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Scroll through this page to see how the Honors Program fits into your first semester as an incoming student at the University of Iowa.

Honors Orientation and Q&A Webinar

Click here to watch this year's summer webinar for incoming Fall 2024 students. After a brief welcome from honors staff and students, new honors members will learn how the University Honors curriculum challenges and supports them, gain answers to their questions, and begin to envision the course of their journeys in University Honors.

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primetime

Student Online Advising & Registration

Overview
  • Student Online Advising and Registration (SOAR) appointments will take place in the months prior to your first semester at the University of Iowa. Learn more about the SOAR process on the Orientation Services website (https://newstudents.uiowa.edu/academic-advising)  

Preparation for Advising Appointment

During Advising Appointment

  •  Confirm with your academic advisor you have enrolled in honors courses
    • Enroll in an honors first-year seminar or required departmental seminar
    • If not enrolling in Primetime, choose a Bundle (Primetime, HONR:1100 + Intro to Honors, HONR1000)
    • If into enrolling in Primetime, plan to enroll in the 0EXV section of Intro to Honors, HONR:1000:0EXV.
    • Enroll in an honors section of a general education or core major-related course.

Prior to Fall Semester

  • Sign-up for a move-in time. Contact University of Iowa Housing and Dining (housing@uiowa.edu) if you have any questions. 
  • Attend Primetime if you enrolled in a Primetime workshop (see Primetime information below).
  • Plan to attend On Iowa! (https://oniowa.uiowa.edu/). 
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Honors Primetime
  • Honors Primetime is recommended to all first-year honors students as a fun way to learn about the Honors Program and build connections with peers, faculty, and staff before the fall semester begins! This is a perfect way for students to familiarize themselves with campus and Iowa City, make friends, and learn something new in an active learning environment. 
    • Pre-semester workshop runs Monday, Aug 19th to Thursday, Aug 22.
    • Workshops are taught by faculty from across campus who have fascinating interdisciplinary interests. 
    • Students get 1 credit of experiential learning for completion of Primetime.
  • How to Enroll in Honors Primetime
    • Enroll in Primetime during your SOAR appointment.
    • Primetime is bundled with your Intro to Honors course (HONR:1000)
    • Choose a Bundle (Primetime + Intro to Honors) 
      • MyUI > Courses/Registration tab > Course bundles > Honors Students…..Add to your schedule builder.
  • Students who cannot participate in Primetime will need to enroll in the 0EXV Section of HONR:1000 Intro to Honors.

Honors Primetime workshop topics include: 

  • Go Outside and Play: Nature, Cognition, and How to Survive in the Outdoors
  • How Birds Work
  • Paris and the Olympics
  • City of Literature: A Writer's Guide to Iowa
  • Psychology of Food
  • Beautiful Music from Oil Barrels? Learn to Play the National Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago
  • and many more!

All the learning is done during workshop time—no homework! The evenings are free for students to participate in Honors Program social activities. 

  • More information (such as the detailed schedule that includes evening social events) will be communicated by email to UI email accounts throughout the summer. 

Introduction to Honors

  • Every first-year, current UI student (new to honors), and new transfer honors student is expected to take Introduction to Honors in their first semester of the program. 
    • Intro to Honors prepares students to navigate the University Honors curriculum and to understand what it means to be part of Honors at Iowa.
  • Online and asynchronous, Intro to Honors is an engaging way to build community with peers, faculty, and staff on a flexible timeline
    • Students who are involved in Iowa Edge, International Student Orientation, Hawkeye Marching Band, or have any other obligations the week before school starts, will enroll directly in Introduction to Honors HONR:1000.
    • Intro to Honors is added automatically for students enrolled in Honors Primetime HONR:1100
  • Successful completion of the semester curriculum will result in students earning 1 s.h. of honors coursework credit. 

Housing Information

  • Move-in will be Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, August 18. 
    • Sign-up for move-in dates and times will occur in mid-July through University Housing and Dining. 
    • For any questions about move-in, please contact Housing at housing@uiowa.edu.
    • If you are participating in Honors Primetime, you need to be moved into your residence hall before Monday, August 19. 

Transfer Students

We recommend that transfer students joining University Honors explore honors in the major through their individual majors and colleges. Honors contracting is another option particularly suited to transfer students. Students transferring from an honors program at a different college or university may be able to apply previous honors coursework to their University Honors degree audit. Contact honors-program@uiowa.edu early in your program membership to explore this possibility.

Transfer students are encouraged to make an individual appointment for honors advising early in their first semester at Iowa.
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primetime