<p>We encourage all students applying to Texas A&M as freshmen for Fall 2013 to consider applying to the University Honors Program. The University Honors Program provides intellectually-stimulating course work and an engaging community to help you reach your full potential. </p>
<p>Admission to the University Honors Program as a freshman is based on a competitive application process that involves several multiple-choice questions and two essays to gauge students' potential for vision, passion, commitment, willingness to take an intellectual risk, self-awareness, curiosity, and creativity. We believe that these traits position our students to dive into meaningful experience their first year and reflect purposefully on that experience.</p>
<p>Prospective students: please note that you must have completed your TAMU admissions application and received a TAMU NetID and password to apply (we hear that this usually takes 2-3 days from the time you submit your application). Your application will not be considered complete until you have also signed a contract for on-campus housing since residence in the Honors Freshman Learning Community is a program requirement the first year.</p>
<p>Application deadline is December 1, 2012. We encourage interested students to complete their admission application by November 1, 2012 to allow ample time to receive your NetID and password.</p>
<p>If you have questions about the application process after reviewing the material linked above, please call 979-845-1957 or email honors AT tamu DOT edu</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>What are the requirements to join Honors Program for freshman? SAT/ACT, GPA/GPR, etc. is there any scholarship too?..I know that I can find it on the website but please give me a brief explaination. And I will tell my youngest S about this program too. Thanks.</p>
<p>Okla2012 - There isn’t a set threshold for test score and class rank since we put primary emphasis on answers to the application questions. Students who are named National Merit, National Achievement or National Hispanic Scholars have an advantage, but otherwise we plan to use the Honors application score.</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay - We will not be reviewing the ApplyTexas app/essays in our process, just our own. Students do have to be admitted to Texas A&M (and sign a housing contract) to be admitted to the Honors program, so the ApplyTexas app factors in that way.</p>
<p>Thank you both for your interest! Please let me know if you have additional questions.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>Jon, thanks for the info. I have another question. What is the maximum credit to be given for my youngest son since he is in IB program and also has taken higher AP tests like Math, Chem, Physics, etc. He has scored all of those above 5. do you think TAMU will honor the IB programs?..Please advise. Regards.</p>
<p>The caveat is that while the university might award credit for a course, your student’s particular major may not apply that credit to degree requirements, so it is best to consult with an advisor in the program they are entering to see what will count or not.</p>
<p>Also, the link above has out-of-date information about AP credit being eligible for Honors distinction requirements. The new university-level Honors distinction (effective Fall 2012) does not allow outside credit, though some college and departmental Honors tracks might still allow a limited amout of AP or IB credit to satisfy their distinction requirements.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>Jon: Just to make sure I understand, University Honors is separate from departmental honors pathways (such as Engineering Honors), correct? You can be admitted to one or both of them? Thanks. JR</p>
<p>You are correct. The University Honors Program is open to students in any major and has specific distinction requirements. Students may opt to participate in any or all of the Honors tracks available to their major/college.</p>
<p>Some of these college and departmental Honors tracks also have application processes, others do not. The link above has contact information for the respective coordinators.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>Jon, for Honors students admitted under the previous requirements, are they “grandfathered” in? I think under the previous rules, once they had completed 9 hours of Honors credits at A&M, they were considered Honors candidates and from then on would be able to get priority registration. Now they have to take 6 Honors hours per year. So does a student admitted to Honors in 2010 as a freshman, who already has over 9 hours of Honors credits from A&M, always get priority registration even without taking 6 hours per year?</p>
<p>My D has not been able to apply to housing. She has her ID and password, her documents have been processed, and she is an automatic admit, but she can’t apply to housing until she is accepted.</p>
<p>Have all of his documents been processed? And if so, when? My D is auto admit too. I called the local admissions office today. My D applied Aug. 6. Her last document was processed Aug. 26. The gentleman at the admissions office told me it would be a “couple” of weeks after processing - so, I’m guessing we should hear something by around Sept. 18 at the latest?</p>
<p>Students who entered TAMU before Fall 2012 are grandfathered in the sense that the distinctions available to them still include Foundation and University Honors. Students entering Fall 2012 and later only have the new Honors Fellows distinction as an option. These “grandfathered” students that are pursuing Foundation Honors and University Honors had to apply to the University Honors Program last spring in order to be “in” the program as of Fall 2012 and take advantage of resources such as Honors Priority Registration, Honors Course Contracts, etc. Students that did not apply may still complete Foundation and/or University Honors distinction requirements, but do so “outside” of the program, as it were.</p>
<p>So, to directly answer your question, Honors Candidacy is no longer what we look at for assigning Honors Priority Registration, instead we look for membership in the University Honors Program or one of the various college or departmental Honors programs. </p>
<p>Honors Priority Registration is granted to students who are pursuing graduation with Honors distinctions. Honors Candidacy was the previous standard for determining a student’s dedication to this goal, and it was far less precise than acutally asking students to commit to the goal of completing a distinction.</p>
<p>cromette & jbg1204:</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I don’t have any information about when the acceptance notices will go out for automatic admits. I can confirm that the option to apply for housing will not be available until they are accepted.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>JR: Yes, it is possible to do both Honors and the Corps. In fact, we have 16 (5%) fish in Honors and the Corps this year. We have a very short list of exceptions for the requirement to stay in Honors Freshman Housing, and participation in the Corps is one of the items on that list.</p>
<p>Students who do both should be aware that they are adding another layer of complexity to their schedules and should plan accordingly. The Corps does a great job of teaching time-management, though. There has been a learning curve on our end, too, but the Corps is working with us to help make this a good experience for everyone involved. For example, we discovered that the required class meeting for the Honors Freshman Learning Community meant that the Corps fish were missing dinner on Thursday nights at Duncan since it shut down before they got back. Since their meal plans only work at Duncan, we were able to work with the Corps to get reimbursed for these missed meals so they can eat earlier or later at another dining facility on campus.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>It takes a long time to read hundreds of essays and give them all careful consideration. We don’t have a set date, but we are planning to send announcements in March. The wait-list announcements are sent in May after the national decision deadline.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Jon Kotinek
Associate Director
Honors and Undergraduate Research</p>
<p>If ds gets into Honors, he wants to live in the Honors dorm. In fact, I’m not sure A&M stays on the list if he’s not accepted into Honors. Should he wait on housing? I’ve heard it goes quickly. </p>