penn state schreyer honors college supplemental essays

Prompt's How-to Guide for the Penn State Schreyer Honor College Essay

How to nail the penn state schreyer honors college application: a step-by-step guide to writing a winning essay..

If you’re applying to Penn State’s Schreyer Honors program, you need to prove yourself from minute one: they’ve got three required essays that are all about showing off your critical reasoning skills.

For a cheat sheet on how to think this through and structure your essays, check out our Penn State Schreyer Honors essay guide for 2020-21 , drawn from our long experience at Prompt helping applicants get accepted. And if you’d also like personalized guidance from people who’ve done this thousands of times, get started with us here .

Penn State supplemental essay prompt for 2020-2021 for the Schreyer Honors program

• "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable." What does this statement mean to you and can it affect what you do?
• What is fairness in the world? Is merit always the pinnacle of fairness in education?
• We hear a lot about effective leadership but typically, leadership implies that there are followers. What is effective followership?

2023-24 Penn State Supplemental Essay – Prompt and Tips

September 6, 2023

With an acceptance rate still above 50%, it would be easy to misjudge how challenging the Penn State admissions landscape truly is. In fact, those entering the famed University Park campus sport mid-50 SATs of 1270-1450. They also boast an unweighted GPA range of 3.59-3.93 . Additionally, successful applicants in 2023-24 should prepare to write a strong Penn State supplemental essay.

(Want to learn more about How to Get Into Penn State? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Penn State University: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

In a competitive admissions environment, every piece of the Penn State application takes on a high level of importance. Therefore, it is vital that all Nittany Lion applicants dedicate a significant amount of time to this optional essay. Below is the lone PSU supplemental prompt for the 2023-24 admissions cycle along with our advice for composing a winning essay.

Penn State Supplemental Essay Prompt #1 (Optional)

Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at penn state. this is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. we suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer..

This essay is technically “optional” but all serious applicants should view it as mandatory. Unlike many “optional” essays that may or may not apply to you (e.g. COVID impact, gap in education, gender identity etc.), just about every applicant has at least one extracurricular or experience worth elaborating on.

The activity/experience angle

With this prompt, Penn State is not necessarily asking you to write about the activity where you earned the most prestigious awards. Nor are they looking for the one where you held the highest position of leadership. The university is going to see all of your activities in that section of the Common App. As such, you want to ask yourself which of your entries is crying out for more explanation and detail. Which one is closest to your heart and most representative of your unique passions? Pick the option that will allow you to deliver additional detail that may be memorable to the admissions reader. For example, you may be a volunteer EMT and have compelling, drama-filled experiences to share.

Alternatively, you may have worked in local restaurant and learned more about the lives of your undocumented coworkers. Start this process by asking, “What is the most interesting and consequential moment I have experienced in my extracurricular activities?”

If you can identify one clear-cut moment, that is likely the activity worth sharing with the Penn State admissions staff.

The more broad “about you” angle

Of course, this prompt has a wider scope than just an activity. You can also take this opportunity to share something personal. After completing your Common App, is there anything that you have yet to share that is absolutely elemental to who you are as a person/student? Without the benefit of an in-person interview, it may feel like you never fully had a chance to connect intimately with a PSU admissions officer. Perhaps you have not communicated the full you, your true essence, your je ne sais quoi. If you feel something important about yourself has yet to be communicated elsewhere in the application, then this essay is about to become your best friend.

Consider that the admissions reader is already familiar with your academic history, activities, and awards. What don’t they know, or, what could they understand on a deeper level. This could be a particular skill or talent or something about your character or personality. On the other hand, you may wish to speak more about your passions, hobbies, ideas, or beliefs. Any of those options are perfectly fine!

This one is intentionally open-ended so use this space to share your most cherished accomplishments or most winning attributes. The university itself is, in essence, inviting you to make a “closing argument” at the end of this admissions trial.

How important is the Penn State supplemental essay?

The essays (the Common App essay and supplemental essay) are not among the most important factors to the admissions committee. GPA and the rigor of one’s courses are at the top of the list. However, the essays can help borderline applicants push themselves over the edge toward an acceptance.

Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

Lastly, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Penn State supplemental essay, we encourage you to  get a quote  today.

• College Essay

Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

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How to Nail the Penn State Schreyer Honor College Essay

The penn state schreyer honors college application, and how to nail it (2020-2021)..

If you’re applying for Penn State’s Schreyer Honors program, you’ve got to get over an interesting hurdle. Three of the trickiest - but also most thought-provoking - additional essay prompts in college admissions.

To set yourself up for success with this, take a look at our Penn State Schreyer Honors essay guide for 2020-21 , drawn from our long experience at Prompt helping applicants get accepted. And if you’d also like personalized guidance from people who’ve done this thousands of times, get started with us here .

Penn State supplemental essay prompt for 2020-2021 for the Schreyer Honors program

• "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable." What does this statement mean to you and can it affect what you do?
• What is fairness in the world? Is merit always the pinnacle of fairness in education?
• We hear a lot about effective leadership but typically, leadership implies that there are followers. What is effective followership?

Prompt's tip: While there's no word limit, we recommend sticking to 250-650 words per essay.

Join the Schreyer Honors College Admissions

The Schreyer Honors College is consistently ranked as one of the nation's top honors programs. Discover why by visiting us and learning more about what it means to be a Scholar.

Choose Your Path Apply to Schreyer

• First-Year Students
• Current Students

Applying to colleges takes thought and research, but it shouldn't be stressful. Our application process is designed to find students who are high achievers but who are also active in their communities and want to explore new frontiers. We want to learn about you as you learn about us.

Dates & Deadlines

August 1 applications available online, november 1 penn state early action deadline, november 1 optional interview deadline for schreyer applicants, december 4 final application deadline, on or before march 1 admissions decisions announced.

Thinking of adding a new element to your Penn State experience? First- and second-year students may apply to join the Schreyer Honors College and enjoy benefits that include early course scheduling, financial support for research and travel opportunities, and much more.

March 15 Application available online

May 15 application deadline, june - july admissions decisions announced, see for yourself visit schreyer.

Getting a feel for the place you will be spending the next part of your life is important. A visit to the Schreyer Honors College will allow you to meet current students and Honors College staff, check out residential halls and classrooms, and picture yourself as a Scholar.

What Sets Us Apart The Schreyer Advantage

Graduating from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State opens up a world of opportunity — from top-tier graduate programs to employment by leaders in commerce and industry.

You get a lot of support and help with your educational goals. You have your own personalized honors adviser to help you and check your schedule for you. The honors classes you can take really enrich your understanding of whatever subject you’re trying to learn. Maria Smereka ' 23 Biology

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What are your chances of acceptance?

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Extracurriculars.

2 Successful Penn State Essay Examples

What’s covered:, essay example 1 – calligraphy, essay example 2 – collaborative learning, where to get feedback on your essay .

Penn State University is a selective research university. Writing a strong essay can help your application stand out. In this post, we’ll go over an essay a real student submitted to Penn State University and outline their strengths and areas of improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Penn State essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Prompt: Please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State. This is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. (500 words)

When I started high school, I often had crumpled wads of paper sprinkled around my room and pens all over my desk. I was learning how to write in calligraphy but clearly, it was not going well. One stroke up and one stroke down to form each letter. It seemed very easy but my letters looked lopsided. I kept working on it and ruined many envelopes but for some reason, it was just not clicking. I decided to stop practicing and leave it alone. It was just an extra skill anyway so, no harm done.

Much later, I was really bored on a rainy Saturday with nothing to do. I figured “hey, maybe I’ll give calligraphy another shot”. I busted out more paper from the printer and my favorite Tombow Fudenosuke pens to get to work. I kept practicing the upstrokes and downstrokes but now, I was thinking less and feeling more. My hands started to move gracefully across the page with beautiful lettering left behind. My block had been mental and now finally, I could write in calligraphy. I have many experiences like this and they have all shaped me to realize that I want to become the most beautiful version of myself, like calligraphy is compared to regular writing.

