Your Transcript

  • You must have a pdf of your unofficial transcript that you, yourself, will upload into the honors application. This is in addition to the official transcript your high school will need to send to the University for admission and other purposes.
  • It takes time to obtain a copy of your high school transcript so give yourself at least two to three weeks before the application deadline.
  • Your transcript needs to include your senior year classes.
  • Transfer students - we will need your high school transcripts and your college transcripts including what courses are in progress now.

 

 

Your Essay

  • Answer our prompt. When you have finished your essay ask yourself, again, "Have I answered the prompt?"
  • Most applicants have good grades and scores, so your essay is key. We want to know YOUR story and assess your motivation to join a vibrant academic student community. Do not recycle an essay - recycled essays do not do well.
  • Your essay will also be uploaded as a PDF. Draft your essay in your program of choice but then save it as a pdf that you can upload. 
  • If you are not sure how to convert the document into a PDF, search engines are your friend! 

  • Edit for grammar and spelling.

  • Structure your essay in paragraph format to make it easy to read and follow along.

 

 

Your Activities

  • In this section, you have the opportunity to share four (4) of the most meaningful extracurricular activities you were engaged in at some point during ninth grade to the present. 
  • List the name of the actual group, employer, etc. in the first line of the activity, when applicable. We want to see specific organizations or activities you're involved in here. That helps us get to know you much better. It also leaves you more space in the "Participation Details" line to give us your actual position or roles.

  • 4 is the limit. Think carefully about what you would like to highlight. You have had more than four experiences that are meaningful to you, so think about the story you want to tell about yourself to the admissions committee and which engagements fit that characterization.

  • Don't upload a resume as an "additional information" supplement.

  • We highly encourage you to provide a detailed description of those experiences. These descriptions should talk about what about this extracurricular activity was meaningful or important to you. Also note if you had a leadership role, if you won an award, and/or background information about the engagement. 

  • Don't feel limited to just the usual extracurricular activities either. Talk about your employment, time-consuming hobbies, non-traditional volunteering, internships, research, student government, publications, or caregiving responsibilities.

  • Use acronyms and abbreviations carefully. Unless it is obvious, spell it out for us.

 

 

Optionally, you can tell us if you have any extenuating circumstances.

  • Are there any extenuating circumstances that have impacted your time and/or performance in high school that you would like known/considered? Through this optional statement, you can share with us relevant pieces of your history that aren't told through the rest of your application materials.
  • This includes, but is not limited to: health issues that affected grades for a specific period of time, family or community events that negatively affected your academic performance or ability to engage in activities. This doesn't need to be a formal essay - just let us know what's going on. If this part of the application is used to upload a resume or what appears to be a college admissions essay written on a prompt other than what we've requested, that information will be disregarded.