<p>Does anyone know anything about the honors programs that Penn offers? i.e. When do you apply for them (if you have to apply) and what options are there?</p>
<p>anyone...?</p>
<p>what major? Lots of the so called honours programs/dual degree were right in the application, so guessing you're not thinking about those</p>
<p>Penn has the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program and the University Scholars Program. 100 incoming freshman are invited to join BFS (mostly on academic merit) and around 30 are invited to join the University Scholars (this has more to do with the intellectual creativity you display in your application along with your high school academic record). You can however still apply to these programs while you are a freshman or sophomore at Penn, but they are very selective programs and become increasingly difficult to get into as space fills up. </p>
<p>BFS:
The Benjamin Franklin Scholars (BFS) program exists to encourage the highest level of scholarship from its students. Benjamin Franklin Scholars are asked to experiment and take charge of the totality of their education. The BFS program offers three main avenues to support this active learning: advising, research, and Benjamin Franklin Seminars. Benjamin Franklin Scholars are strongly encouraged to continue their studies after their undergraduate careers come to a close. After graduation, many BFS obtain prestigious grants for independent research and scholarships for graduate study.<a href="http://www.upenn.edu/curf/scholars/scholars_bfs.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.upenn.edu/curf/scholars/scholars_bfs.htm</a></p>
<p>University Scholars:
The University Scholars program promotes the ideal of a community of scholars: a working relationship and exchange of ideas among faculty and students. With a commitment to independence and research, students learn the links between questioning, research, and knowledge, and are thus better prepared to delineate and solve problems. University Scholars are unique in that they want to learn beyond the boundaries of formal course work. The primary concern of the program is to encourage independent intellectual initiative, whether it be undertaken in musty archives or with test tubes, stock market series or microscopes. University Scholars take responsibility for their own higher level of questioning and learning; working closely with their faculty mentors, they not only find the answers to their own intellectual queries, but they also help shape the ongoing research at the University.
<a href="http://www.upenn.edu/curf/scholars/scholars_us.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.upenn.edu/curf/scholars/scholars_us.htm</a></p>
<p>If you were accepted to the Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Program (<a href="http://www.sas.upenn.edu/biochem/vspmls.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.sas.upenn.edu/biochem/vspmls.html</a>) you will receive a separate letter in your acceptance packet.</p>
<p>and then you have the JWS program, which is the BFS version of Wharton, except that you'll be a BFS also to be a JWS (Joseph Wharton Scholars)...JWS requires that you are in BFS, but not vice versa. </p>
<p>BFS requires you take one BFS seminar per year. I personally like the seminars a lot...adds spice to your education. Between JWS and BFS, I've gotten a lot more out of BFS than JWS...also, BFS gives you some great resources (if you know how to use them)...I think BFS advisors are the best advisors across school...so take advantage if you have the chance. :)</p>
<p>there's also the civic scholars program, which is new for the class of 2011.</p>
<p>so yes, for most of these you are selected with acceptance and need do nothing more to apply, though some, like bfs and us, allow applications once you're here.</p>
<p>Woah, excellent information there, thank you everyone! Especially you, snooker1, as these were the two that I had heard of but didn't know much about.</p>
<p>I suppose if I happen to qualify (hmmm) I'll hear when I get my letter. Thanks again!</p>
<p>I got invited into UScholars as a freshman. I seem to remember it coming in a seperate letter from the acceptance package, but I'm not 100% sure. If you're invited into either program, definately join as the advising in particular is of GREAT benefit. Both are pretty hard to join once you're here though, particularly Uscholars, as it requires you to submit a research proposal that is very harshly evaluated. Either one allows you to take BFS courses, though you're only required to take them if you're BFS. In addition, for BFS, it's 4 classes total to graduate with BFS on your transcript, but you can take an additional 4 classes to get a seperate certificate as well (don't really know what purpose it serves, but the classes tend to be very worthwhile while at the same time not being too strenuous).</p>
<p>^ good to know, as I didn't hear about either program in my acceptance packet! I maintain hope :-\ </p>
<p>I did get into the Vagelos Program (not the one you have to apply for -the molecular life sciences one). Does anyone know if these programs are mutually exclusive, i.e. you get into one and you aren't considered for the others?</p>
<p>it's just a recruiting device.</p>
<p>i mean how do you really pick out 30 <em>special</em> students at penn</p>
<p>I got in Early Decision when I applied and am a UScholar (and in fact there are several ED UScholars) so I doubt it's just a recruiting device...I think it has to do with the intellectual creativity you display in your essays, the sort of extra-curricular activities you were involved in, and it would help if you did some sort of research in high-school...Also, once you are nominated you need to write 3 additional essays (they give you the topics) which are then evaluated and if the committee feels those are good enough, you qualify to join.</p>
<p>^ Does anyone remember roughly how long it took until you were notified?</p>
<p>My D is a current Wharton Freshman who was accepted ED. She was invited by mail into BFS the Friday before Penn previews, and received an e-mail the following Monday inviting her into the JWS program.</p>
<p>I was accepted in December, but notified in April. I then had till sometime in the beginning of June to complete the additional essays and I was informed of the final decision about 2 weeks after submitting these.</p>
<p>how difficult is it to get into BFS or JWS once you're actually at penn?</p>