At Penn State, I will strive to become more polished and refined. College will not be my final draft, rather it will consist of more editing. I know that I love science but now is the time for me to refine my interests. I can put my up and down strokes together to form letters. I look forward to taking advantage of the unique classes PSU has such as Science, Ethics, Policy, and Law, or Biology of Aging. These will create words.

I can intern at the Fox Chase Cancer Center to understand the ins and outs of a career in medicine and to interact with patients. I can be responsible for others besides myself in a different light and learn from other healthcare professionals. These experiences will help me form elegant sentences.

I will learn to make time for other things besides schoolwork to make my letters varied. I will be cheering in the stands on Football Saturdays, decked out in white for the white-out game. I can spend time with friends outside of Berkey Creamery in between classes. I can have dinner with my roommate on the other side of Pollock Road. I aim to have a holistic experience at Penn State and focus on more than just academics because I am more than my grades.  

My experiences at PSU will make me refined just like the sophisticated letters on my graduation invitations. I can picture it now: PSU in huge writing. The only question is, blue or white?

What the Essay Did Well

This essay is brilliantly written like a “ Why This College ” essay, where the writer shares specific information about activities they would get involved in if they were a student at Penn State University. Sharing details specific to Penn State University, such as “Berkey Creamery” and “Pollock Road,” shows that the student has done their research about the school and is excited about the possibility of attending. The writer also shares a variety of things about the school that they like. They share potential classes, internships, and events they’d participate in as a student. All of this helps the admissions committee see the writer as a student at Penn State University–which, as a hopeful student, is a great thing!

The language at the beginning is beautiful and pulls the reader into the story. Imagery like “crumpled wads of paper sprinkled around my room” and “one stroke up and one stroke down” paint a picture for the reader that clearly shows what the writer is saying. It also helps highlight a student’s talent at writing. 

Finally, by referencing calligraphy throughout the essay, the writer connects the two parts of the prompt together, an activity they like and how they’re going to succeed at Penn State University. This creates great continuity and flow throughout the essay. When you write your essay, reflect on how all the pieces and answers to each part of the prompt (if there are multiple) work together to contribute to your overall message.

What Could Be Improved 

This essay has a lot of sentences that start in a similar manner. There’s a lot of “I can…”, “I will…”, or “I” followed by another verb. It’s important to vary your sentence structure so that the essay flows better and doesn’t sound repetitive. Instead of ”I can intern at the Fox Chase Cancer Center to understand the ins and outs of a career in medicine,” the writer could have said something like, “Interning at the Fox Chase Cancer Center would help me to understand the ins and outs of a career in medicine.” This isn’t a big change, but it will help improve the overall style of the essay. This is a common problem in a “ Why School? ” essay when students write about what they would do as a student at a particular college, so make sure to look out for it. 

While this essay does a great job overall of being specific, there are moments where the writer could have provided more details. For example, they wrote: “I have many experiences like this… ” It would have been better if the writer had briefly specified these experiences. They could have written: “This experience and others like learning photography and to play the piano have shaped me to realize that I want to become the most beautiful version of myself.” This would provide more information about the writer’s interests and life that the reader wouldn’t otherwise learn. 

The clock ticked 09:25 a.m., exactly an hour left for my exam. Unlike other exam days, I was nervous. Well, it was understandable, I had spent a whole 2 months in a hospital bed and another week or two recovering and flushing out the heavy doses of medicines out of my body. Dizziness was still there, however platelet count has only crossed the bare minimum mark. My attention span dropped drastically and I found it hard to focus for longer hours.

Only I knew how I managed to climb up the stairs to the 3rd floor and walk across the classroom in midst of all the concerning and questioning gazes of “Where Have You  Been?” 

I was just setting up my books and stationary, when my friend came up and asked for my help in some topic related to the exam. It was in no means new, we usually discussed after our lectures and cleared our doubts. I’ve always believed that peers understand our perspective better than teachers, because they are as new to the topic as myself.  

I spent another 20 minutes explaining and making her understand the concepts. It turned out 2 more classmates had the same doubts and we ended up revising the whole chapter, along with quick summaries of other chapters as well.

