: About UW Honors :

: Apply to Honors :

: Student Resources :

: Faculty Resources :

Freshman Application Instructions

Applying for Autumn 2010

Thank you for your interest in applying to the Honors Program! Here you will find the instructions for Freshman Admission to the UW Honors Program. If you have questions, please consult the Honors Freshman Admissions FAQ before consulting our front desk staff - we greatly appreciate it!

Remember - The Honors Program admission application is included in your UW Admission Application, but has a separate evaluation process with additional required materials. You must complete and submit all of the regular UW Admissions and all of the UW Honors application materials to be considered for the Honors Program.

If applying online

  • To access the Honors admission materials within the online UW admissions application, please answer Yes to the question, "Do you plan also to apply to the Honors Program?" on page 1 of the UW online application. If you fail to check this box, you will not be able to see the Honors Program admission materials.
  • After submitting your UW application, the recommender you list in the Honors portion of the application will receive an e-mail containing a link to our Honors Letter of Recommendation form. After your recommender completes the online form, you will be notified via email that the recommendation has been submitted.

If applying on paper

  • Completely fill out the UW Undergraduate application, including the writing sections.
  • Check the "Honors Program" box on page 1 of the UW Undergraduate Application
  • Complete the Honors Program materials, listed on page 5 of the Freshman Application Instructions.
  • Make a copy of your entire UW Undergraduate Application and writing sections.
  • Send the UW Undergraduate Application, writing sections, and any applicable fees to the UW Admissions Office.
  • Send a copy of your entire UW admission application (with writing sections and Honors materials) directly to the Honors Program Office. The Honors office is seperate from UW Admissions Office - if you accidentally send your Honors materials to UW Admissions, there is no guarantee that they will be forwarded to the Honors office!

General Information

  • Look over the 2010 Honors Essay prompts and write your Honors essay before completing the online application.
  • Your Honors Program application will not be reviewed until you have submitted all necessary Honors materials and have been admitted to the UW.
  • You cannot check your Honors Program admission status on your MyUW page. You will receive your Honors admission decision from us directly.
  • Admission to the UW Honors Program is highly competitive. Last year, we received more than 2,700 applications for 230 spaces.

What NOT to send to the Honors Program

  • Do not send SAT or ACT scores to Honors - please send them to UW Admissions.
  • Do not send your high school transcripts to Honors unless you meet the criteria on page 4 of the UW Freshman Application instructions.
  • Do not send any supplemental materials (news articles, resumes, slides, etc.) - these will be discarded upon receipt.
  • Do not send additional recommendations - the first letter we receive will be attached and filed with your application, and all others will be discarded upon receipt.

Deadlines

  • December 1, 2009 - Scholarship Priority Deadline
  • January 15, 2010 - Final Deadline
  • April 15th, 2010 - UW Honors Notification Deadline

The Honors application must include one letter of recommendation. A statement regarding your qualifications for honors work at the college level should be made by the person-teacher, counselor, faculty member, principal-in the best position to make such an evaluation.

Online

If you are applying online, the recommender you list in the Honors portion of the application will receive an e-mail containing a link to our Honors Letter of Recommendation form. After your recommender completes the online form, you will be notified via email that the recommendation has been submitted. If you need to change your recommender after submitting your application, you must use the online recommendation system to do so. Your new recommender will then receive an email with instructions on how to submit their recommendation.

On Paper

If your recommender will not be using the online submission system, the Letter of Recommendation must be:

  • printed on school/company letterhead
  • contain your full legal name and date of birth
  • be sent directly to the Honors Program office

Please note that we will only accept ONE letter of recommendation per student - extras will be discarded upon receipt. We will not review your application without a Letter of Recommendation - it is your responsibility to ensure that your recommender has submitted his/her letter.

The cornerstone of the Honors application is the Honors Short Essay Section. In this section Honors Program applicants are required to submit two short essays (one mandatory, one of your choosing), which are separate from the Writing Section of the UW application. Your responses will be evaluated on content as well as form (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).

Your essays should be original, thoughtful, and concise. Do not repeat a previous essay or materials found on the UW Honors Program web site. Draw on your best qualities as a writer and thinker; academic risk-taking is a core value of the Honors Program, so take some risks and have fun. Tell us who you are and how your story is unique. Work on the essays early, remembering that concise and eloquent writing is both difficult and powerful. Have someone edit them but don't let an editor erase your unique voice.

Essay Prompts

All applicants must answer Essay Prompt 1 and then must answer either Essay Prompt 2a or 2b, using no more than 300 words per response:

  1. "Good citizenship comes from good scholarship." What does this statement mean to you?
    1. As an Honors student you'll be asked to participate in two of the four following experiential learning areas: international engagement, service learning, research, and leadership. Please outline the kind of project within one of these areas that you might consider pursuing and explain how such a project would fit into your broader academic vision.
    2. What do you wonder about, ponder, or wish you knew more about that isn't within your intended field of study? Would you ever be willing to put all else on hold to satisfy your curiosity?

Tips for the Honors Essay

  • Read the essay prompts carefully and respond to the question directly.
  • If you are applying online, write, edit, and proofread your essay in a separate word-processing program before you are ready to complete the application.
  • Remember your audience. The UW is a large and diverse public institution. The people evaluating your application may not have the same political, moral, or religious beliefs you do. This is acceptable and desired in the academic world. Consider this as you frame your essay.
  • PROOFREAD! The UW uses a holistic application review process, as do we - your writing ability is no less important than your grades and scores.
  • Finally, have fun! This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to us. Let us see who you are and what makes you tick. Demonstrate what qualities you would contribute to the Honors Program. Be creative!

Please send paper application materials directly to the Honors Program office:

University Honors Program
211 Mary Gates Hall
Box 352800
Seattle, WA 98195-2800

If you can check off all of the items on the list below - congratulations, your application is complete! You will receive a confirmation email from us once we process all of your materials. If you have not heard from us, please give us time to process our mail - is is not uncommon for the Honors office to be flooded with hundreds of letters and applications per day during UW admission season. Thank you for your patience!

  • I have submitted one copy of my entire UW Freshman Application directly to the Honors office, including the Writing Section (if applying online, the Honors office will automatically receive this)
  • With the copy of my application, I included my responses to the Honors Essay prompts (if applying online, the Honors office will automatically receive these)
  • My recommender has submitted one letter of recommendation either:
    • Online - Through our online recommendation system, which you may verify by logging into your application account page (Regular Freshman or International Freshman).
    • By Mail - Directly to the Honors Program office, printed on school/company letterhead, including my full legal name and date of birth.
  • I have submitted copies of any necessary transcripts directly to the Honors office (very few students require this - see page 4 of the UW instructions).
  • My application was postmarked on or before January 15th, 2010.