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Honors College Essay: Tips, Prompt Examples and How to Write

Writing honors college essay

An honors college essay is an academic paper that students typically complete to establish entrance into an honors college, program, or division. An honors paper seeks to test students’ research skills and focus their analytical abilities on a subject of academic interest.

Due to the specialized focus of the paper, students benefit from serious attention to the college essay topics, which are vital in developing the essay.

An Honors College essay is unique in terms of its requirements, structure, and background. The purpose of this article is to provide advice on writing and structuring an Honors College essay.

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Which Universities do Ask for Honors College Essay

1. uci (university of california irvine) .

The UCI has two programs, the Academic Honors Program and the Honors Program. Both are popular with many members. They are not mutually exclusive, but they have different requirements and different goals.

The Academic Honors Program is for students who want to get recognized by their professors for academic achievement. It does not require an essay but several letters of recommendation from faculty members.

You should not apply to either program if you are only interested in one or the other because there is no guarantee that either program will accept your application or that you will gain acceptance into either program.

2. VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University)

The applicants must complete the 500-word Essay on Honors. The essay should address the following topics:

Your interests and goals, especially as they pertain to your intended major(s) and career path(s). How do you feel about being a lifelong learner?
Your ideas about leadership, including h
How you would define leadership, what your leadership style is, how you would use your abilities as a leader to positively impact your community in and out of college, and how you would lead if given the opportunity.

3. NJT (New Jersey Institute of Technology)

NJT requires you to write an essay and submit it along with your application.

These honors college essays usually focus on your intellectual interests and experiences, using specific examples to illustrate your points. It’s essential to select an area you are interested in and know about.

You should also pick something that you can write about easily; it will be evident if you are writing a research paper or other academic work instead of an honors college essay, so don’t try to fake it!

4. Purdue University

Purdue University’s Honors College focuses on scholarship, leadership, research, and engagement by integrating residential and co-curricular learning opportunities with academic classroom experiences.

Your college application essay needs to breathe life into your application. It should capture your genuine personality, explaining who you are beyond a series of grades, test scores, and after-school activities.

Take a minute and think about the college or university admission officers who will be reading your essay.

5. Stony Brook University

The Stony Brook Honors College provides an exceptional opportunity for students who want to pursue a challenging course of study in the company of talented peers. Your essay should be no longer than three double-spaced pages and should address certain questions.

It is an opportunity to explain an event that took place on any day in history; what would that event be? Discuss why you chose this particular day. Also, as this question, what do you hope to learn/experience by being present?

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How to Write a Good Honors College Essay

Honors college essays follow a formal style with a clear structure. To get your honors college essay, follow these tips:

Think about the prompt and what you want to say.
Brainstorm.
Organize your thoughts into a logical outline.
Write your introduction.
End with a conclusion that sums up the main points of your argument and connects those points back to the prompt.

Technically, the honors college essay can be a five-paragraph essay, but it should be more than that.

It should be closer to a 10-paragraph essay, with an introduction and conclusion paragraph that are each about four or five sentences long.

The introduction and conclusion paragraphs should be about the same size. The middle of the essay should be about three paragraphs long, and each of them should be about four to five sentences long.

1. Introduction

The introduction should have a hook which is a catchy sentence or two that gets the reader interested in reading your essay. Furthermore, it should have an explanation of why you want to go to Honors College: This is usually possible in one sentence.

Also, there should be a thesis statement. This is usually evident in one sentence at the end of the paragraph. The thesis statement tells the reader what you plan to write about in your essay. For example: “I want to attend honors college because of their strong pre-med program.”

Write the body of your paper using transition words to connect your ideas and explain the connections between them.

The middle paragraphs should include an explanation of why you have chosen your career path and why you are interested.

3. Conclusion

End with a strong conclusion that ties together everything you discussed within your paper, providing important takeaways for readers as well as leaving them feeling satisfied with what they just read.

Takeaways

You are writing an essay, not a text message. In other words, please use complete sentences and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. If proper English is not your strong suit, enlist someone proficient at it to help edit your essay.
Be specific about what you want to study and why. Do not just say that you want an education; tell the reader what kind of education you want and why. This is particularly important if you plan to study something that you did not find at your high school.
The readers do not expect you to know everything about the field you plan to enter. They expect that you give serious consideration to it and explain why you want to pursue it beyond the fact that “it sounds interesting” or “it pays well.”
Proofread your essays before sending them in. Errors will distract from whatever else is in those essays and may give us a negative impression of your abilities.

Things to Remember about Honor Essays

The honors essay is one of your best chances to stand out in a meaningful way from other applicants, so be sure to invest time in crafting a great response.

The admission office is looking for the following:

The office wants to know that you understand what makes the honors program special. We have a diverse group of students and faculty who are passionate about learning and interacting across disciplines.
What do you think this will mean for you? How will you take advantage of being in an environment that values interdisciplinary thinking?
Your accomplishments. Let the audience know your talents. Have you excelled academically? What leadership roles have you taken on, or awards have you won? They want to discover what drives your passion for learning, leadership, and service.
Your plans for the future. The honors program will prepare you for success beyond your skills, whether that’s graduate school or medical school, or a career in a completely different field.

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Examples of Honors College Essay Topics

Considering your lifetime goals, explain how your present and future academic activities will assist you in achieving your goals.
Settle for an issue of importance to you, whether it is political, personal, local, or international related. Then, craft an essay to explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your community, and your generation.

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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Albert Dorman Honors College

Tips for Writing an Honors College Essay

Writing an Honors College Essay (Max. 400 words)

A college essay is a chance for you to tell us what all your records cannot: who you really are, how you think, and how well you write. It is not an invitation to tell a story, write a novel, or write about other people's experiences. The main point of your essay is to tell us what you have to offer and how you will take advantage of what we have to offer .

Write an essay that addresses the topic specified on the application form. A general essay about yourself or an experience you had is not acceptable.
Do not write your essay as if it were a novel. "The baby cried until it had to be comforted by its mother;" "I could not believe as I walked into my first class that this was the beginning of my engineering career." These tell us nothing about yourself. Regardless of what you may have been told in school, write a straightforward descriptive essay that directly addresses the question asked.
Avoid clichéd, generic, and predictable writing, such as "I want to help people." This is particularly applicable to essays for accelerated program candidates.
Do not quote our own description of our program. We know what we have to offer; we are interested in knowing what you have to offer and how you will use what we offer . Tell us about your interests and why the Albert Dorman Honors College is the right place for you.

Tips for Applying

Honors essay prompt tips.

Honors Essays should add additional information to your UW application – don’t repeat what you’ve already written in your general UW essays. Remember that Honors admissions reviews your entire UW application as part of the holistic review process.
Read the prompts carefully and try your best to respond to the whole question.
Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear! When students do this, they often end up repeating what we’ve said on our website. We want to learn about you and your individual interests – don’t be afraid to be different!
Use the space wisely! Take the time to learn about our program, then answer the prompt with our curriculum in mind.
Our essay prompt should not be a list your accomplishments or past achievements
Reflection is a core value and component of our curriculum and we are looking for evidence of self reflection in your essays. Reflection can happen in many different ways, but a helpful place to start is to ask more questions that help you dig deeper into the initial prompt. Below we list some additional questions that you may want to consider.

Interdisciplinary Honors 2024 Essay

We want to understand your desire to learn new things and to push your education outside of the areas of learning that you are most familiar with.

Tell us why this type of learning interests you and which subjects you’re excited to explore in college.

We hope to see students demonstrate that they have done their research and that they understand the program that they are applying for. We want to see evidence of how their values and goals align with those of the UW Honors Program and why they are enthusiastic about joining this community. Here are some questions that may help you reflect more deeply on why you want to be a part of the Interdisciplinary Honors community:

In your own words, what do you like about learning and pushing yourself outside your learning comfort zone?
How does interdisciplinary learning enhance your understanding of the world?
How do you hope to engage with what UW Honors offers to further your education and personal growth?
How do you individually connect with the goals and values of the UW Honors Program and why are they important to you?
Why does interdisciplinary learning matter to you personally? Why does it matter for our broader world?
What have you done in the past that supports what you tell us in your essay? Don’t focus entirely on past experiences, but providing evidence to back up claims you make strengthens your essay.
Why are you applying for Interdisciplinary Honors (as opposed to only pursuing Departmental Honors through your major)? If you plan to pursue both Honors pathways, explain what you hope to uniquely gain from pursuing a degree with Interdisciplinary Honors.
Why is community important to you, and who do you hope to meet in the Interdisciplinary Honors community?

Read our First-year Overview

Read our admissions FAQs

FROM THE DIRECTOR

As we enter a new freshman admissions season, the Director of Honors invites students and the communities around them to learn more about the UW Honors curriculum.

Connect with UW Honors:

Mary Gates Hall 211, Box 352800 Seattle, WA 98195-2800 Contact Us Office Hours: Open by appointment only during Summer 2024, as the Honors staff is available online.

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Clark honors college menu, clark honors college, essay tips & prompt, the clark honors college essay requirements for admission .

Applying to the Clark Honors College requires two different essays:

One using the Honors College prompt
One from either the Oregon Application Personal Statement or the Common Application*

The UO general essay topic cannot be used to fulfill the Clark Honors College essay. You must complete both of them.

(*Note: On the Common Application, the Honors College essay prompt will appear immediately below the honors question on your screen when you answer “yes” to apply.)

Clark Honors College essay instructions:

The Honors College strives to be a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive place. When faculty and staff review the applications, they are looking to see how you think and how your mind works. The best essays:

demonstrate effective storytelling
include thoughtful analysis
synthesize themes in a meaningful way
give a sense of your personality and unique perspective

The CHC essay prompt:

Curiosity and breadth of interests are defining characteristics of Clark Honors College students. We value originality and want to learn more about your unique journey and the nature and breadth of your intellectual curiosity.

Please tell us about a specific enthusiasm that showcases your curiosity and intellectual engagement with the world. Your chosen enthusiasm or passion can be from any domain—academic, artistic, scientific, cultural, or any other area that has captivated your interest. Be thoughtful and provide concrete examples to support your response.

Please limit your response to a maximum of 500 words.

How to Write a Winning Honors College Essay?

Post by: Professor Conquer
Last updated on: July 18, 2023

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You may have an ambitious and excellent high school academic record and plan to apply to an honors program, college, or division. In that case, you’ll need to craft a compelling honors college essay, an academic paper that must be completed when you’re applying to universities. This paper aims to test students’ analytical abilities and research skills. Keep reading as we explain how to write a winning honors college essay.

What is the Purpose of an Honors College Essay?

The entire purpose of an honors college essay is for students to showcase their views and plans for their future careers, personal needs and interest, ambition, and, more generally, their uniqueness. Honor colleges value individuals who strive to do their best, instilling pride due to the hard work they carry out for their education in earnest.

Since the paper focuses on a subject of your academic interest, you should pay attention to the honors college essay prompts that are essential to developing your essay. Every honors college essay has its own background, structure, and requirements.

How to Write a Winning Honors College Essay? Step-by-Step Guide

One thing that most students struggle with during the honors college application process is the essay. Fear not, because in this section, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to write an honors college essay :

You’re probably wondering how many words should a college essay be? Typically, this essay is about five paragraphs long, but it is recommended to make it a little longer for the honors one. Some honors colleges require a 500-1000 words essay, such as University of Nevada, while others limit the word count to no more than 250 words.

Aim for a 10-paragraph essay, including both conclusion and introduction paragraphs around five to four sentences long. Keeping the conclusion and introduction paragraphs roughly the same size is in your best interest. In contrast, the essay’s main body should be three paragraphs long, with every paragraph integrating five to four sentences.

Introduction

When it comes to the introduction, it should catch the reader’s attention immediately with a hook. Start your honors college essay with a catchy sentence or two that keeps the reader invested and explains why you want to attend the specific honors college.

Additionally, you must include a thesis statement at the paragraph’s end that entails your essay’s topic. For instance, you can write, “I want to attend honors college because of their strong engineering program.”

The best body paragraph for an honors essay is typically achieved by using transition words to connect your ideas and relate them to each other. Your middle paragraphs should throw light on why you are interested in a specific career path and why you chose it.

Remember to finish strong, tying everything together that has been discussed within the paper. Provide all the essential takeaways for readers while leaving them satisfied with what they’ve just read.

3 Tips to Showcase Your Unique Experiences in an Honors College Essay

Let’s take a look at some honors college essay tips on how you can convey both your personality and unique experiences compactly:

Tell a Story

Like any good story, your honors college essay should follow a narrative arc. Rather than listing your achievements, talk about the experiences that shaped you; you should account for instances that capture your reader’s attention no matter the topic.

Suppose you’re a first-generation student. In that case, you can begin by detailing a moment that made you realize you would be the first family member to attend college, and that, too an honors program! Narrate events along your journey, such as challenges you’ve faced and overcame them, encouragement from your teachers or parents, how you reached your current position, and how excited you are about your upcoming life chapter.

This way is much more effective than generally stating that you’re a first-generation student and listing the reasons for attending college .

Include Action-Oriented Words

Forgo the habit of using soft adjectives and integrate action verbs like ‘facilitated,’ ‘implemented,’ and more. These words hold much more power, demonstrating that you’re someone who does and makes things happen. Action-oriented words are an excellent way to showcase control of your achievements, highlighting your ability to make opportunities occur rather than having them fall into your lap.

For example, don’t say you were the student council president and tackled issues on the student body’s behalf. Instead, phrase it as: “I raised awareness on Y issue and set a procedure in motion to handle complaints.”

Provide Details and Examples

There’s nothing like examples to cement the understanding of your accomplishments and show admission officers how you’ve had an influence concretely. Additionally, they help provide context, especially if you incorporate numerical values and data that quantify your achievements.

To provide you with a reference, we will provide some tidbits from successful honors college essay examples to help you apply similar essay concepts.

Example : “Provided homework and study help to underprivileged kids. I studied with one girl until her Cs became As. I love being the “go-to” mentor.”

In this example, the applicant tells us about his tutoring impact and doesn’t just state that he has been a tutor. He has also shown how it impacted both him and his student.

Example: “I have been studying piano and performing in recitals since kindergarten. I’m currently working on Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F minor from Opus 2.”

The above entry highlights how the applicant has progressed with her work, especially due to the mention of the difficult piece she’s trying to master.

Examples help bring your experiences to life, pointing to the ways they’ve helped you grow while also adding both quantity and quality to your accomplishments.