The bell rang and it was time for the exam. We followed the same ritual for the following exams. We were 9 classmates; discussing problems, giving explanations and finding solutions, and giving our 100% in exams. Unknowingly we formed this study group that continued the whole academic session and helped us in the best way possible.

I wonder if it was my instinct for feeling responsible and agreeing on helping out my classmates or I was grateful that she helped me in escaping the questions coming my way that day.

This experience didn’t only help me in accelerating my studies, but also as I listened and asked questions, I soon noticed a variety of viewpoints and approaches to the same idea and problem. This helped me in developing critical thinking skills and collaboration abilities. 

This is an excellent practice for when I’ve finished school and out where I will find myself in similar group dynamics.

This type of prompt is extremely open-ended: tell us something (anything!) that shows that you could succeed at Penn State. While you have the freedom to say whatever you want, it is imperative that you pick a focus for your essay and stick to it. You don’t want to confuse or overwhelm your reader by going in a million directions at once. 

This writer does an excellent job of keeping their essay cohesive and easy to follow by structuring everything around one particular experience they had doing some last-minute studying before a test. Through their discussion of this experience, we learn that:

• They are REFLECTIVE — With the line “I wonder if it was my instinct for feeling responsible and agreeing on helping out my classmates or I was grateful that she helped me in escaping the questions coming my way that day,” the student shows their capacity for mature reflection after an experience.
• They are CARING — The fact that this student did not hesitate to help other students (who are presumably competition) shows kindness and selflessness.
• They are INSIGHTFUL — The sentence “I’ve always believed that peers understand our perspective better than teachers, because they are as new to the topic as myself” shows that this student observes the world around them thoughtfully, and trusts their powers of observation, even when they lead them to somewhat unconventional realizations.
• They are A LEADER — As the student describes the events of the morning, they position their informal leadership role as extremely natural. They are not a leader because it will improve their resume or win them awards, but because they want to share their skills with others.
• They are OPEN-MINDED — The collaborative approach to learning they describe doesn’t work without open-mindedness. This student recognizes the importance of diverse viewpoints.

While this essay is focused, the student also cashes in on the prompt’s suggestion that they tell admissions officers something that can’t be found elsewhere in their application. For this student, it’s their medical struggles during high school. 

We finish this essay with a much clearer understanding of what traits define this student, which helps humanize them in our eyes and better envision them as a member of the Penn State community.

While this student successfully seizes the opportunity to enlighten admissions officers about the medical adversity they have faced, the connection between their first few paragraphs (about medical struggles) and their later paragraphs (about collaborative learning) could be established earlier and more clearly.

It is not until the sentence “I wonder if it was my instinct for feeling responsible and agreeing on helping out my classmates or I was grateful that she helped me in escaping the questions coming my way that day” that things start to come together. Here, readers have this moment where we think: “Oh, the impromptu tutoring session helped the student to avoid questions about their medical situation. I get it now.” If the student had teased this connection earlier, confusion would have been avoided.

For example, after “I was just setting up my books and stationary, when my friend came up and asked for my help in some topic related to the exam,” the student could add:

“‘She saved me,’ I thought to myself.”

Or, after the sentence “I spent another 20 minutes explaining and making her understand the concepts,” the student could add:

“It had been months since I had gone more than 20 minutes without worrying about my legs.”

Additionally, the words that are allocated to the last two paragraphs could be used more strategically. In college essays, you are always wrestling with limited words, so it is important to use the words you do have wisely (and memorably). 

The paragraphs beginning with “This experience didn’t only…” and “This is an excellent practice for…” fall into the unfortunate trap of telling rather than showing. At this point in the essay, we already understand that the student listens, is open-minded, and works well in collaborative group dynamics. 

Rather than reiterating what we already know, the student could have more effectively used those 65 words elsewhere in the essay. For example, they could have given us specific bits of dialogue from conversations they had with their peers, or expand on the specific feelings they have during a collaborative learning experience.

