Anyway, I didn’t have the time to put much thought into my answers to the questions, so they are extremely unoriginal and not of the best writing quality. So, is the honors application itself the most important thing considered, or is a lot of weight still put on my GPA/test scores/things on my original college application?</p>
<p>Midwestgirl – no insight, sorry, about selection process. You might consider a follow up email to Honors office, expressing interest in the program and acknowledging that you didn’t have opportunity to focus on you Honors app as much as you hoped. </p>
<p>For what it is worth, we felt my son was lucky to be admitted to UW (29 ACT, 3.5 unweighted, OOS) but was then accepted into L&S Honors so our guess was that his Honors app was viewed somewhat more independently from his admissions app. But seriously, that is just our uninformed guess. Even watching these boards like a hawk for almost 2 years, I don’t have a sense of how many students apply to L&S Honors or how difficult it is to be accepted into Honors. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If things don’t work out for your first semester you can always reapply another semester and also try to get into the Honors courses you want next fall (Honors program students get priority for H courses). A major requirement is to want to be in it- show your interest.</p>
<p>When did you apply? I applied on my February 15 deadline and haven’t heard yet.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Would anyone be able to tell me how to apply to the L&S Honors Program? I was admitted to the University yesterday (ecstatic right now!), but I am clueless regarding the Honors Program app. Do I have to <em>confirm</em> my enrollment in order to get access to it? Also, how many/what kind of essays are you asked to write? There aren’t any interviews, are there (as an international student, it would be a bit of a hassle for me if there were)?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Rocks – the Honors invitation comes by email after the notice of acceptance to UW, with a link for your on-line application. Last year, there were 3 essays plus some forms to fill out, no interview.</p>
<p>Congrats!</p>