Examples of Honors College Essay Prompts and How to Answer Them

It’s now time to consider some honors college essay prompts and the most effective ways of answering them:

Your interests and goals, especially as they pertain to your intended major(s) and career path(s). How do you feel about being a lifelong learner?
Settle for an issue of importance to you, whether it is political, personal, local, or international related. Then, craft an essay to explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your community, and your generation

In order to write captivating honors college essays for prompts like the ones mentioned above, it would be best if you:

Think about the theme or topic and what you wish to say
Make an outline so your thoughts are organized
Write a rough introduction
Include a conclusion that sums up your argument’s main points and connects them to the prompt

7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing an Honors College Essay

Here’s what you shouldn’t do when writing an honors college essay:

1. Remember that college admissions teams expect you to write an essay, not a text message. We recommend using complete sentences with proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If you’re not proficient in English, ask someone who is to help you edit your essay.

2. You should be specific regarding what you wish to study and why. Don’t just state that you want an education. Tell readers the type of education you want to avail, especially if you’re applying to a program that doesn’t exist at your high school.

3. Proofread, proofread, proofread! If you don’t, the errors in your essay will take away from its crucial aspects and might give a negative impression of your capabilities.

4. Don’t write an essay like it’s a novel . For example, “The little boy cried until it was comforted by its father,” or “I could not believe my eyes when I walked into my first class that started my engineering career.” don’t tell anything about you. Contrary to what you’ve been told in school, it’s recommended to write a straightforward, detailed essay that addresses the questions asked.

5. Don’t quote a college’s description of the relevant program you’re applying to. Universities know what they have to offer and want to know what you have to offer. They’re also curious about how you will contribute your skills and achievements to their community. Tell them about your interests and why their honors college is the right fit for you.

6. Avoid predictable, cliched, and generic writing like, “I like to help people.” This is particularly for accelerated program candidates who have to write honors essays.

7. Don’t write a vague thesis statement. Additionally, your thesis statement should be backed by facts. Ask yourself why your claim is valid and how you can convey this thoroughly yet briefly to the reader. It would be best if you also focused more on evidence than your opinions and ideas to support your thesis statement.

Wrapping Things Up: How to Write a Winning Honors College Essay?

Don’t be alarmed if the first draft of your honors college essay isn’t up to par; everyone writes an academic essay that crashes at times. Sure, it can be hurtful and affect your confidence, but revisions are unavoidable and help improve your essay significantly . Go through our step-by-step guide and the tips mentioned above to ensure that you write a winning honors college essay by the time admission deadlines loom over you.

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Professor Conquer started Conquer Your Exam in 2018 to help students feel more confident and better prepared for their tough tests. Prof excelled in high school, graduating top of his class and receiving admissions into several Ivy League and top 15 schools. He has helped many students through the years tutoring and mentoring K-12, consulting seniors through the college admissions process, and writing extensive how-to guides for school.

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Essay Guide

Essay: In 500 to 600 words, write about one of the topics below.*

*An essay can tell us things about you beyond your academic background of grades, test scores, and courses taken in high school and/or college. Please consider this when choosing your essay prompt.

1) “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

Write about an experience or social/political issue that has piqued your curiosity. What questions has this subject inspired you to answer? What actions have you taken to become more knowledgeable about the subject? What strategies have you used to address answers that you find unsatisfying?

2) Writing, painting, performing, debating, and designing solutions to complex equations are only a few of the media through which people convey their thoughts, emotions, and aspirations. How do you express the inner workings of your mind to the larger world? How does the world around you respond?

Tips for Completing Your Honors Essay

Length: Approximately 500 to 600 words
Your essay will be assessed on content as well as form (spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure). Take care when writing your essay; be sure to edit and proofread before you submit. It is an important element of your application to Honors.
Make sure that you have actually answered the essay question. Your essay will be evaluated on your ability to express your thoughts clearly and think creatively and critically. Write your essay in a word processing program (e.g. Microsoft Word) and save it as a PDF document to submit as part of the Honors application.
Eligibility
Presidential Endowed Scholarships

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example

What’s Covered:

National honor society: four pillars and essay, five tips for writing your nhs essay, nhs essay example, time well spent.

What do former first lady Michelle Obama, actor Chadwick Boseman, singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. have in common? They were all members of the National Honor Society (NHS).

As you apply for membership in this national organization, remember NHS membership is based on meeting criteria in four areas that the NHS calls its four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character .

Scholarship

The first pillar, scholarship , requires that a student earns a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. Many high schools set a higher GPA bar for their school’s chapter. If you meet your school’s academic requirement, congratulations, you’ve passed the first hurdle.

Now it’s important that you carefully complete the application and write a compelling essay. Most high schools require students to write a 300-500 word essay that showcases their commitment and accomplishments in the other three pillars.

Service refers to the contributions you make to your school and or community on a volunteer basis, without receiving any compensation. For your most significant service activities, be sure to explain why you choose to support certain organizations and why you chose specific roles.

Showcase your leadership in your school and or community while working with or for others. Remember, stating that you are the captain of a team, president of a club, or supervisor of a shift does not prove that you are a leader. A leader makes things happen, sets a good example, and inspires others to give their personal best. Clearly state why you were selected to hold a leadership position and how you effectively lead. There are many successful leadership styles. Communicate your unique brand of leadership.

Character is how you conduct yourself with high standards of honesty, reliability, and respect for others. Many attributes define good character, and they all reflect a personal commitment to ethical and compassionate interactions with others as well as how you treat yourself. Results are only part of the story. How you achieved them is critically important to communicate.

Think about how many NHS applications your school counselor reviews each year. Not every student who completes an application is selected for the honor. So how do you make your essay stand out? Here are five strategies:

1. Make it Personal and Individual

Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life. A compelling essay enables the reader to feel a strong connection to you. Express your unique values, aspirations, and priorities. State the motivation behind your choices and the trade-offs you’ve made. Be honest about challenges and what you have learned through your mistakes. And be sure the tone of the essay sounds like you and nobody else.

2. Share Your Stories

People love to hear and remember stories, not simply facts and figures. Express themes and points that you want to share by relaying stories that bring these concepts to life. Stories can be poignant, funny, suspenseful, or surprising. Any approach that makes a reader want to continue reading is a great one.

3. Be Humble and Bold

Many students find it hard to express their hard-earned accomplishments without sounding boastful. Proudly stating your achievements without sounding brash is possible and important. Clearly state your motivations, your challenges, your vulnerabilities, and your mistakes to mitigate any concerns.

4. Follow Tried and True Essay Guidelines

Channel all the advice you’ve received over the years about how to write a great essay. Do you have a clear thesis around which you have organized your thoughts? Compelling topic sentences to hook your reader? Strong supporting sentences to back up your reasoning? Have you avoided clichés? Do you vary your sentence structure and word choice? Does the text flow and keep the reader engaged? Last, but not least, have you checked and double-checked your grammar, punctuation, and spelling?

5. Draft, Edit, Edit, Edit, Polish

Writing is an iterative process so give yourself the time necessary to land on the best approach for explaining why you are deserving of the NHS honor. There are many ways to tackle an essay. Try a few to determine which is the most effective. Then, when you determine the best approach and are satisfied with your latest draft, share it with someone whose opinion you value.

Looking for someone to read over your essay? Check out Collegevine’s free essay help ! Our peer review system will help you get feedback from other students so that you can improve your NHS essay and college essays.

While there is not a single template for a strong essay, here is an example of an NHS essay written by an 11th-grade student who was accepted into NHS.

Success is not only about improving yourself, but also about improving life for others. While my GPA shows my commitment to academics, how I spend my time and conduct myself outside of school reveal my commitment to making the world a better place, consistent with the values of the National Honor Society.

For the two years my grandfather lived in a nursing home, each weekend I took my dog EJ to visit him. I witnessed first-hand the healing power of animals as EJ lifted his and the other residents’ spirits. Because of this experience and because monkeys are my favorite animal, when I heard about Helping Hands (HH), the only organization in the world that raises capuchin monkeys to be live-in assistants to people with spinal cord injuries, I reached out to volunteer.

Both in the summer and during the school year, I assist the trainers. Monkeys begin training when they are teenagers. It typically takes three to five years until they are ready to be placed with a person. My first job is to clean the cages of 60 monkeys. (Not my favorite responsibility.) I also prepare meals and construct and distribute dexterity “toys.”

While not glamorous, my work is critical to the success of the initiative. The physical support the monkeys provide is unbelievable. They turn pages of books, scratch itches, pour water, and retrieve dropped items… Most importantly, I have seen the life-changing impact a monkey’s companionship has on a partner, including a college-age student confined to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury from hockey.

In the spring, summer, and fall I also volunteer at Gaining Ground (GG), a non-profit that grows organic produce to donate to food pantries, shelters, and meal programs. When I volunteered at a local food pantry, it struck me that recipients receive mostly canned and packaged food. I think it is important that people in need receive fresh fruits and vegetables, and I enjoy the physical work of weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and packing produce.

Soon after I began volunteering at GG, my rabbi gave a sermon about the working conditions of tomato farmers in Florida. (It reminded me of Grapes of Wrath, and I couldn’t believe inhumane practices continue.) Her sermon motivated me to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by distributing postcards urging Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to only buy tomatoes from farms that agree to fair wages and human rights. Both chains have now agreed, showing that a little effort by many people makes a difference.

Last, I believe a story is the best way to explain my “behind-the-scenes” leadership. At the annual nighttime football game, one of my soccer teammates (not someone I hang with) was drunk. When our principal came over to the bleachers, my teammate’s friends fled. Concerned that my teammate would fall and hurt herself, I brought her outside the stadium, called her parents, and waited with her until they came — without worrying about social retribution. Despite getting grounded, she thanked me for my help.

I would be honored to be recognized by NHS for my service, leadership, and character. Thank you for your consideration.

The time you invest in composing an effective NHS essay will help you when you’re ready to write your college essays! Essays are important components of applications to selective colleges. Getting into NHS is also an honor that may boost your application at some schools. Remember, you can estimate your chance for acceptance using Collegevine’s free chancing calculator . This tool will factor in your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to calculate your odds of admission at hundreds of schools across the country.

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, honors program application essay advice.

Hey guys, I'm trying to write my essay for an honors program application. Can anyone give me advice on what kind of topics and structure I should focus on to stand out? I'd really appreciate it, thanks!

Hey there! Writing an essay for an honors program can be a great opportunity to showcase your achievements, ambitions, and individuality. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling essay:

1. Read the prompt and requirements carefully: Before writing, make sure you understand what the honors program is looking for in their applicants. Align your response with their expectations, whether it's academic achievement, leadership, or community involvement.

2. Be authentic: Choose a topic that genuinely reflects your interests and experiences. This can help you tell a more engaging story that reveals who you are as a person. Honors programs appreciate applicants who can show authenticity and passion in their essays.

3. Focus on your unique qualities: Discuss what makes you an ideal candidate for the honors program. This can include your achievements, skills, or personal qualities that set you apart from other applicants. Don't be shy to showcase your accomplishments, but be mindful of sounding too boastful.

4. Tell a story: Use narrative techniques to share your experiences or accomplishments in a way that engages the reader. For instance, if you took on a leadership role in a project that positively impacted your community, describe the challenges you faced, the decisions you made, and the ultimate outcome in a concise and compelling manner.

5. Be clear and concise: Make sure your essay is well-organized, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Avoid going off on tangents, and make sure each paragraph flows logically into the next.

6. Revise and refine: Don't be afraid to revise your essay multiple times. Seek feedback from others, such as your teachers, family members, or friends, to polish your essay further. Pay close attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling to ensure your writing is clear and concise.

As an example, let's say you decide to focus on your volunteer experience at a local food bank. You could start by discussing how you got involved and what motivated you to volunteer. Then, you might describe the different responsibilities you took on, the challenges you overcame, and the impact your work had on the food bank and the people it serves. Finally, you could tie this experience back to the honors program by explaining how it demonstrates your dedication to community service and empathetic leadership.

Don't forget: Proofread your essay multiple times and ask for feedback from others to ensure your writing is polished and error-free. Good luck!

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How to Format a College Essay

In the Fall of 2022, an estimated 17.9 million students were enrolled in degree-granting colleges across the United States. With Summer here at last, this means it's time for a new batch of college students to begin writing their college essays for their college admissions process.

College admission applications are on the rise. Between 2019-2020 and 2021-2022, the number of college admission submissions increased by 21.3% . With more potential competition, it's important to craft an essay that will help you stand out and get noticed by your school of choice.

But writing the perfect college admission essay isn't always easy. You need to know how to format a college essay properly. You also need to understand some common dos and don'ts associated with writing an essay.

If you're a college student looking for help with writing and formatting college essays, this guide can help. Keep reading below for more information and advice about essay formatting.

Focus on Your Personal Experience

College essays are a chance to share your personal life experiences with potential colleagues. You're putting your essence on the page. So it is vital that you tap into this when writing an essay.

At the top 250 schools in America, your essay alone is worth 25% of your total application, so you don't want to leave anything to chance. That's why infusing your personal story of your upbringing and why you want to attend a specific university is so important.

Don't use premade templates to simply fill in the blanks. While they are helpful outlines for how to format a college essay, they are not a substitute for a well-written and personal essay. Doing this could come off as stale and formulaic and cause admissions to pass on your essay altogether.

Appropriate Font Styles and Sizes

Remember, your college essay is a reflection of you and your merits as a student. It must look professional and well-formatted. You need to follow the same font formatting structure as you would if you were creating a resume .

Using the right font styles and sizes will help you get the right kind of attention. Avoid using cutesy and overly ornate fonts at all costs as they are hard to read and come off as unprofessional. Customary professional font styles include:

Times New Roman

The recommended font size for how to format a college essay properly is 12pt. This makes it large enough to read without being too overpowering.

Properly Utilized Margins and Paragraph Idents

Nothing is more frustrating for college admissions members to read than an essay where the text runs over into the margins. It looks messy and amateurish.

Always maintain clean margins in your college essays. It is recommended that you keep 1-inch margins all around your essay format at the top, bottom, left, and right of the page.

This is a standard and highly recommended tip for how to format a college essay cleanly. It will keep your essay visually pleasing and easy to read for the college admissions boards who will be looking at your essays.

For paragraph indents, simply use the Tab key to easily indent the start of each new paragraph set. Remember that 3-5 sentences is the recommended grouping for paragraph clusters.

Suitable Line Spacing

Line spacing is another factor in how to format a college essay that will add to your essay's overall appeal. While most universities are accepting essays done in a single-spaced format, you can use other spacing options.

It is recommended you use at least a 1.5 spacing when you write an essay for college admissions. This will make it easier for college admissions personnel to read. At most, you can use double spacing as long as this doesn't make your essay too lengthy page-wise.

However, if your college admissions application specifies a preferred line spacing method, always go with what they request.

