Honors Program

Frequently Asked Questions

 

There are eight honors courses in the curriculum; five are required and the other three are for those who need the credit in world literature, history and science for their core curriculum requirements. The honors classes are spread out over your four years of undergraduate study. That means you would average one honors class per semester.  One of those courses, your senior honors project conducted in your major, is scheduled for the fall semester of your senior year. You will be well-prepared for managing your project due to faculty mentoring that will start no later than your junior year.

An honors class will use the program’s theme, “What does it mean to be human?,” as a unique lens through which the various topics will be examined. For example, the world literature course looks at the human struggle and the role of the oppressed and the oppressor in various scenarios. Generally, you will find that honors classes tend to be more interdisciplinary in nature and are more interactive. In addition, the assignments in an honors class will require a deeper level of critical thinking. There won’t be more assignments; the challenge is in the type of assignments you will receive.

Absolutely. Simply contact the Director of the Honors Program at 210-832-3211 or at jloden@uiwtx.edu in order to find out when the classes meet and how you can sit in.

There is no additional scholarship money at this time for admittance to the honors program. However, the Honors Program supports its students with the extra experiences. For example, we will pay your way to participate in a social justice trip during your undergraduate years, for your attendance at specified workshops such as graduate school preparation and leadership development and to professional performances such as the symphony, ballet, theater or opera.

Yes! Honors students qualify for priority registration for their next semester schedule. That means that freshmen register for their classes with the seniors, making their chances near 100% for obtaining their ideal schedule. Now that's a benefit. The Honors Program Director also works with Residence Life to ensure that all honors students requesting on-campus housing beyond their freshman year receive it. In addition, honors students form their own little family that supports each other in every imaginable way: socially, emotionally and academically. Study groups, weekly movie nights, intramurals, and interesting discussions on hot topics are all part of the honors lifestyle. What's next is up to you!

UIW wants to give its brightest students an opportunity to make the most of their college experience. If a college is like a big swimming pool, our honors program is the opportunity to swim in the deep end. You don’t have to be there all the time, but you should not miss it.  The UIW Honors Program offers a series of small classes or seminars, taught by the dedicated faculty at the college, limited to the students with superior academic abilities, and emphasizing class discussions rather than lectures.

More than a thousand colleges have established Honors programs precisely because good students do better in them! Without a peer group that values academic excellence, social life can easily become more important than studying. Talented students can be bored in normal classes and coast through or put off simple assignments (just as they did in high school). Unfortunately, students who avoid challenges and try to take the easy way out often face severe shocks in college (it’s not grade 13!) and graduate with mediocre academic records.  If you want to go to graduate school, you will want to show the best you can be with your undergraduate record.

Certainly, and you will meet many other students doing the same. One third of our students participate in varsity sports. Most honors students are able to participate successfully in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and still maintain a balance with their academic work.

Yes, it will speak volumes about your abilities and aspirations. Students in Honors programs are widely recognized as being the best students at a college, having both superior academic ability and the motivation to make the most of their college experience. Consider what an American college degree means to the general public. Because there are more than 3000 colleges and universities in the United States, most people have no way of evaluating the quality of colleges in their local area. But people do know that if you join an Honors Program, you are obviously a superior student who is clearly committed to getting the best education-the best courses and professors-available to you.

Application instructions and forms are available on this web site and may be submitted online or through the regular postal service. The student must submit an essay and a teacher recommendation.  Selected applicants interview with the Honors Council as part of the final application process.  Once the interviews are completed, the Honors Council makes its final decisions and offers invitations to the chosen applicants. 

Not necessarily. We are looking for bright, motivated people who want to make a positive difference in the world. If your academic achievement is close to our target scores and you believe that 1) you have the capability and the desire to excel in the classroom and 2) this program matches your interests and meets your needs, then go ahead and apply to the program. 

See the answer to the question above.