Want feedback on your Penn State essay before you submit? That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. One expert advisor on CollegeVine, Alexandra Johnson , provided commentary on the first essay in this post, to give you a sense of how useful expert advice can be. Advisors offer one-on-one guidance on everything from essays to test prep to financial aid. If you want help writing your essays or feedback on drafts, book a consultation with Alexandra Johnson or another skilled advisor to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Pennsylvania State University Essay Guide 2019-2020

Found in the heart of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University (PSU) is a public, land-grant university with a multitude of locations and the primary campus being at University Park, Pennsylvania. PSU has an undergraduate body of over 40,000 students, with an admission rate hovering in the low to mid-50s over the past three years. For the Class of 2022, the middle 50% of applicants had a high school GPA between 3.55-3.97 out of a 4.0 scale and SAT score between 1250-1430 or ACT score between 28-32.

According to the 2017 US News & World Report , PSU ranks #50 overall for best college experience for undergraduates and is ranked #14 among national public universities. Many factors contribute to a student’s evaluation: academic record, standardized test scores, personal statements, cultural and geographic background, and activities. PSU strives to look at the holistic individual and chooses a diverse class of students in all aspects of life.

For students admitted for Fall 2019 and following, PSU has slightly modified its general education curriculum. The baccalaureate degree consists of no less than 120 credits, where students are permitted to take courses beyond the minimum. PSU allows for early action admission, direct application into a major of study granted the student satisfies requirements and also has several special accelerated programs. To list a few at the University Park campus, there is the seven-year BS/MD program, the five-year BS/MBA, the Schreyer Honors College, and many more at one of 18 other PSU affiliated campuses.

To help you with the writing process, we wrote this essay guide specifically for PSU’s supplemental essays. For more guidance on personal essays and the college application process in general, sign up for a monthly plan to work with an admissions coach 1-on-1.

The Penn State Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: please tell us something about yourself, your experiences, or activities that you believe would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at penn state. this is your opportunity to tell us something about yourself that is not already reflected in your application or academic records. we suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer..

With the incredible amount of applications submitted each year, try to make the admission officer’s job easier by writing a concise, unique, fluid essay . The essay should tell a story that gives the officer an idea of what kind of person you are while allowing yourself to show off a bit . For example, have you participated in community service or have volunteering experience that has taught you a lesson that can translate to your success at Penn State? Do you play any instruments or sports that have allowed you to travel or gain insight into other cultures? Are you from a military background, has the process of moving to different homes helped you learn to adapt quickly?

To find that desired topic I suggest creating a list of experiences or activities and then writing a short description for each one. This will help with the second prompt because, even if the topic you start with doesn’t end up being the final choice, you can start to pick the activities that mean the most to you. Also, you will have already started brainstorming and writing about your general experiences that may be useful in essays for other schools.

Prompt 2: Please use this space to list or discuss your activities other than academic work during the last several years (for example: school organizations, jobs, athletics, the arts, community service, religious groups, or other individual interests). You may already have an activities resume or list prepared and should feel free to paste it into the space below. We suggest a limit of 500 words or fewer.

The key to this prompt is to brainstorm a few categories (e.g. traveling) in addition to the ones listed and write a quick sentence or two about each activity within that category. Make sure that the description highlights the key takeaways from each activity as you want to try and keep the supplemental essay under 500 words. However, even if the word total exceeds 500, don’t fret as the flow and significance of the activities can mean more to the admissions officer.

If you have only a few activities you would like to describe, feel free to go into more detail and write a compelling story so that the admission officer can understand your passion for said activities. However, if you have too many topics and are unable to sufficiently describe each activity, you can pick one for each category or choose which are most important to you.

Other Program-Specific Prompts

5 year ms/mba of eberly college of science, prompt 3. select the scientific discipline above that is most interesting to you. why do you want to devote 4 years of college studying it (astronomy & astrophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, mathematics, microbiology, physics, statistics) (200 words max).

Think about what has interested you in and out of school, do you have a curiosity or passion for any of these subjects? Have you considered how business will factor into your academic plans?