Tips for Copy/Pasting Essays into a Text Box

Some universities may still allow you to print out and mail in paper essays. However, a majority of universities are modernizing to either email or text-box essay forms for digital submissions.

If you can attach a Word document to an email for submission, your original essay formatting should stay intact. In a text box, though, your formatting may not stay consistent if you copy and paste your content. It may be necessary to go back through the content in the text box and ensure that the paragraphs and spacing are correct.

With a copy/paste text box, you may not have as much control over the font style and text size aspects. Some universities may have the option to let you adjust the font and text size. It will depend on their submission preferences.

Dos and Don'ts of How to Format a College Essay

Before you submit your college essays, there are some things you need to verify and double-check. There are also some best practices you should engage in when it comes to the quality and consistency of your essay content. Here are some important dos and don'ts to follow for how to format a college essay that you can be proud of.

DO Verify That You Understood and Adequately Answered the Essay Prompt

You may have a beautifully written essay, but does it meet the main objective of the prompt? If your essay does not make a clear connection between your experience and the specific essay prompt chosen, you will need to rework it.

DO Use Your Unique Voice

You may think you have to sound like some stuffy tenured professor when writing an essay for college admissions, but this is not the case.

It's okay to use your natural voice in your writing, as long as you avoid using too much slang or abbreviations. You should also be sure to maintain the proper spelling and grammar structures.

DO Talk About Specific College Attributes and How They Apply to You

It's okay to briefly mention a few aspects of the particular university you are applying to as long as you mention how they relate to you. It shows you've done your research.

For example, you can mention a professor you've heard about or a particular class you are looking forward to taking. You may even want to mention an on-campus club you're interested in joining.

DO Paint a Descriptive Short Narrative of Your Life

You may not have a ton of space to go into every detail of your life, but you can let admissions see a short but poignant part of it. The goal is to make them feel like they are there with you. That's the beauty of good storytelling.

Include details like certain tastes and smells you remember (i.e., the salty sea air, fresh buttered popcorn, etc.). You should also include emotions and senses, like touch, that you remember to help impact your story.

DO Ask for Help and Guidance if Needed

Your college essay is about you, your personal life experience, and your decision to go to college. But it's okay to ask if you need some help with it. Parents, trusted friends, and school guidance counselors can give you a fresh set of eyes on your essay and offer you some helpful feedback.

DON'T Falsify Achievements or Write About Things You Have No Knowledge Of

In a college essay, it may be tempting to write about grandiose-sounding topics or accomplishments that make you sound more impressive. This isn't the best way for the university to get the most authentic picture of who you are as a college student.

Always stay on topic with your college essays and write what you know from personal experience.

DON'T Use the Same College Essay for Every College Application

If college is important to you, you need to take the time to write an essay that is unique to each university you apply to. College admissions members are trained to detect which essays are half-hearted attempts at copying and pasting instead of genuine efforts.

Besides, you may spend more time trying to figure out how to format a college essay written for a previous university than you do writing a new one from scratch.

DON'T Use Your Personal Statement Essay as a Duplicate of Activities and Interests

Each part of your college essay and application gives you an opportunity to paint the bigger picture of who you are as a person. When it comes to your personal essay, though, don't become a broken record for things you've already mentioned, like extracurricular activities .

Instead, use this area to detail a specific story of your upbringing or a life-changing event that inspired you or helped shape you.

DON'T Rely Only on Spelling and Grammar Check Tools

You've put all this effort into writing an essay for college, so don't leave it to spellcheck software to check for any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Part of how to format a college essay correctly is to manually re-read it and check for these issues yourself. If you're not certain that you've identified any and all issues properly, let a friend or parent also read it over for additional clarity.

DON'T Repeat Back What You Think the College Admissions Wants to Hear

So many potential applicants fall back on trying to just parrot back university values chapter and verse. College admissions offices see this all the time and have learned that this is an attempt at fluff, not substance.

Your college essay is the opportunity to present the real you and stand out from the crowd . So write about yourself, not about the merits of the university itself.

Learn More About College Essay Tips at Honor Society Today

College essays can be intimidating, but they are vital admissions components. Now that you better understand the ins and outs of how to format a college essay, you can be on your way to writing an essay that is sure to wow college admissions boards.

Honor Society understands the unique needs facing the average college student. That's why we provide information and other resources to help you thrive. Our member benefits include scholarship platforms, discounts on dining, dental, vision, and hearing health discount plans, and so much more.

Join Honor Society today by filling out an application on our website.

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About the Author

Articles you may like

College essays are a chance to share your personal life experiences with potential colleagues. You're putting your essence on the page. So it is vital that you tap into this when writing an essay.

Calibri

Nothing is more frustrating for college admissions members to read than an essay where the text runs over into the margins. It looks messy and amateurish.

Tips for Copy/Pasting Essays into a Text Box

Always stay on topic with your college essays and write what you know from personal experience.

Besides, you may spend more time trying to figure out how to format a college essay written for a previous university than you do writing a new one from scratch.

Your college essay is the opportunity to present the real you and stand out from the crowd . So write about yourself, not about the merits of the university itself.

Learn More About College Essay Tips at Honor Society Today

Join Honor Society today by filling out an application on our website.

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How to Write an Essay for Honors College

Erik Hinrichsen
Categories : College , Education
Tags : Education college topics admissions

When Might You Need to Know How to Write an Essay for Honors College?

Many state schools, seeking to attract top students, have an elite honors college. Getting in to the honors college is more difficult than the general school, of course, and usually requires an extra essay. Knowing how to write an essay for honors college can mean the difference between admittance and rejection, especially for borderline applicants. By writing a well-written, meaningful, and engaging essay, you can increase your odds of being admitted to the honors college of your choice. This guide to writing the honors college essay will give you the necessary tools to compose the essay that best reflects you as a person.

Getting Started

Read the prompt!

Before you start writing, make sure to read the prompt carefully. It is very important that your essay correspond to the actual requirements of the school. Some honors college essays may have word count limits, and each school is likely to have its own requirements. If you are applying to more than one school, be sure to tailor your essay to each college’s requirements. Submitting an essay that clearly ignores the school’s guidelines will reflect poorly on you as an applicant.

Choose a topic

After you feel you understand the prompt, take time to gather your thoughts and figure out what you want to write about. Make sure that your chosen topic or anecdote clearly explains a positive aspect of yourself. Remember, the point of the essay is to sell yourself to the admissions committee.

If the prompt is something like “Why have you decided to apply to the Honors college?”, take the time to think through your real reasons. While being honest is very important, it is also imperative to make your reasons engaging and to present yourself in a positive light. If you just want to go to the honors school because the students get nicer dorms, don’t say so! Talk about the ways being in the honor school will help you achieve your life goals and advance yourself as a person.

Organize your thoughts

Many people find it helpful to plan out their essay before starting to write. This can help you to organize your thoughts into a clear, coherent narrative. Making an outline is an excellent way to do this, though there are other methods. Whatever you do, make sure you understand where you’re going with the essay before you start writing it.

Write a Draft

Your first draft might not be great. It might be terrible. But that’s alright, because you have plenty of time to revise. It’s much easier to improve an essay on paper than one that’s still floating around your head.

How to Organize Your Essay

While the essay doesn’t need to be a standard school essay, the essay should have some semblance of structure . At the very least, it should contain a brief, engaging introduction. The introduction should introduce the reader to you, the writer, and briefly state whatever your main focus is.

Remember that honors college essays are not novels. Write a straightforward essay that clearly explains something about yourself and your goals. Unless you’re applying for a creative writing program, essay readers have no interest in your story-telling abilities. The essay should generally avoid narratives altogether unless the story very strongly describes something about yourself.

Finishing the essay can be difficult. While it isn’t always necessary to write a conclusion, doing so can help summarize your points so that readers come away from your essay with a clear understanding.

Read over your essay

Remember that you are applying for an elite honors college. Spelling errors and grammatical mistakes will reflect poorly on you. Run spell check and read over the essay for any mistakes or unclear phrasings. If you aren’t good with grammar and spelling, have someone else look over the essay.

Have other people edit your essay

Show your essay to as many people as possible - friends, family members, and teachers - and ask for their honest feedback. English teachers are excellent resources for this purpose, as they’ve likely read many such essays and can point out your essay’s flaws. Whatever you do, don’t let other people write the essay! The admission board readers read thousands of essays and can usually pick out an adult’s writing quite easily. Besides, this essay is meant to be a reflection on yourself.

Once you’ve edited your work and have a completed product, send in your application. Submitting early ensures that your materials will arrive on time; if there are any problems, you can easily resolve them before the deadline. Many honors colleges also admit students on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply the better your chances. By focusing on learning how to write a college essay for honors college, you improve the likelihood that you will receive a positive response.

Personal Essay Tips

Tips for Writing an Honors College Essay

Image courtesy of sxc.hu/gallery/shho

Purdue Supplemental Essay 2022-2023

Purdue supplemental essay: quick facts.

Purdue University acceptance rate: 67%— U.S. News ranks Purdue as a more selective school.
Purdue application: Purdue only accepts the Common Application , not the Coalition Application.
2 (100-word) required essays
2 (500-word) Purdue Honors College essays (required if applying to the Honors College)
Purdue Essay Tip: We recommend answering both Purdue University supplemental essays comprehensively and thoughtfully, highlighting in each of your Purdue essays why Purdue is the perfect school for you.

What are Purdue University’s essays?

In addition to the Common App essay , students must also complete the Purdue supplemental essay prompts.

Required Purdue supplemental essay prompts:

How will opportunities at Purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom? (100 words)
Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words)

Required Purdue supplemental essay prompts for Honors College applicants are:

One Purdue supplemental essay about your vision for your honors experience at Purdue (500 words)
An additional Purdue supplemental essay about the interdisciplinary nature of your chosen field of study (500 words)

These Purdue application essays represent the final step in the Purdue application process. Strong responses to the Purdue supplemental essays can help your Purdue application stand out among the almost 60,000 applications the university receives each year.

So, if you want to get into Purdue, it’s important to spend time on your responses to the Purdue essay prompts. A solid set of Purdue application essays can make a major difference in the Purdue admissions process.

In this guide, we’ll break down each of the Purdue essay prompts and provide expert tips on how to make sure your Purdue application essays shine. Keep reading to learn how to approach your Purdue University supplemental essays!

Purdue application essay requirements

Many selective colleges require supplemental essays beyond the standard Common App essay, also known as the Personal Statement . The Purdue application requirements are no exception to this.

There are two Purdue essay prompts required of all applicants. Additionally, Honors College applicants must complete two additional Purdue University supplemental essays. Pay close attention to which Purdue supplemental essays you should complete, as it varies by program.

So, if you are applying to Purdue University, you must complete at least two 100-word Purdue essay prompts. Each Purdue supplemental essay is designed to give you a chance to show Purdue admissions officers who you are, beyond the rest of your application. You should treat each Purdue supplemental essay as an opportunity to showcase a part of yourself that isn’t highlighted elsewhere within the Purdue application requirements.

Honors College essay requirements

Like many schools, Purdue has additional requirements for the Purdue Honors College. If you apply to the Purdue John Martinson Honors College, you must complete two more 500-word Purdue Honors College essays. These additional prompts help Purdue Admissions ensure that Purdue Honors College applicants go above and beyond the typical Purdue application requirements.

You should be sure to set aside more than enough time to craft strong Purdue Honors College essays and Purdue supplemental essays.

Purdue Supplemental Essay- Prompt 1 ( Required )

How will opportunities at purdue support your interests, both in and out of the classroom (100 words maximum).

The first Purdue essay asks applicants to reflect on their academic and personal interests. Then, it asks them to explain how Purdue will help them pursue those interests. In other words, the first of the Purdue essay prompts asks why you want to attend Purdue over any other school.

You’ve probably encountered similar “why this college?” essay prompts on other applications. So, as you might expect, this Purdue application essay must be specific to Purdue. You won’t be able to copy and paste another school’s essay to answer this Purdue supplemental essay.

Brainstorming your topic

Before starting to write this Purdue supplemental essay, think about your interest in Purdue. Write down a list of reasons why Purdue made your college list. Does Purdue offer a particular program that interests you? Or does Purdue’s campus culture fit your vision for your college experience? The best responses to the Purdue essay prompts will include specific details.

Building your narrative

Once you have created your list of interests, identify several that you would like to write about in your Purdue supplemental essays. This Purdue supplemental essay doesn’t give you much space; picking one or two interests, therefore, will help you stay within the word count and give your essay some structure.

When deciding which interests to focus on, remember your other Purdue essay. You can discuss your intended major in the second of the required Purdue essay prompts. With this in mind, make sure you don’t delve into topics better suited for other Purdue essay prompts. Instead, use this Purdue supplemental essay to talk about interests that you have not discussed in other areas of your application. After all, you want each Purdue supplemental essay to showcase a different part of your identity.

Making it specific

Next, research Purdue to see how your interests overlap with opportunities Purdue offers. The Purdue essay prompts are a chance to show off the research you’ve done; for example, talking to Purdue admissions representatives or visiting campus. If any of these interactions relate to one of your chosen themes, mention them in this Purdue supplemental essay. This shows your knowledge of Purdue’s strengths as a university.

For example, a prospective student could use this Purdue application essay to discuss the state-of-the-art kinesiology labs she visited and how they would help her pursue her interest in physical therapy. Make sure you discuss what you experienced along with how it relates to your interests. Once again, the best Purdue University supplemental essays will use specific details to show why you belong at Purdue.

Writing your essay

Now that you’ve done the brainstorming and research for this Purdue supplemental essay, you can start writing. Because you only have 100 words for this Purdue supplemental essay, you need to make each one count. Avoid unrelated topics, vague wording, and forms of “to be.” Instead, use clear language and strong action verbs in each Purdue essay. Compare these two sentences below:

“There is no school that is a better fit to support my interests than Purdue University.” (16 words)

“Purdue possesses the resources to support my interests.” (8 words)

The second sentence conveys the same message as the first, but it uses much stronger language and fewer words. Specific details and short, powerful sentences will help your Purdue essay stand out.

Purdue Supplemental Essay Reflection Questions:

Does your Purdue essay refer to 2-3 strong interests from your list?
Do you present information not found in other areas of your application?
Does your Purdue supplemental essay contain specific information about Purdue based on your research?
Do you clearly explain to Purdue admissions how Purdue will help you pursue your interests?

Purdue Supplemental Essay — Prompt 2 ( Required )

Briefly discuss your reasons for pursuing the major you have selected. (100 words maximum).

The second of the Purdue supplemental essays is the typical “why major essay.” The “why major essay” is a common supplemental essay question that many schools require. Purdue is no different—they want to understand why you aim to pursue the field you’ve indicated on your application.

The reality of the “why major essay” question is that schools want to know you’ve done your research on their programs. As a result of this, your “why major essay” for each school must relate to that school’s unique offerings. While you can include some general details, you should make sure this essay remains school-specific.

Not all students know what they plan to major in. Choosing your college major is a big decision, and it requires plenty of forethought. This Purdue supplemental essay can be especially daunting if you’re unsure of your major, so let’s explore how to get around that.

Brainstorming your major

Before starting to write this “why major essay,” think about the school subjects you enjoy. You may already identify as a lover of math or know you have the most fun in English class. However, Purdue University offers more than 200 different undergraduate majors across their 11 different colleges, so check the full list for options. This research will also help you show demonstrated interest in this Purdue supplemental essay.

When selecting a major for this Purdue application essay, think about the career you might want to pursue. You might consider the topics you have liked learning about, both inside and outside the classroom. If you’re having trouble selecting one major for this Purdue supplemental essay, choose the major you have the most compelling reasons to pursue.

Selecting a field of study for this Purdue supplemental essay might feel daunting. However, don’t be stressed about choosing a major. Instead, as you write your Purdue supplemental essay, focus on showing your intellectual curiosity and engagement with your studies. You can always change your major once you arrive on campus.

Using details

In order to write the best essay possible, include experiences that have made the biggest impact on your academic career. Have you had a teacher who drove you to explore more about their subject? Have you had work or volunteer experience that inspired you to pursue a particular major? Do you have a burning passion to support a specific cause?

Your Purdue application essay should tell a story. So, highlight stories where you’ve engaged deeply with your chosen subject, whether directly or indirectly. In doing so, you’ll help readers understand why your chosen major excites you. This can help your Purdue supplemental essay showcase your intellectual curiosity.

Whatever major you choose, don’t just discuss the basic reasons why you enjoy it in this Purdue essay. Instead, go deeper. Think of this Purdue essay as a short narrative where you share moments in your life that have influenced you. A student who wants to major in electrical engineering might talk about getting a circuitry kit for Christmas and watching his dad repair wires around the house. She might then share how she helped the school robotics club win a competition. Find those formative moments in your life and use them as the foundation of your Purdue supplemental essay. Again, the best Purdue supplemental essay will be the most specific!

Does your Purdue essay focus on the major that most interests you?
Do you use specific details about how you came to love that major?
Does your Purdue supplemental essay help your reader learn something new about you?

Purdue Honors College Essay Requirements

The Purdue Honors College is a separate program within Purdue University specifically designed for high-achieving students. Recently, the Purdue Honors College became formally known as the John Martinson Honors College. According to their website , “Martinson supports new programmatic initiatives which promote undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity, leadership and professional development, global and community engagement, and innovative pedagogies.”

You should research the Purdue Honors College thoroughly before deciding if you want to apply. Once you make the decision that the Purdue Honors College is right for you, it’s time to crack down on the Purdue Honors College essays.

The Purdue Honors College supplemental essay requirements are:

1 (500-word) Purdue supplemental essay about your vision for your honors experience at Purdue
1 (500-word) Purdue essay prompt about the interdisciplinary nature of your chosen field of study

Now, let’s break down each of the Purdue supplemental essays for the Purdue Honors College and talk about strategies to tackle each one.

For more help on writing supplemental essays, click here . For help standing out in the college admissions process, read this article .

Purdue Honors College Essays- Question 1

Explain your vision, ideas, or goals for how you hope to shape your honors experience while at purdue. please put this in the context of the four pillars which are the foundation of the john martinson honors college. (500 word maximum).

In order to answer the first of the Honors College Purdue essay prompts effectively, you need to reflect on your reasons for applying to the Honors College. Then, you need to connect those reasons to the four pillars that express the Honors College’s values. The best Purdue application essays will directly connect an applicant’s academic goals with the four pillars of the Purdue Honors College.

Understanding Purdue

Before starting this Purdue supplemental essay, you need to have a firm understanding of the four pillars mentioned in the prompt. These pillars are: community and global engagement, undergraduate research, leadership development, and interdisciplinary academics. Reviewing the Honors College mission statement will give you more information about the four pillars. You do not need to reference all four of these pillars in your Purdue essay; instead, focus on whichever ones best fit with your future plans.

Researching the Honors College beyond the four pillars can also help strengthen your Purdue supplemental essay. Start by browsing this year’s Honors College course list . Review some of the research projects done by past Honors students. As you brainstorm for your Purdue admissions essays, look for programs and projects that connect to your interests. You might see a course or research project that lines up with one of your passions. You can use that as evidence in your Purdue essay that the Honors College will provide an ideal learning environment to nurture your interests.

Making it about you

This Purdue essay prompt asks you to imagine how you would spend your time as a Purdue Honors student. That future will likely be rooted in your past experiences. Strong Purdue application essays, therefore, should use the four pillars of Purdue Honors to connect your past experiences to your future at Purdue.

When you talk about your future, try to be as specific as possible. For instance, saying that you want to travel to India to study their culture is not as powerful as saying that you want to travel to India to research how native fashions have changed due to modern technology in this Purdue essay.

You can begin brainstorming for this Purdue supplemental essay by doing a fr e e-write based on this prompt: “If I could have any academic experience I want in college, what would it be?” Think about the questions you might explore or problems you would like to solve if you had the freedom to choose. Don’t limit yourself—the best way to start writing is to free yourself from any perfectionism.

Use this Purdue admissions essay to share the subject that you could stay up all night researching or the idea you cannot get out of your head. Let your ambition come across in your writing, using the four pillars of the Honors College as the foundation for achieving your goals. Finally, help your reader envision how you would contribute to the Honors College in this Purdue supplemental essay.

Does your Purdue essay clearly describe your goals for attending the Honors College?
Do you include references to at least one of the four pillars of the Honors College?
Does your Purdue supplemental essay indicate specific projects you might undertake or resources you might use as an Honors student?

Purdue Honors College Essays — Question 2

Please describe the interdisciplinary nature of your chosen field of study and how it complements or supports other fields. (examples: you might describe how your work in a liberal arts career may impact or inform the work of an engineer.) (500 word maximum).

The second of the Purdue application essays asks how your chosen subject connects to other fields. At first, this Purdue essay can seem daunting. After all, most high school classes are separated by subject without much room for interdisciplinary work. However, with a little creative thinking, you can develop relationships between just about any set of subjects and use those relationships to write a strong Purdue essay.

Finding an intersection

To get you started, here are a few examples of interdisciplinary study that would make good material for Purdue application essays:

Creating a business plan for a health care clinic combines medicine with economics
Volunteering at a music therapy provider combines Psychology and Music into an interdisciplinary field grounded in helping those with mental illnesses
A project about the evolution of manufacturing technology combines history with engineering

These example topics for a Purdue supplemental essay represent a tiny fraction of the ways you could answer this prompt. Each of these potential Purdue application essays could also tie in with some of your activities from high school.

You might also use your Purdue essay to consider what you have learned working with people who have different interests than yours and how you could bring that knowledge to your studies. Strong Purdue admissions essays can come from anywhere, so don’t limit yourself.

Getting creative

If you struggle to form connections between academic fields based on your personal experience, you can use your imagination to come up with hypothetical situations that might foster collaboration across fields. These imaginary situations can still make for a great Purdue supplemental essay.

For instance, as a lover of computer science, you might imagine its applications in the world of digital art to create vivid settings for a video game. The best Purdue supplemental essays will be unique and creative. Additionally, strong Purdue application essays will tell a story. The more you can use narratives to illustrate the wide range of uses for your discipline, the more successful your Purdue admissions essay will be.

Essays Reflection Questions for Purdue Honors College :

Does your Purdue supplemental essay demonstrate your enthusiasm for your chosen field?
Do you include a variety of possible connections between your chosen fields and other fields?
Does your Purdue admissions essay use stories and examples to illustrate the connections between fields?

Want more helpful tips on how to approach your Purdue supplemental essays and other aspects of Purdue University’s application process? Check out this video below from Purdue’s senior assistant director of admissions!

What does Purdue University look for in essays?

Your Purdue supplemental essays help the admissions team get to know you beyond your demographics, transcript, and activities list. Each Purdue essay also provides valuable insight into what kind of student you would be.

These specific Purdue essay prompts help the Purdue admissions committee understand how you will use your education at Purdue. Purdue looks for students who can articulate their interests and describe how Purdue’s resources will help them pursue these interests. Your Purdue application essays, then, should show the Purdue admissions team how Purdue would help you meet your goals.

Demonstrated Interest

The committee wants to see you show demonstrated interest (DI) in Purdue. DI is a gauge that universities use to determine how interested a student is in attending their school. To take advantage of this, use your Purdue application essays to explain exactly what about Purdue interests you. You don’t need to physically visit the campus to write strong Purdue supplemental essays. However, if you don’t visit , it helps to find other ways of showing your interest. These include contacting admissions officers, reviewing the school’s website, or attending a virtual information session/webinar.

The Purdue admissions team also wants to know if you can write clearly and concisely—an important skill for succeeding in college. So, ensure your writing is strong, clear, and free of any errors. Your Purdue application essays also show your attention to detail and passion for learning. Students who use the Purdue essay prompts to showcase their passions will definitely impress the admissions team.

How do I get into Purdue University?

Getting accepted into Purdue starts with filling out the Common Application and meeting the Purdue application requirements. On the Common Application, you will report your GPA, list your high school activities, and write a 250-650 word Common App essay.

For the fall and spring of 2023, Purdue is test flexible . This means if you have the opportunity to take the SAT or ACT, Purdue admissions would prefer you do. This is different from test optional because test optional schools truly have no preference for test scores. Purdue, however, makes it clear that they would like to review test scores as part of your application if possible. Strong scores will only enhance your application .

Purdue application requirements

Your GPA , course schedule, test scores, Common App essay, letters of recommendation , supplemental essays, and extracurricular activities comprise the Purdue application requirements and will all factor into the committee’s decision.

Last year, approximately 60,000 students applied to Purdue University. The median GPA range of accepted applicants was 3.5-3.9, the median SAT was 119-1410, and the median ACT was 26-33. As you can see, Purdue admits students with high scores, which contributes to the U.S. News Purdue University ranking.

Purdue University Application

In 2022, U.S. News assigned its Purdue University ranking among national universities at #51 overall. US News also named Purdue as one of the Top 10 most innovative universities in the last four years. Among public universities , the Purdue University ranking is #18 in the country. Purdue University’s top academic programs include Aerospace Engineering (where the Purdue University ranking is #5) and Biological/Agricultural Engineering (where the Purdue University ranking is #2). This makes Purdue a great fit for students specifically interested in those fields.

Finally, the Purdue University ranking attracts many applicants who view Purdue’s rankings as a sign of prestige. This means that Purdue supplemental essays will be used to determine which students are interested in attending for reasons beyond the Purdue University ranking. Remember, your Purdue supplemental essays are your chance to show the admissions team your genuine interest in the school.

Looking to put your best foot forward when filling out the Common Application and writing the Common App essay? Check out this guide for helpful tips.

Top 5 Purdue Supplemental Essay Tips

How to write an outstanding purdue supplemental essay:, #1 – start early.

Be sure to leave yourself time to edit and revise each of your Purdue University supplemental essays. You don’t want to be drafting and editing a Purdue supplemental essay down to the wire.

#2 – Look at the big picture

When writing your Purdue supplemental essays, consider your application as a whole. Make sure that each Purdue supplemental essay explores something new about you.

#3 – Be authentic

Don’t lie or exaggerate on your Purdue University supplemental essays. Each Purdue application essay is a chance for you to showcase who you are.

#4 – Show your unique self

These Purdue supplemental essays are an opportunity for you to stand out to Purdue admissions. Don’t generalize in your responses to the Purdue essay prompts. Instead, get specific about your experiences. Use the opportunity to not only demonstrate who you are, but also to show off your writing style.

#5 – Proofread, proofread, proofread!

Edit your essays . You don’t want to craft a stellar Purdue supplemental essay, only to have it marred by poor grammar or a spelling mistake. Have another person look over each Purdue supplemental essay before you submit it.

Purdue Supplemental Essay — Final Thoughts

Although each Purdue supplemental essay is short, they are also incredibly important. Don’t think that a short essay will take you less time to write—often, short essays are the hardest to write. Given the Purdue University ranking, you should use every chance you get to stand out. This includes crafting strong Purdue supplemental essays.

Be yourself

The Purdue essay prompts help the admissions committee get to know the person behind the grades and test scores. Make sure that your Purdue supplemental essays are full of anecdotes and stories that show why you will succeed as a Purdue student! Let your readers know in each Purdue supplemental essay that you have done your research and thought about why you want to attend Purdue.

Ask for help!

And finally, seek help from trusted sources with editing your Purdue supplemental essays; sometimes a second opinion can help you improve your Purdue essays in unexpected ways.

This Purdue supplemental essays guide was written by Laura Frustaci. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, what is an honors college should you enroll in one.

College Info

If you have great grades and high test scores, some of your prospective universities may invite you to enroll in their honors college. Generally speaking, honors colleges and honors programs at U.S. universities offer top-tier students rigorous academic programs, special scholarships, and better job prospects.

But of course, there’s more to an honors college or program than that! We’re going to introduce you to honors colleges and honors programs so you can decide whether enrolling in one is right for you. This article will:

Answer the question, “What is an honors college?”
Discuss what types of students might be a good fit for an honors college
Explain the difference between an honors college vs honors program
Take an in-depth look at real honors programs at two U.S. universities
List five pros and cons for enrolling in an honors college

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Feature Image: slgckgc /Flickr

What Is an Honors College?

What is an honors program in college? Now, don’t be misled by the name “honors college”—an honors college isn’t an independent university. Instead, an honors college is a program that exceptional high school students can apply to and enroll in while completing a traditional bachelor’s degree.

Put another way, an honors college one of a number of colleges on a university campus. Just like the college of arts and sciences or the business college, an honors college is another on-campus school that forms part of the university’s educational system.

While every honors college is different, many honors colleges offer enrolled students perks. Here are some unique opportunities that you can find at honors colleges and programs across the nation:

Courses with more rigorous and/or specialized curriculum that are exclusively open to honors college students

Smaller class sizes that can be conducted seminar-style, allowing students to interact more meaningfully

A smaller faculty-to-student ratio, giving students the opportunity to interact more frequently with professors and advisors

Housing and/or housing amenities that are reserved for honors students, giving honors students the opportunity to form a close knit community

Priority registration, giving honors students a wider range of course options and the opportunity to curate a semester schedule that suits their needs

If these benefits sound great to you, then you might enjoy the experience of enrolling in an honors college.