Prompt 4: Inclusiveness and Diversity: In an increasingly global community, it is essential that students gain cultural competency. In what way have you demonstrated a commitment to this mission? (200 Words Max)

Cultural competency refers to your ability to communicate and interact with people of different cultures. This could be attributed to traveling to different countries or meeting people of various backgrounds in your neighborhood. In this essay, you should demonstrate that you are able to recognize your own views, acknowledge cultural differences, have a positive attitude towards others, and plan to continue doing all of these things in the future.

Prompt 5: Goals: Discuss your career aspirations. How would the Science BS/MBA program help you reach those goals? (200 Words Max)

Your career aspirations can be at any moment after graduation, even 20 years down the road. What is important is that you have some idea of where you what to be at each stage and that you include it in your response. You should also do research on this program, find out what previous graduates did, and look at the curriculum to determine what this program has to offer that is unique and interesting to you.

Prompt 6: Leadership: Please discuss your leadership and collaboration skills. Give recent examples of how they have been demonstrated. (200 Words Max)

Pick one or two examples at most to effectively paint a complete story of you as a leader. If you are unable to think of an example, explain a hypothetical but realistic situation where you can showcase your leadership and collaboration skills.

Prompt 7: Resiliency: Transitioning to college can be a challenge. Discuss the adjustments you believe you will need to make in order to be successful as you transition from high school to a college environment. (200 Words Max)

Whether you believe you need to make adjustments or have already made them, make sure you include a broader list and then narrow down the answers to respond to this prompt.

Prompt 8: Describe your biggest commitment. (150 Words Max)

This prompt allows some flexibility if you think one aspect of yourself has not been thoroughly showcased, you are able to go into more depth here.

Prompt 9: Describe a time when you helped someone else succeed. (150 Words Max)

Think about your family, friends, peers, or even strangers and create a list with a brief description under each potential answer.

Prompt 10: Using three adjectives, how would you like others to perceive you? (3 Words Max)

Do not overthink this answer , one solution could be to try and summarize your previous prompts so that each adjective has a supporting essay to go along with it.

Schreyer Honors College

Prompt 11: describe a typical day in your life in 2050. consider what your professional life will look like, what technologies you might use, and how you will interact with your personal network (friends, family, etc.) and the world at large..

This prompt allows you to be creative, but you should contain your answers to what you would be able to gain specifically from being a Schreyer Honors student (i.e. the network perks and additional educational benefits). Try to look for previous Schreyer Scholar testaments to the benefits of being one of these students.

Prompt 12: Describe a situation in which you moved outside your comfort zone, interacting with people whose experiences and/or beliefs are different from your own. What was your initial response and how did you adapt? Walk us through the situation and explain what impact it had on you.

Approach this question in a multitude of ways:

• Have you traveled to a new country with family or by yourself?
• Have you met anybody during community service who has left a lasting impact?
• Did you partake in work that involved being adaptive?

Regardless of the specific situation, be sure to include how you were initially presented with an uncomfortable situation, how you thought to remedy the situation, what you chose to execute in action, and the overall response.

Prompt 13: “A picture is worth a thousand words” refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single picture. If you could submit a selfie from anywhere in the world that would tell us about your beliefs and passion, where would you take this photo? What insight would this photo provide about you?

Again, think about what you want to show the admissions officer that you have been unable to explain in previous essays or your resume.

This essay guide was written by Victor Shen , PSU Class of 2018. If you want to get help writing your PSU application essays from Victor or other CollegeAdvisor.com Admissions Experts , register with CollegeAdvisor.com today.

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Penn State Honors College Essays; Yale Supplemental Essays

Written by College Coach Guest Author on October 27th, 2021

Bright Horizons College Coach occasionally features blog posts written by guest authors. You’ll find more information about each guest author in the About the Author section on the blog post.

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Your Academic Path Honors Courses & Options

Honors courses are a central component of the academic experience offered at the Schreyer Honors College. To serve our diverse and engaged student body, more than 300 of these honors courses are offered across a variety of subjects — whatever your interests and goals might be, you'll find honors courses to suit them.

Engaged Study Honors Courses

An honors course is a vibrant learning experience led by captivating instructors. With small classes of students, honors classroom dynamics are driven by lively, challenging discussion and energetic debate. Below are some examples of honors courses.