Graduating With Honors From an Honors College

Colleges want to reward students who graduate from their honors college, meaning that you’ll get a special distinction once you graduate. And that’s pretty great, especially since completing an honors degree takes a lot of hard work!

While you don’t have to be in an honors college to graduate with honors, some universities reserve extra special distinctions for honors college graduates. Students who successfully meet the requirements to graduate from their honors college will usually have the distinction on their diploma, which indicates they’ve received an honors distinction. Honors college graduates may also receive a special medal or regalia to wear at their university’s commencement ceremony to set them apart from their peers.

At most universities, there are three tiers of honors you can receive depending on your final cumulative GPA. The better your GPA, the higher your distinction. Here’s a general range of how the distinctions break down, though your school’s honors college may do things slightly differently:

Like we mentioned earlier, these distinctions are usually printed on your diploma as a sign of your hard work. For example, if you graduate with a 3.85 GPA with a degree in electrical engineering, your diploma may say you earned a “Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering, magna cum laude.”

Regardless of the tier, getting any version of cum laude on your diploma is a reward the hard work it takes to complete an honors program.

Who Should Enroll in an Honors College?

So, how do you know if you’d be a good fit for an honors college? Ultimately, it comes down to two things: your GPA and your ambition.

In order to get into an honors college, you have to be an excellent student. In other words, you’ll need to have a high GPA and great test scores to qualify for admission. Most honors programs have minimum score and GPA requirements that you must meet in order for your application to be considered. For example, the honors college at Indiana University requires students to have a 4.0 GPA and either a 33 on the ACT or a 1500 on the SAT in order to be admitted. That’s well above the national average !

Besides having excellent grades and test scores, students who are good candidates for acceptance to an honors college are typically involved in intellectually rigorous or creatively oriented activities during high school, both in and out of the classroom. Students who excel in honors colleges enjoy learning and like an intellectual challenge. Additionally, candidates should also embrace hard work: the classes you’ll take as an honors student are usually a lot tougher!

If you meet the academic requirements and are ready to be a focused, intellectually curious, hard working student, then you’re probably a good fit for a university honors college or honors program!

Honors Colleges vs Honors Programs: What’s the Difference?

You may hear the phrases “honors college” and “honors program” used interchangeably, but there are actually some significant differences between the two. So, what is an honors college vs an honors program?

The key difference between honors colleges and honors programs in the United States is that honors colleges function as discrete schools within the larger university system, and honors programs aren’t separated into individual colleges within the university. Put another way, an honors college is a separate school within a university, while honors programs aren’t.

Because honors colleges are stand-alone schools on a university campus, they tend to require more resources. Consequently, honors colleges are more commonly found at big, public universities. On these campuses, honors colleges typically function like the other colleges at big universities, complete with their own on-campus facilities, academic advisors, student scholarships, study abroad opportunities, and course offerings that are open to honors students only.

In contrast, honors programs can often be found at smaller colleges and universities. Smaller institutions may have fewer or no individual colleges within the larger university system. At these smaller schools, honors students will not be a part of a separate college within the university but will follow a special honors curriculum and/or complete extra assignments, like an honors capstone project or honors thesis, in order to graduate with distinction.

Having said that, both honors colleges and honors programs provide academically ambitious students with an enriching educational experience that can give graduates a head-start in their future careers.

Penn State University's honors college takes the top spot on our list. ( George Chriss /Wikimedia)

In-Depth Guide to Honors Programs: Penn State Honors College and University of South Florida Honors College

Learning about two real honors programs can give you more insight into what it’s like to be part of an honors college.

To give you a real sense of what honors colleges and honors programs are like, we’re going to take an in depth look at two honors programs : the honors college at Pennsylvan ia State University and the honors program at the University of South Florida.

Schreyer Honors College, Pennsylvania State University

The Honors College at Penn State is called Schreyer Honors College , and like most honors colleges, it’s a separate school within the Penn State system.

Schreyer prides itself in offering a “best of both worlds” experience to its students. Honors students have access to the cutting edge resources of a big, top-tier research institution, but they have the small class sizes and one-on-one learning experiences characteristic of a small liberal arts college.

So if you’re a student who wants to be part of a community where you know your professors and classmates but you don’t want to miss out on a “big university” experience, then an honors college like Schreyer at Penn State can provide that for you.

The Admissions Process

In order to apply to Schreyer Honors College, you’ll need to complete the Penn State undergraduate application and then complete the separate Schreyer Honors College application .

There are several components to the Schreyer application . You’ll have to answer three essay questions and a handful of short answer questions, submit two letters of recommendation, and self-report your high school academic record.

You might notice that standardized test scores and high school transcripts aren’t included in the list of application components. That’s because unlike many honors colleges, Schreyer doesn’t take SAT or ACT scores into consideration as a part of its application process! Part of Schreyer’s philosophy is that test scores and high school GPA aren’t the best predictors of academic success . Instead, students have to explain their high school course load as part of their application.

Schreyer applicants who submit their application materials by November 1 are invited to an optional Admissions Interview with a Scholar alumnus. If you aren’t able to submit your application early it won’t negatively impact your application, but landing an interview gives you a chance to make a case for yourself in person. (If you want to know more about what a college interview is like, be sure to check out our article that demystifies the college interview process .)

The Honors College Experience

Now you know what to expect from the Schreyer application and admissions process, but what’s the student experience like?

Along with the excellent research opportunities and intimate classroom environments we mentioned earlier, Schreyer students also have unique opportunities to learn the soft skills they’ll need to be successful in college and beyond.

When you’re a Schreyer honors student, you have access to an on-campus community, various academic and student life programs, and career development opportunities that non-honors students don’t. In addition to providing on-campus housing for honors college students, Schreyer has several leadership opportunities for its honors scholars, including a student council, a residence hall Scholar Assistants (SAs) program, Orientation Mentors, and Scholar Ambassadors. The skills you learn in these programs will give you a huge leg up when you embark on your career after graduation.

Along with a phenomenal academic experience, these community activities give Schreyer students the chance to network with fellow honors students and honors college alumni ...which can translate to better career opportunities after graduation, too.

Graduation

To remain in good standing as a Schreyer Scholar, you’ll have to meet certain requirements as outlined by the college , including a minimum GPA and completion of honors courses and credits. Scholars are also required to complete an honors thesis in order to graduate from the honors college. Usually, honors theses require students to conduct independent research and present it to a committee of professors.

Honors students who complete the requirements for an honors distinction will graduate with honors and receive a Scholars Medal to wear at Penn State commencement as well as have honors conferred on their diploma . Schreyer also hosts a separate Honors College Medals Ceremony prior to commencement, during which the Scholars Medals are presented to graduating Scholars.

( Simon Kellogg /Flickr)

University of South Florida Honors College

Like Shreyer at Penn State, the Judy Genshaft Honors College is its own school on the USF campus.

The honors college at USF offers the rigorous academic experience of a top-tier research university with the close-knit community that smaller, private institutions are typically known for. That means you’ll have more demanding classes, smaller class sizes, one-on-one interaction with your professors, and unique opportunities only available to honors students.

The Admissions Process

To become an honors student at USF, prospective students must apply to the University of South Florida before applying to the Judy Genshaft Honors College . While all interested high school students are encouraged to apply, the honors college does take high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores into account . The Honors College has an automatic admission policy for students who meet the following criteria:

Score 1400 or higher on the SAT, or score 31 or higher on the ACT
Have a recalculated USF GPA of 4.0

The recalculated GPA portion of USF’s honors college admissions process takes your high school GPA and then adjusts for difficulty. To figure out your recalculated GPA, the honors college does the following :

Adds one-half point for honors courses
Adds one point for AP , IB, AICE , or Dual Enrollment courses
Removes any non-academic courses (i.e. P.E., Band, etc.)

The university points out that most students’ recalculated GPAs are lower than their high school GPA . But don’t worry: while your recalculated GPA might not qualify you for automatic admission into the honors college, the admissions committee places more emphasis on the other aspects of your application than your recalculated grade point average.

In addition to evaluating applicants based on GPA and test scores , the honors college at USF evaluates applicants based on two other criteria: involvement in high school activities and a 500-750 word essay response. For the essay response, the honors college provides six essay prompts that address the three core honors college values. Applicants are encouraged to choose to respond to one essay prompt that speaks to them! (Be sure to check out this article for expert advice on how to write a killer admissions essay .)

There are many benefits for students in the Judy Genshaft Honors College . USF’s honors college offers small, discussion-based classes that give students the opportunity to interact closely with faculty and fellow honors students from different majors. This lets honors students receive lots of personalized attention to help them reach their academic and career goals, which is probably why USF honors grads have gone on to do amazing things, like become CEOs and work for NASA .

USF honors students are able to register for classes on the day registration opens, which means they get first pick of course choices every year. Honors students also have special academic advisors that help students plan class schedules, make decisions about their majors, and even search for internship opportunities. Another perk of being in the Judy Genshaft Honors College is that students are also eligible to live in a special Honors Living Learning Community (LLC) , which is on-campus housing option only available to honors students.

Additionally, the honors college offers a unique program called the Provost’s Scholars Program . This program helps students graduate in three years rather than four , and it provides students the chance to study abroad, learn leadership skills, and gain professional development. The Provost Scholars Program allows high-achieving students to save money on their education while simultaneously helping them jumpstart their future careers.

As is typical of honors college, the Judy Genshaft Honors College requires its students to complete a research track consisting of either an honors thesis or capstone project . The thesis track is recommended for students who want to go into research-based fields or academia, and the capstone project is for those interested in conducting research with their fellow honors college peers. Capstone projects happen in a classroom-style setting, and the topics vary from semester to semester.

Like Penn State’s honors graduates, USF honors grads also receive special recognition for their accomplishments on their diplomas and on graduation day. Judy Genshaft Honors College graduates are invited to attend a special graduation ceremony for all graduating honors students . Family and friends are invited to the ceremony, and each graduating honors student is recognized individually during the ceremony. At the university-wide commencement ceremony, Judy Genshaft Honors College graduates wear special honors college regalia to signify their successful completion of the honors program.

5 Pros and Cons for Enrolling in an Honors Program

There are a lot of perks to enrolling in an honors college, but before you decide that being an honors student is the best choice for your academic career, it might be helpful to weigh a few pros and cons that come with honors colleges. After all, participating in an honors program can be a pretty big time commitment!

Check out our list of five pros and cons for enrolling in an honors college below to help decide whether an honors program is the right choice for you.

Pro: You Can Get an Elite Education at an Affordable Price

Honors colleges are a more equitable alternative to elite colleges and universities. It’s no secret that most premier universities in the U.S. come with a hefty price tag —one that many hardworking families simply can’t afford to pay for.

One of the benefits of an honors college is that most provide funding opportunities for both incoming and current students. For example, the University of Utah’s honors college offers scholarships that are only available to honors students , and some of the awards are as high as $10,000. Even better: because there are fewer honors students, you have a better shot at actually winning a scholarship.

Additionally, enrolling in an honors college at a public school gives high achieving students the opportunity to receive an elite education they can actually afford. Honors colleges offer the kind of highly specialized, rigorous academics that are the hallmark of the most selective college s. That means that at some schools, you can get an Ivy-style education for a fraction of the price.

Pro: You’ll (Probably) Get to Register for Classes Early

One of the biggest recurring perks of being an honors student? A little thing called priority registration. Priority registration allows honors students to attend academic advising sessions to plan their semester schedules and register for classes before all non-honors students.

So, how does priority registration work out in the honors student’s favor? When enrollment periods open for different groups of students at colleges and universities—especially big universities—classes fill up fast. The later you enroll, the less likely you are to get into the courses you need to take, and the less likely you are to come out with a schedule of classes that you find appealing (7:30 a.m. class on Mondays, anyone?). When you get to register for classes before everyone else, you’re much more likely to get into the classes you want, at the times you want!

Pro: You’ll Be Around Other High-Achieving Students

A key feature of honors colleges and programs is that they offer courses—“honors courses”—that are exclusively available to honors students. These honors courses usually have limited enrollment so that the class sizes are small. This means that you’ll probably be seeing the same students over and over again in the classes you take. On top of that, many universities have special housing, classrooms, and study spaces reserved especially for honors students.

The honors college can form a close-knit community of students, since honors students spend so much time in the same spaces doing the same things . That can be a really good thing: not only will you be more connected to your honors college community, you’ll have the opportunity to make friends, too. Whether they become a consistent study partner or your BFF, your honors college peers can be one of the biggest pros of the honors college experience.

While there are some pretty big perks to being in an honors college, there are some downsides, too.

Con: Honors Students Do More Work

In general, honors college students are going to be doing more work than their non-honors schoolmates. In general, honors courses require more studying, more homework, and more writing.

For example, an honors history class may require you to read more than just a textbook. Your professor may give you academic articles, history books, or even a novel to complement what you’re learning in class. And you can expect for your tests and papers to be graded on a tougher rubric, too. That’s because your professors know that as an honors student, you’re the best of the best. It’s their job to push you to expand your skills...which can translate to a heavier workload.

Honors students also have to do extra work if they want to graduate with distinction. Both Penn State and USF require students to write a thesis or complete a capstone project. This involves (you guessed it!) more research and writing, much of which has to be done on your own time. That means you’ll have to fit the extra work in around your already busy schedule. So if you aren’t ready to take on a heavier workload—or if you’re not great at juggling multiple projects at once—an honors program may not be the best fit for you.

Con: The Perks Can Vary

We’ve mentioned several perks of being an honors college student, like priority registration, select student housing, smaller class sizes, and special on-campus facilities. But before you decide to apply to an honors college, it’s important to recognize that the nature of these perks will vary from school to school. Most often, the resources and opportunities available to honors college students depend on how well-funded the honors college or program is.

If you want to know exactly what you can expect your experience to be like as an honors student at a particular school, it’s important to ask a lot of questions about the program before you make any kind of commitment. One easy way to find out all the things you want to know about a specific honors college or program is to get connected with a current honors student at the university you’re interested in. Whether it’s through email, social media, or an in-person campus visit, talking with a student who knows the ropes of a university’s honors program can give you the perspective you’re looking for.

Next Steps

If you’ve decided that you want to be an honors student but your high school GPA isn’t high enough, it’s time to get to work. Start by reading through this guide to raising your GPA fas t, then check out this guide to getting 4.0s or higher in your classes .

Many honors colleges and programs look at your weighted GPA when determining whether you meet the minimum admission requirements. But what is a weighted GPA? Learn about the difference between weighted GPAs and unweighted GPAs , then make sure you’re calculating your weighted GPA accurately .

Another good way to get admitted into an honors college is to take advanced courses in high school. (The Penn State honors college we talked about is actually more interested in your high school course load than your GPA and test scores!) Start by learning more about what AP classes and IB classes are, then check out this guide to determining which advanced classes will work best for you .

Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions combines world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've guided thousands of students to get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit and are driven to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in:

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Ace Your National Honor Society Essay with These Tips

Entering the National Honor Society can be a student's dream and requires devotion, good grades and expanding your interests into social activities, sports, and volunteering in your community. The NHS application is a sumptuous procedure and you'll need to compose an appropriate national honor application essay to get accepted. This essay will generally work as a recapitulation of your academic history, your dreams, and aspirations and your future plans. It is a decisive part of the application and needs to be written super carefully, with flair and method.

In fact, most chapters of NHS require an essay as part of your application for membership. The philosophy behind the essay varies; it might be a broad overview description of your academic achievements so far or work as a response to a specific question set and then insert your personal touch. Difficult as it might sound, the essay is, in fact, an opportunity to develop your full personality and convince the committee that yes, you are worthy of their attention. This means that acing it is a big step towards your goal to be accepted at the NHS, and there are tips to help you in the process.

Understand the philosophy behind the essay

Before even starting to write the essay structure, it is important to fully understand the philosophy behind the essay. In general, the NHS concept is based on four pillars: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Define the criteria and prepare your thesis to meet them all. Make sure you make some preparatory notes of all your scholarships and grants, activities that would show the leader in you (i.e. captain of the school football team) and list all volunteering work you have done in the past. Remember to explain why volunteering to the specific cause is important to you and makes you passionate in your side notes-you will need them as you proceed writing the essay.

Then tell your personal story-in writing

Your life story is what makes you unique and the NHS appreciates personal journeys that are built with dedication and passion at a young age. Think of the essay as an introduction of who you actually are, where to do aim to go and then try to communicate it efficiently. Building the essay around a general idea will also help you focus; for example, if your passion is getting to college to acquire a Math Ph.D. then focus your writing on jour personal journey with Math in high school-your Grades, extra work assignments, and awards. If animals are your passion, volunteering in an animal's shelter can show your devotion to later become a vet, so work your way around it.

Introduce yourself in a professional yet unique way

Perfection is a matter of balance-and your essay should be an example of both professionalism and flair in equal doses. Don't reinvent your writing style in the process or try to experiment with writing styles that are not you. Be clever yet professional. If you are generally a funny person, add your touch with a funny intro, if your style is more academic, and then keep it simple and clean. What is important is that the style expresses your personality as much as the content and that both assist your final goal-to be accepted in the NHS.

Talk in detail about your grants and scholarship achievements

The NHS aims to include the best of the best and provide them opportunities for the future so you have to convince them you belong to the elite. Again, make a list of your grades, awards, and scholarships. Then structure a big part of your writing around them-but in detail. Speak about the grants or scholarships you won, the Physics award or about being top your class in the first semester-in this process, the more the better. Excelling in activities outside school is also important but keep that separate-your academic life should be your primary focus here. You can also list prestigious classes you attended or name the teachers you have worked with and helped you obtain your top grades-in this section, the more is the better.

Include your non-academic achievements and activities

The next step in composing your essay is to include all your community or volunteer work, your activities and hobbies. Don't just list them-the idea here is to showcase your character traits and full personality. Again, the NHS is focusing on leadership, service, and character so structure them in order to meet those criteria. Where you the captain of a sports team? Did you do volunteering work at your city's animal shelter? Or participated in the theatre group at your school? Write them all down and then describe your character and qualities through them. Creativity, leadership and a collaborative manner within a team all work in your favor so don't be shy to mention your problem-solving qualities or focus on your best moments.

Acing the essay doesn't require you exaggerating on your achievements—the board members are well seasoned and can see past an essay whose focus is to impress. The key here is to be sincere-present your qualities and then mention your flaws. Make note that yes, you do have flaws but you are working to better yourself constantly. This is the kind of devotion that can make your flaws even work in favor of your application if presented correctly. Mentioning, for example, that you are a perfectionist but you are working to leave space for more creativity in what you do cannot do you harm—on the contrary.

Structure it appropriately

Writing a long essay is an arduous task—what makes a great one stand out and grasp the attention of the reader is structure. Decide what the focus of the essay should be and then structure all your information accordingly. The focus can be your love for a specific class or your future aspiration to be a lawyer and what you do to help you get there. Start from academic achievements, then pass to grants and scholarships, then mention your non-academic activities. Double-check you are following the structure in a way that your essay is clear, easy to be read and that communicates your message. This uniqueness will also make you stand out from the crowd and be remembered.

Introduce your paper in a clever and catchy way

Another great tip is to introduce your paper in a clever and catchy way; pick a life incident that you feel is important and then develop the whole essay around it. A trip with the boy scouts, a school incident or you starring at the school play can work well if you find the right angle, the one that will showcase your devotion and wit. You can also write about your experience working with a particular teacher or on a particular project that you loved. The introduction is where you can both catch the attention of the reader and evolve your full essay after it, so be creative. Again, balance is key, so never lose sight you are actually writing a well-structured NHS essay and not the intro of a novel so stay focused throughout your writing.

Write a killer conclusion

You have written all the boring stuff, elaborated on your academic qualities and presented your community work; now it's time to close the essay with a killer conclusion the board will remember. This, in fact, is the part where you can become more creative and show that you are also good at communicating your message so use whatever you feel best represents you. A school incident where you show your values or leadership qualities can work and so can your aspiration to enter college and get the job of your dreams. More of a creative type? This is the place where you can use a famous person's saying that best represents you and elaborate on it-or a moment in your school life that has defined you.

Proofread it, and then again!

Proofreading is key; you just can't convince your readers you are a straight-A student with spelling mistakes, and even the smallest of them can very well ruin an otherwise perfect essay so be focused and double-check everything. Then have a member of your family, your teacher, or a professional editor to check it again for mistakes you can spot by using automatic spell correctors. A crown is different from a crowd but it's hard for the spell checker to spot what you are trying to say, so be extra careful. Make sure the essay flows effortlessly and that you don't exaggerate on promoting yourself—this can be alienating and not work on your favor. Be perfect but be yourself along the way.

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Writing Fellowship Essays

Your application essay is part of a complete portfolio that includes recommendation letters, transcripts, resumes, and other supporting documents. This application package should give a complete overview of your academic, service, and leadership qualities, as well as an insight into your personality, character, interests, and skills. Note that some fellowships require more that one essay, with each discussing a particular aspect of your interests and goals.

Write for the general audience

Most review committees are not specialists in the particular academic or professional field in which you are applying for graduate study and fellowship support. Thus, you should write for an educated, intelligent, and general audience, not a panel of specialists. Use terminology that can be understood by someone outside your field; avoid professional jargon and the academic passive voice; don’t over‐use rhetorical devices.

Overview of YOU

Your presentation should present a direct, honest, and enthusiastic overview of you, your interests, and your goals. Your essay should create an image of you that closely relates to the criteria stated in the fellowship description.

Read other material

Read the published application materials carefully and highlight points that you can emphasize in your essay. Your essay is an opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills while subtly revealing your personality and positively distinguishing yourself from the many other applicants.

Start early and revise

Note that most essays are limited in length, so plan on many revisions and re‐writes. Start early and allow yourself to write at least three versions, then combine, edit, and revise to arrive at a final essay that conveys your distinctive voice.

Ask others to read your essays

Ask your friends to read and comment on your essays, then re‐write and edit based on their critiques. Your faculty advisors and recommenders, as well as professional contacts, can be an important resource of advice and critiques on these essays. Comments from several readers will also help you prepare for interview questions that you might be asked based on your essay.

• Make sure that your essay is accurate and that you will be able to elaborate and intelligently discuss anything mentioned in your essay and supporting materials. • Committees seek unique, outstanding candidates; be diplomatic, but not overly modest in your writing. • Don’t guess at unstated criteria that a selection committee might seek; certainly, do not fabricate a personality to meet stated (or assumed) criteria. • Your essays are samples of your writing, thinking, and communication skills. All the rules of good writing (clarity, conviction, grammar, rhetoric) apply.

When you have a strong initial draft, review your writing with an advisor at the Texas State Writing Center; the writing advisors there, with experience in essays from many disciplines, can give you solid, helpful critiques. Make an online appointment at http://www.writingcenter.txstate.edu or by phone at 512‐245‐3018.

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Honors & Scholars Essay – My Essay and Tips for Yours!

In fall of 2015, I was preparing my Common App application for Ohio State (I submitted September 30 – so early!), and I wanted to enhance my undergraduate education by being in either an Honors program or a Scholars program. Both have their merits and benefits; it just depends what each individual seeks in their college experience. To me, Honors is a more academic-focused experience. Pros are that you can schedule earlier than the vast majority of students (even before some seniors), take classes that are smaller and cover a greater amount of material on a deeper level, and live in Honors housing. Of course, Honors courses are harder than regular classes, but some welcome this challenge! However, Scholars also offered some appealing traits; there are 17 themes for the Scholars programs, catering to different interests. You also get to live and learn with your Scholars cohort your first year on campus (it’s a requirement!) and in addition to that, you all take a 1-credit hour seminar course that counts for grade and credit! Both programs allow you to be more involved because they have activities and events exclusive to those programs. I liked Health Sciences Scholars the most, based on what I read about on the Honors & Scholars website. (https://honors-scholars.osu.edu/) However, you are not able to choose your preferences for what Scholars program you are placed into until winter or spring. (Around Christmas time, I found out I was offered to be in Scholars, and then I was told that I can choose my top 3 choices for Scholars programs at a later time.) Then March 31, I was emailed saying I got into my first choice! So yay!

It is not mandatory for those applying to OSU to apply to Honors & Scholars as well; it is a supplementary essay! If you are interested in applying, continue reading:

The prompt I had to answer for applying to Honors & Scholars was: How would your five-year-old self see you today? Considering your past experiences and your future ambitions, who do you feel you are becoming now? In what ways are those two images congruent, or divergent? (350-500 words)

I have included my entire essay for my readers! (The one I submitted to OSU) It gives you a glimpse of my life and how my childhood experiences have shaped who I am today.

Green Eggs and Ham “Let’s read Green Eggs and Ham , Mei Yi,” my mom said as she pulled out a slim hardcover book and patted her hand on the sofa, motioning me to sit beside her. I was five years old, and learning English along with my mom. At this time, she was not a U.S. citizen, so both of us were trying to understand more about American culture. I have fond childhood memories spending rainy afternoons with my mom surrounded by boxes of books and reading to my heart’s content. During elementary school, I was shy and struggled with learning two languages simultaneously. I would recede into the comforts of my mother’s arms. I would also try to conceal that I was bilingual, because I felt different and wanted to be more like my peers. When students would ask what my Chinese name was and for me to speak in my dialect, I felt like they were pointing out how different I was. When I got older, I began to realize that being different was not a bad thing. My five-year-old self would be surprised at my intellectual curiosity. I immersed myself into situations outside of my comfort zone, and soon I became accustomed to talking to strangers. In ninth grade, I completed a year-long school project collaborating with a team from the American University of Paris. I even spent a week in college dorms 100 miles from home, which forced me to adjust to unfamiliar settings. Now I am more comfortable with meeting new people and find it easier to strike up conversations. Today, my five-year-old self would see me as a role model to others and be proud of how I transformed from a timid, hesitant caterpillar into a resilient, powerful butterfly. I am becoming more confident in myself and my abilities. Although I may be nervous about conquering challenges, like public speaking, I still step up and face them head-on. Now, I take control of my future and engage in my community by volunteering at the hospital, tutoring my peers, and being a senior mentor to two freshmen. It is important to set an example for others and I want to share my experiences with them. My past and present self are congruent because we both love reading and place a high priority on learning. However, these two images are also divergent because I am more responsible and outgoing. I seize the moment and take advantage of all opportunities. I feel like I am turning into a person who doesn’t follow in someone’s footsteps or who hides in the shadows, but who forges my own path. This is part of growing up. Maybe one day I will even be courageous enough to try green eggs and ham. This is what my childhood copy of the book looked like. I can still vividly remember where I was sitting with my mom in the living room when she read to me. (I was on her left, and I was closest to the front door.) It was sometime in the evening, with the sun slowly sinking into the horizon. Thanks Mom for my earliest memory.

Tips for writing your H&S essay: – Do not make it a repeat of your resume or the rest of your application . Do not just list out a slew of achievements. Instead, focus on one particular aspect of your life (a slice of the pie) and talk in depth about that. – Brainstorm . I take pieces of plain white unlined paper and draw bubbles to make a mind-map diagram. I spend at least a half-hour freewriting, jotting down whatever pops into my head. For this specific essay, you can divide part of the paper into sections. One part can say “Five-year-old self” and “Present day self” and then list all the differences and similarities. Also, I thought about what my dream job was when I was five, and I remember myself saying “Mermaid” to my relatives. I didn’t use this idea in my essay, but it helped me recollect what I was like as a child: very imaginative yet quiet. – Ask family and friends about what you were like as a child and what they have noticed about your growth (academically, personally, etc.) They can help spark memories you may not know you have about yourself! Pull out the old scrapbooks from your house attic if you want to as well. – It may not be complete in one sitting. My essay writing took a process of a few months. Just start early and continue working on it a bit at a time. I started in August (August 1, I believe), being the proactive person I am by nature. – Have three people review it. (Just make sure you have others proof-read it besides yourself.) Actually, this number can be adjusted based on what you feel is right for you. I think I had at least five people look at my essay: my upper-class English teacher, the English teacher’s assistant, two college advisors, and my close friends. -Use Google Docs or an equivalent. With Google Docs, you can share it with others via email with a few clicks of a button, and they can comment on it while you are simultaneously looking at the document from your own device. Also, Google Docs saves your document automatically so it will not be lost if your power suddenly shuts off.

To future OSU applicants, best of luck with your essays! I hope my essay provides inspiration and my tips are helpful to you! P.S. I still have not tried green eggs and ham.

P.P.S. (7/28/17): I went to the restaurant Hangover Easy which has a wide selection of creative brunch items, and I finally tried the dish Green Eggs and Ham! It costs less than $8 and is a huge portion!

Honors at Iowa

Tips and tricks, the honors program application is available on your admissions profile..

You will not be able to access the honors application without having first been admitted to the university. A pplications are due January 12th at 11:59 PM. If you do not see the Honors application, email the admissions team at [email protected].

Application Materials

Technical issues can happen. Plan ahead . Give yourself at least a few days in advance to prepare and submit your materials. You never know when you'll experience technical difficulties.

Unofficial Transcript and Senior Year Courses

A PDF Version of Your Essay

Extenuating Circumstances (Optional)

Let's talk about test scores..

The University of Iowa Honors Program is test blind . That means that your SAT or ACT test scores will not be a factor to determine your acceptance.

Application Do's and Don'ts

Read the instructions for the transcripts, essay, and activities, twice! Then reads our tips and tricks at the link below.

Make sure you're answering the essay prompt.

Ask people to look over your materials before you submit your application! Proofreading can go a long way.

Give yourself time to submit your application. Don't wait till the last minute.

Reach out to the Admission team with any questions!

Upload unnecessary materials, such as your resume, pictures of yourself, or anything we don't ask for.

Pander. Your accomplishments and experiences are important but don't pander to the admissions office. We can see right through it.

Recycle an essay that you've written for another application, especially if it doesn't actually answer our prompt!

Get the Reddit app

This is the unofficial subreddit for the University of Florida, a public university located in Gainesville, Florida.

Honors College Essay Tips?

Just as the title says. I heard that current honors students "grade" the incoming freshmen's honors essays, so maybe a few of you have some wisdom to share? It'd be much appreciated!

I'm trying to get in the second time around (laterally), but my morale is pretty low from the first rejection :(

How to Meet National Honor Society Requirements

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"Be Bold" No-Essay Scholarship

01 Main National Honor Society Requirements
02 Role of the National Honor Society
03 NHS Eligibility Requirements
04 Obligations and Benefits of NHS Membership
05 Frequently Asked Questions About NHS Requirements

Are you a high-achieving student? As a former NHS member and graduate of a high-tier university, I can assure you that acceptance into the National Honor Society recognizes your academic efforts and boosts your college applications.

In order to apply, you'll need to meet a few requirements. These criteria can vary depending on the specifics of your local chapter, so check with them as well.

Main National Honor Society Requirements

If you fit this requirement, you're also already eligible to apply for hundreds of merit scholarships today!
Service: Complete a required number of community service hours.
Leadership: Demonstrate leadership skills through roles in school or community activities.
Character: Exhibit strong personal character and good conduct.

Don't think of these requirements as hurdles barring you from a strong college application. Instead, consider this: if you aim to exceed all the National Honor Society Requirements, you'll end up with a well-rounded student resume even if you aren't accepted.

Striving for a high GPA, community service hours, and leadership positions will be helpful to you no matter what your goals in life are. Acceptance to NHS is just an added bonus. Think of the NHS requirements as guidelines for finding success in your student career.

Role of the National Honor Society

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a prestigious organization that recognizes and encourages academic achievement, leadership, character, and service among high school students. Students can also get a head start by getting involved in the National Junior Honor Society, which is available at the middle school level.

Key benefits of NHS membership include:

Access to exclusive scholarships and awards— the NHS has awarded over 16,000 scholarships to deserving students since the organization was founded
Opportunities for leadership development and community service
Enhanced college applications with recognition from a respected organization

Create your free profile with Bold.org now for more student resources. Access hundreds of exclusive scholarships to help pay for your education and save up for college.

NHS Eligibility Requirements

Meeting the national honor society requirements is crucial for students aspiring to join an active NHS chapter. It not only showcases their dedication and hard work but also enhances their college applications.

Here are some practical tips and strategies to excel in each of the key categories: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character .

Scholarship Requirement

Meeting the scholarship requirement is a cornerstone for National Honor Society (NHS) membership. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA that meets or exceeds the minimum threshold set by their school chapter.

Minimum GPA Requirement for NHS Membership

To be eligible for NHS, students must demonstrate consistent academic excellence. Here's what you need to know:

Cumulative GPA : A cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 is usually required.
Consistency : Maintaining this GPA involves consistent performance across all subjects, not just excelling in one area.
Course Difficulty : Taking advanced placement (AP) or honors classes can also positively impact your GPA and reflect your commitment to academic rigor.

Students who demonstrate academic excellence can also apply for merit scholarships that have GPA requirements. Apply for merit scholarships by GPA today and start saving up for college.

Tips for Meeting Scholarship Requirements

Maintain a High GPA: Aim for consistency in your academic performance. Pick a plan from these regular study schedules to optimize your study sessions.
Utilize Resources: Take advantage of library resources, online courses, and study groups. These tools can help you gain a deeper understanding of challenging subjects.
Stay Organized: Keep track of assignments, tests, and project deadlines. Use planners or digital calendars to manage your time effectively.

Service Requirement

The National Honor Society emphasizes the importance of community service, holding it as one of its four pillars.

Community Service Hours

High school students aspiring to join NHS must complete a specific number of community service hours. These hours serve as a testament to your dedication and willingness to contribute to society. Each school chapter may have its own requirements , so it's crucial to check with your local NHS advisor for precise details.

Types of Volunteer Work

Service can be performed through various school or community activities, such as:

Local charities and shelters: Offer time at food banks, homeless shelters, or animal rescue centers.
School-based initiatives: Participate in clubs that promote community involvement or help organize events for secondary schools.
Environmental projects: Engage in cleanup drives, tree planting, or recycling programs.

These activities not only fulfill service hour expectations but also provide valuable experiences that can be highlighted in college applications.

Participating in community service projects often presents opportunities to showcase leadership qualities. Leading a project or coordinating volunteers can demonstrate your ability to manage and inspire others—traits highly valued by both NHS and colleges.

In addition, engaging in community service means you are eligible to apply for community service scholarships . Membership in a group like NHS will also make you a more desirable candidate for these scholarships.

Evaluation Criteria

Faculty members evaluate your community service based on the following:

Consistency: Regular involvement in service activities.
Impact: The significance and reach of your volunteer work.
Commitment: A genuine dedication to serving others over merely fulfilling hour requirements.

Understanding these criteria helps you plan meaningful activities that align with the NHS's standards. Through consistent effort and impactful contributions, fulfilling the service requirement becomes an enriching experience that promotes personal growth and readiness for future leadership roles.

Tips for Meeting Service Requirements

Volunteer Regularly: Look for ongoing volunteer opportunities in your community. Consistent service demonstrates commitment.
Join Clubs: Participate in school clubs that focus on community service. This can provide structured opportunities to earn your service hours.
Document Hours Meticulously: Keep detailed records of your service hours. This will be crucial when submitting your NHS application.

Leadership Requirement

Demonstrating leadership abilities is a cornerstone of the National Honor Society (NHS). To meet this criterion, you need to show active participation in school or community activities where you have taken on leadership roles.

Opportunities for Leadership

Leadership positions within your school's NHS chapter provide excellent opportunities to promote leadership. As a member, you can volunteer for officer roles such as president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer.

Evaluation of Leadership

Oftentimes, a faculty member will evaluate this requirement by looking at your involvement in school or community activities where you've held significant responsibilities. They assess not just the positions you've occupied but also the impact of your leadership on those around you.

Tips for Meeting Leadership Requirements

Take the initiative: Seek out leadership roles within school clubs, sports teams, or community organizations. Demonstrating initiative is key.
Attend Workshops: Participate in leadership training programs or workshops offered by schools or community centers.
Mentorship Programs: Find a mentor who can guide you through developing strong leadership skills.

Character Requirement

Exemplifying strong character traits and maintaining a clean disciplinary record is crucial for National Honor Society (NHS) members.

1. Strong Moral Values

Members are expected to demonstrate integrity, honesty, and respect in their interactions within the school chapter and broader community.

2. Clean Disciplinary Record

A spotless record indicates a commitment to upholding school rules and community standards. Any infractions could jeopardize your eligibility.

3. Community Involvement

Participation in school or community activities that reflect positively on your character is important. Whether through community service hours or involvement in school clubs, these efforts highlight your dedication to making voluntary contributions for the betterment of society.

4. Evaluation by Faculty Members

Your character will be assessed by faculty members who observe your daily interactions and contributions. They play an active role in determining if you meet the criteria for membership based on your conduct and ethical behavior.

Tips for Meeting Character Requirements

Model Integrity: Always act with honesty and integrity both inside and outside school. Your actions reflect your character.
Engage Positively: Treat peers, teachers, and community members with respect and kindness.

Obligations and Benefits of NHS Membership

Being part of the National Honor Society (NHS) comes with specific commitments and significant advantages that can shape your academic and personal journey.

Commitments Expected from NHS Members

As an NHS member, you are expected to:

Attend Meetings Regularly : Consistent participation in local chapter meetings is crucial. It ensures you're up-to-date with events, projects, and announcements.
Engage in Community Service : Volunteer work forms a core aspect of NHS membership. Each chapter has its own set of required service hours that you must fulfill.
Exhibit Leadership and Character : Uphold the values of leadership and character both within and outside the school environment. This means maintaining respectful behavior, helping peers, and leading by example.

Advantages of NHS Membership

NHS membership offers numerous benefits:

Enhanced College Applications : Colleges and universities view NHS membership as a mark of distinction.
Scholarship Opportunities : Many scholarships prioritize or exclusively consider applicants who are part of honor societies like NHS.
Networking Opportunities : Connect with like-minded peers, mentors, and professionals through various NHS events and network opportunities.
Skill Development : Gain valuable skills such as leadership, time management, teamwork, and organization through active participation in NHS activities.

The National Honor Society isn't just about meeting requirements; it's about embracing opportunities for growth, making a positive impact on your community, and preparing for future success.

Frequently Asked Questions About NHS Requirements

Can you re-apply for membership in the national honor society.

Yes, students can apply again if they are initially rejected from the NHS. You are unlikely to receive personalized feedback on why your application didn't make it the first time. Before you reapply, check that you have met all the requirements.

Ask peers or a trusted faculty member to look over your application and provide advice on what you could change to increase your odds of acceptance. You may also want to give it some time and improve certain areas of your application— for example, adding more community service projects— before you apply again.

How can I find opportunities for community service to fulfill the service hours requirement?

Finding community service opportunities can be straightforward:

Local Chapter: Check with your school's NHS advisor or local chapter for approved volunteer activities.
Community Organizations: Partner with local non-profits, libraries, hospitals, or shelters.
Online Platforms: Use websites like VolunteerMatch or local community boards to find events and organizations needing help.

How many hours of community service are required for membership in the National Honor Society?

The specific number of service hours varies by school and chapter. Generally, expect to complete around 20-30 hours per year. Always verify the exact requirements with your local chapter or faculty council.

Bold.org is committed to providing free resources to students. Sign up for a Bold.org profile and start applying for scholarships today! Make sure to check out the scholarship blog for helpful tips and tricks students can use in their everyday lives.

About Elise

Elise is a skilled and knowledgeable writer. Her understanding of scholarships and internships enables her to craft insightful and informative content that resonates with students, helping them navigate the often complex processes of applying for financial aid and career opportunities.

Elise graduated from New York University with a double major in English and Psychology, as well as a minor in Creative Writing.

Through challenging university coursework and corporate experience, Elise has become an expert in several different types of writing, including literary analysis, content pieces, formal scientific writing, SEO editing, and more. Elise expanded on her knowledge while interning in marketing, using her understanding of SEO to boost website traffic and customer engagement.

She’s published a short story in The Foundationalist literary magazine and has also won several short story writing awards at the regional and international levels. Elise loves to craft content that helps students navigate college life and scholarship applications. She makes use of syntax and tone to write readable, engaging pieces. Elise has a solid understanding of linguistics and grammatical structures across multiple languages thanks to her fluency in English and proficiency in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Elise first joined Bold.org in 2022 during her undergraduate studies, explored other pursuits in 2023, and happily returned in 2024 as a Content Writer. Motivated by her writing skills, she aims to make educational resources more accessible for students of all backgrounds. Additionally, she believes it's important to add to the available information on student loans and student finances in a way that's user-friendly and easy to understand.

Quote from Elise

“I try to create content that would have helped my younger self— stuff I wish I knew when I was starting college.”

Mastering dependent clauses: definition, examples, & rules, 9 tips for applying for fafsa as new, simplified form rolls out this year, 7 ways to make the most of your bold points.

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Today In History: Thoreau Moves to Walden Pond

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not yet lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation unless it was quite necessary..."

-- Henry David Thoreau, Walden , "What I Lived For," p. 98.

On July 4th, 1845 essayist and philosopher Henry David Thoreau moved at the age of twenty-eight to the northern shore of Walden Pond, south of the village of Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau built a small cabin and modestly lived in semi-isolation there for two years, writing his masterwork, Walden; or Life in the Woods. His influential book comprised eighteen essays on nature, labor, self-reliance, and individualism -- inspired by simple living and transcendental beliefs.

Thoreau was among a group of influential nineteenth century transcendentalist writers that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody , Margaret Fuller, and Louisa May Alcott. Their broad, progressive views on education embraced the whole child, individualism and independence, interconnectedness with nature, and the ultimate goal of happiness. The New England movement reacted against science, rationalism, and typical norms and standards that sought meaning and truth in a more conservative and structured society.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers , which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

Longstreth, B. T. M. (1945/07/01/, 1945 Jul 01). The Man Who Sought Peace with Himself: A Century Ago Henry Thoreau Moved to Walden Pond to Learn the Art of Living. The Man Who Sought Peace . New York Times (1923-)
Concord to Honor Thoreau July 4 at Walden Pond . (1945/07/03/, 1945 Jul 03). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-)
Flower of New England . (1945/07/05/, 1945 Jul 05). The Washington Post (1923-1954)
Willard, D. (1954/08/09/, 1954 Aug 09). Thoreau's Walden Pond Unchanged After Century . Daily Boston Globe (1928-1960)
Charon, C. (1957/08/06/, 1957 Aug 06). What People Talk About: Leave Walden Pond As It Is; Nectar and Ambrosia for Spirit . Daily Boston Globe (1928-1960)
Hazeltoln, J. (1969/11/30/, 1969 Nov 30). Pilgrimage to Thoreau's Hut . Boston Globe (1960-)
Anderson, Q.(1971/07/04/, 1971 Jul 04). Thoreau on July 4: The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau: Walden . New York Times (1923-)
Theroux, A. (1995/08/20/, 1995 Aug 20). On Walden Pond . Chicago Tribune (1963-1996)
Heitman, D. (2010/07/02/, 2010 Jul 02). Fourth of July and Thoreau Remind Us That US Progress Is Linked with Its Ecology: If War Is a Way of Teaching Americans Geography, Then Environmental Disasters Such as the BP Oil Spill Seem to Be the Primary Way that Americans Learn About Ecology . The Christian Science Monitor (1908-)
Heitman, D. (2011/07/04/, 2011 Jul 04). Fourth of July: An Excellent Day to Stay Home: On July 4, 1845, Henry David Thoreau Took the First 'Staycation' and Authors Have Been Debating Its Merits Ever Since . The Christian Science Monitor (1908-)

Cain, W. E. (Ed.). (2023). A Historical Guide to Henry David Thoreau (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. e-book.
Jones, J. (1955). Index to Walden, with Notes, Map, and Vocabulary Lists . Hemphill. e-book
Thoreau, H.D. (1882, c1854). Wald en . Houghton Mifflin. e-book .
Thoreau, H. D. (1990). Walden . Courage Books. e-book .
Thoreau, H. D., & Cramer, J. S. . ed. (2004). Walden: A Fully Annotated Edition . Yale University Press. e-book.
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. (1907 - 1908). Thoreau's Cove, Lake Walden, Concord, Mass . Courtesy of New York Public Library.
Poster Image by N. Matsubara, Walden (Artist’s Print), 1970, from the Federico Castellon Memorial Print Collection , Courtesy of Teachers College, Columbia University.

Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of news from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context. Be sure to check additional Cafe News postings on the library blog.

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Bride releases butterflies in honor of her late father. But they didn’t fly away

Amy Rose Perry always knew she wanted to release monarch butterflies at her Cape Cod wedding in honor of her father, Nathaniel Machain, who died on Aug. 5, 1999 when she was just 7 years old.

When she opened the box at the end of her wedding ceremony on June 14, the butterflies were supposed to fly away. Instead, they landed on her dress and stayed there, accompanying her as she and her new husband, Matthew Perry, walked down the aisle at the end of their wedding ceremony.

Perry's wedding photographer Brit Perkins posted a reel of the special moment, which has since received 23 million views to date.

Butterflies can be a powerful symbol of anyone who has lost a loved one, but in Perry's case, they're especially significant.

"A year after my dad passed at noon on August 5," Perry tells TODAY.com, "I was on a hike with my mom and my sister and some family friends, and at exactly noon on August 5, a monarch butterfly came and flew close to us and landed on myself, my sister and my mom."

At the time, Perry was only 8 but clearly recalls that memory as "a pretty profound, crazy moment."

Perry firmly believes in signs from loved ones who have passed on, and since then, she has seen monarch butterflies on Father's Day and her father's birthday on more than one occasion. Monarchs have "always been a powerful, powerful sense of my father's presence," she says.

Her dad, Nathaniel Machain, had appendix cancer, which wasn't caught until it had already metastasized. Three years after the diagnosis, he died at the age of 36.

Perry describes her father as a man who filled every room with warmth and joy, turning everyday moments into cherished memories.

"The biggest thing I remember about him was his selflessness," Perry shares. "He always put others before himself, especially while battling cancer. He really taught me the value of generosity and compassion."

Her father even spent part of his last years writing cards to Perry and her younger sister, Molly Machain, for the childhood milestones they would experience without him, like birthdays and graduations.

"But what I did not know was that he wrote me a card for my wedding," Perry says. "My mom gave it to me after my bridal shower, which was smart because it would have been even more emotional on my wedding day."

Perry says the card began with: "'Out of all the cards I've written, this is the most difficult.'"

Because she had read most of her father's cards when she was younger, reading this card as an adult affected her in a completely new way.

"This time, I really saw the cards for their meaning from his perspective, and just how painful it was to put pen to paper and realize you will never walk your daughter down the aisle. It's just so powerful that he had the wherewithal and the forethought to give me something so special," she says. Planning her wedding "has been a difficult process without him."

Because Perry didn't have her dad to walk her down the aisle, her mother, Janice Mills, whom Perry calls "my hero," was by her side instead. Perry attributes many of her memories of her father to Mills, who took lots of pictures and videos before Nathaniel Machain passed.

Perry scheduled the butterfly release to occur at the end of her wedding ceremony. While she "didn't expect much of the butterflies themselves," Perry "had a feeling it would be emotional" because the music that she chose to play for that moment had an overlay of her father's voice saying, "One hug and kiss for my 'girlie whirlies!'" which is what he called Perry and her sister.

Once the butterflies were released out of the box, they settled all over the bride's dress. They also landed — and stayed — on the groom's boutonnière (or as Perry put it, "over his heart"), and on her sister’s Maid of Honor bouquet.

"Wow, it was surreal," Perry says of that moment. "I have never felt his presence more in my in my life."

The butterflies accompanied Perry until she changed from her wedding heels into more comfortable sneakers. Most of them flew off on their own, but a few seemed a bit reluctant to leave. Perry says she had to "help" those last few fly away.

"It was it was as if the butterflies were reassuring us that love endures, that he's always with us and his memory will always be a part of our lives. And it was just crazy. It's a reminder that some of the most meaningful, beautiful moments are ones that unfold in unexpected ways."

Rosie Colosi lives in New Jersey and is a reporter for TODAY Parents. She has bylines in The Atlantic, The Week, MSNBC, and PureWow, and she has written 33 nonfiction children's books for Scholastic, Klutz, and Nat Geo Kids. Once upon a time, she played Mrs. Claus in "The Rockettes' Radio City Christmas Spectacular," but now she mostly sings songs from "Annie" to her two daughters … while they beg her to play Kidz Bop.

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The Morning

Developing your taste.

The meals that we love are informed as much by the experience of eating them as by the flavor of the food itself.

In an illustration, a leafy salad is made to look like a forest, with lettuce rising like trees. A hiker stands at the end of a trail composed of croutons.

By Melissa Kirsch

This week, the Caesar salad celebrated its 100th birthday. I hadn’t ever considered the age of the Caesar before reading the Times article on its origins , but I think I would have assumed it was born in the 1970s, maybe in a steakhouse in San Francisco. So I was surprised to learn that the American menu mainstay was, according to a new book, invented in Tijuana in 1924 by a charismatic Italian restaurateur named Cesare Cardini who prepared the salad in a theatrical tableside performance that enchanted the glamorous Americans who, during Prohibition, streamed into Mexico to drink, smoke and revel. (The exact details of the origin story are the subject of some dispute among historians.)

I have, for what feels like 100 years now, been trying to replicate at home the Caesar dressing found at a popular Manhattan restaurant from which I used to get a salad every single day, until I realized I was going to have to dip into my 401(k) if I didn’t figure out an alternative. I’ve meticulously titrated the dressing’s ingredients in my kitchen laboratory, increasing oil and reducing acid, doubling the Parmesan and tripling the Dijon. I’ve experimented with MSG and even, in a brief moment of delirium, created my own dried anchovy powder to sprinkle on top. The Caesar salads I’ve created are fine, maybe even good, but they’re not the same as the desk lunches of my obsession.

In honor of the Caesar’s centennial, I brought my beloved restaurant salad to Sam Sifton, the founding editor of NYT Cooking and the most thoughtful home chef I know, to see if he could give me pointers for recreating it. He had some tips — try Worcestershire instead of anchovies, grind the Parmesan in a food processor, add more black pepper than I might think prudent.

But then he suggested, in the nicest way possible (I think), that my goal of trying to reproduce this restaurant’s salad was never going to lead to satisfaction. Why try so hard to recreate something that already exists when I could spend my time making my own version, or making something else entirely? This dressing came from a big kitchen and was made in batches vast enough to feed hordes of Midtown office workers. Cooking at home, I’d have none of those constraints and could create something excellent according to my own standards.

I felt a little foolish after talking to Sam, like a child who can’t entertain that there might be foods they’d enjoy besides hot dogs and buttered noodles. Why was I so determined to replicate this salad? Why couldn’t I just let it be a thing I liked, and knew where to get, without needing to harness it? And how good was it really? This was a takeout salad I usually ate mindlessly, and in a hurry, at my desk. In the bustle of a stressful work day, a salad that under other conditions might be just decent can be transporting simply because it’s providing sustenance.

When I asked Pati Jinich, the writer of the Times story on the Caesar’s 100th birthday, why she thought this salad from Tijuana became such a global phenomenon, she said it had as much to do with the excitement of anything-goes, Prohibition-era Tijuana and the charming theatricality of Cesare Cardini as the salad itself. “It was the moment, the man and the dish,” she said. People liked the salad, sure, but what they really liked, what really made it special, was the experience of being in Cardini’s checkered-floor restaurant when he wheeled over his fresh ingredients and whipped up the salad in a big wooden bowl.

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Honors College Essay: Tips, Prompt Examples and How to Write
An Honors College essay is unique in terms of its requirements, structure, and background. The purpose of this article is to provide advice on writing and structuring an Honors College essay. People Also Read: SAT Essay Cancellation: Before College Registration Process. Which Universities do Ask for Honors College Essay 1.
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Regardless of what you may have been told in school, write a straightforward descriptive essay that directly addresses the question asked. Avoid clichéd, generic, and predictable writing, such as "I want to help people." This is particularly applicable to essays for accelerated program candidates. Do not quote our own description of our program.
Application Tips
MAKE YOUR ESSAY STAND OUT FROM THE REST. Our admissions team wishes you the best as you complete your Common Application and the Honors College essay! Here are a few tips, recommendations, and resources you can use. The Honors essay is your opportunity to share your personality and your writing ability - it helps the committee better ...
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Honors Essay Prompt Tips. Honors Essays should add additional information to your UW application - don't repeat what you've already written in your general UW essays. Remember that Honors admissions reviews your entire UW application as part of the holistic review process. Read the prompts carefully and try your best to respond to the ...
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Moody Honors Communication Essay Prompt. Moody Honors requires a short answer submission on the following topic in addition to the Why Honors short answer prompt. This prompt is the same from Fall 2019. "It's been said that knowledge is power, but it could also be said that communication is power.
A Great Pitt Honors College Essay Example
The area that could use the most improvement in this essay is the last paragraph dedicated to Pitt. Although it's great that this student took the extra step to include how attending the Honors College will allow them to achieve their goals, the paragraph is a bit vague. To improve it, there should be more specific details, about classes ...
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Clark Honors College essay instructions: The Honors College strives to be a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive place. When faculty and staff review the applications, they are looking to see how you think and how your mind works. The best essays: demonstrate effective storytelling. include thoughtful analysis. synthesize themes in a meaningful way.
How to Write a Winning Honors College Essay?
3 Tips to Showcase Your Unique Experiences in an Honors College Essay. Let's take a look at some honors college essay tips on how you can convey both your personality and unique experiences compactly: Tell a Story. Like any good story, your honors college essay should follow a narrative arc.
An Essay on the Essay: Writing Tips and Quips for ...
Now on to the tips! 1. Take the essay seriously. Your GPA and test scores matter, but the essay is very important, too. Stellar grades look great on an application and can testify to your impeccable study habits, but grades say relatively little about your personality. The prompt asks that you "avoid platitudes and checklists of ...
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Do not reuse common application or scholarship essays you have already written - it should be evident that you wrote a new essay in response to the question we have asked. Use the space you are given. We ask for a maximum of 750 words, but have not specified a minimum. While we see great essays at a variety of lengths, students who reach less ...
Essay Guide
Tips for Completing Your Honors Essay. Length: Approximately 500 to 600 words; Your essay will be assessed on content as well as form (spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure). Take care when writing your essay; be sure to edit and proofread before you submit. It is an important element of your application to Honors.
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The "Honors" section of the Common Application is every ambitious student's dream: a space made specifically for you to list the fruits of your hard work and effort in high school. The awards and honors you select to populate the five spaces need to demonstrate your talents and accomplishments, all while fitting into a brief 100 characters.
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Here are five strategies: 1. Make it Personal and Individual. Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life.
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Hey there! Writing an essay for an honors program can be a great opportunity to showcase your achievements, ambitions, and individuality. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling essay: 1. Read the prompt and requirements carefully: Before writing, make sure you understand what the honors program is looking for in their applicants.
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This guide explains how to write an essay for honors college. Requirements for honors college include an extra essay. Students often wonder how to write a college essay for honors college, and this guide will help. Some topics include: how to choose a topic for your admissions essay, how to get started, style tips for college essays, and how to edit a college essay.
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2 (100-word) required essays; 2 (500-word) Purdue Honors College essays (required if applying to the Honors College) Purdue Essay Tip: We recommend answering both Purdue University supplemental essays comprehensively and thoughtfully, highlighting in each of your Purdue essays why Purdue is the perfect school for you.
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Instead, an honors college is a program that exceptional high school students can apply to and enroll in while completing a traditional bachelor's degree. Put another way, an honors college one of a number of colleges on a university campus. Just like the college of arts and sciences or the business college, an honors college is another on ...
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Start writing essays early to allow time for research and editing. Grab the reader's attention immediately with a compelling story. Answer questions directly with sound grammar and style. With so ...
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Entering the National Honor Society can be a student's dream and requires devotion, good grades and expanding your interests into social activities, sports, and volunteering in your community. The NHS application is a sumptuous procedure and you'll need to compose an appropriate national honor application essay to get accepted. This essay will generally work as a recapitulation of your ...
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Honors & Scholars Essay - My Essay and Tips for Yours! April 12 2017. In fall of 2015, I was preparing my Common App application for Ohio State (I submitted September 30 - so early!), and I wanted to enhance my undergraduate education by being in either an Honors program or a Scholars program. Both have their merits and benefits; it just ...
Tips and Tricks
Then reads our tips and tricks at the link below. Make sure you're answering the essay prompt. Ask people to look over your materials before you submit your application! Proofreading can go a long way. Give yourself time to submit your application. Don't wait till the last minute. Reach out to the Admission team with any questions! Upload ...
Honors College Essay Tips? : r/ufl
From my understanding, most people want to be in the Honors College because of perceived prestige, when that is not really the case. The only discernable benefit is the early registration, which I wager is not the driving force behind most peoples drive to apply to the Honors College. More often than not, not being in the Honors College is no ...
How to Meet National Honor Society Requirements
Meeting the national honor society requirements is crucial for students aspiring to join an active NHS chapter. It not only showcases their dedication and hard work but also enhances their college applications. Here are some practical tips and strategies to excel in each of the key categories: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Barnegat Police Honor Sergeant Wayne Eslinger after his Final ...
BARNEGAT, NJ - On Thursday, June 27, friends, family, and fellow officers gathered outside police headquarters to honor Sergeant Wayne Eslinger on his final walkout from the Barnegat Township...
Today In History: Thoreau Moves to Walden Pond
His influential book comprised eighteen essays on nature, labor, self-reliance, and individualism -- inspired by simple living and transcendental beliefs. ... Concord to Honor Thoreau July 4 at Walden Pond. (1945/07/03/, 1945 Jul 03). The Christian Science Monitor ... Tips: Cain, W. E. (Ed.). (2023). A Historical Guide to Henry David Thoreau ...
Bride Releases Butterflies At Wedding In Honor of Her Late Father
Amy Rose Perry always knew she wanted to release monarch butterflies at her Cape Cod wedding in honor of her father, Nathaniel Machain, who died on Aug. 5, 1999 when she was just 7 years old.
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Honors College Essay: Tips, Prompt Examples and How to Write

Which Universities do Ask for Honors College Essay

2. VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University)

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