Science, Ethics, Policy and Law

Rhetoric & Civic Life

Flight Vehicle Design and Fabrication

Mesopotamian Civilization

Enhanced Courses Honors Options

An honors option is an agreement between you and the instructor of a course, with the approval of your honors adviser, to incorporate honors elements into a non-honors course. This gives the completed course an "honors attribute" on your transcript, and the credits count toward Schreyer Honors College requirements . Honors option requests are submitted via the Student Records System (SRS) and are due the 3rd Friday of the semester.

When you design an honors option, the aim is to provide significant enrichment without changing the core course. Honors option work may substitute for specified regular (syllabus-prescribed) work, or it may be additional. The honors option work should account for between 10 and 25 percent of the course grade, not as extra credit but embedded in the course grade.

There are two models for the honors option, traditional and review essay, as explained below.

• Tenure-line faculty (titles of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor) can supervise honors options in any format, subject to approval of your honors adviser
• Other instructors (titles of lecturer, instructor, teaching professor, research professor) can only supervise the review essay option unless they have approval of the Schreyer Honors College
• Graduate student instructors may not supervise honors options
• Adjunct (non full-time) instructors may only offer honors courses with special permission from the lead honors adviser of the department where the course is located (which may be different from the student's major), and from the Associate Dean of the Honors College. Do not propose an honors option with an adjunct instructor before consulting with [email protected] .
• Traditional
• Review Essay

Traditional Honors Option

For eligible faculty, honors options can take any form consistent with the general description above, subject only to the approval of your honors adviser. The range of possible honors option work is very broad — everything that could be part of an honors course, if that course existed. In courses with a professional practice orientation, additional or more intensive practice does not in itself constitute an acceptable honors option. There should always be a strong component of scholarly inquiry and reflection.

Review Essay Honors Option

While a traditional honors option may take many forms, the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Honors College has approved a standardized model based upon a review essay. This model has wide applicability across disciplines and majors and guarantees honors-appropriate enrichment.

This model of the honors option is required when the instructor is not eligible to offer the traditional honors option. It is strongly recommended for eligible faculty who are relatively new to Penn State, or have not previously offered honors options. It can be an attractive option for faculty who are eligible and experienced, but who are concerned about the time commitment of traditional honors options involving research or project supervision.

What is A Review Essay?

A review essay is a comparative analysis of several pieces of scholarly literature on a particular topic. It is a free-standing version of the "literature review" that is typically an early chapter of the undergraduate honors thesis. The pieces reviewed, typically journal articles, should be related rather than random, but they should be sufficiently different in questions posed, approaches used, or findings/results, to make for interesting comparisons in the review essay. The review essay should demonstrate your ability to summarize multiple works efficiently, analyze and critique them (going beyond "compare and contrast" to assessing the extent to which they ask the most important questions and get reliable answers), and suggest next steps for research.

The choice of scholarly articles is key to the successful and intellectually worthwhile completion of the honors option, so you should discuss this extensively with the instructor. The selected articles should be related but not redundant, keeping in mind that multiple people may be working on nearly identical things and getting them published in different journals.

Expectations for the Review Essay

While review essays can be of varying lengths and can be about varying numbers of works, for the honors option review essay we require the following:

• 4 to 6 scholarly articles under review
• Uniform overall organization: statement of overall topic or question, discussion of articles, summary with directions for future research
• Appropriate page length as determined by the instructor and honors adviser, subject to review by the Honors College

The honors option proposal for review essays does not have to list the specific articles, because that level of detail may not be possible by the submission deadline. The proposal should, however, specify the topic of the review essay, the number of articles to be reviewed, examples of journal titles, the expected length of the review essay, and a deadline within the semester for finalizing the articles to be reviewed.

Schreyer’s research requirement has compelled me to augment my classroom studies with hands-on research in my field, which will strengthen my knowledge in my field of aerospace. The Schreyer Honors College was integral in my acceptance into a highly selective study abroad “Engineers Made in Germany” that focused on the automotive industry, complete with a scholarship to help defray the cost. Clifford Stueck ' 22 Aerospace Engineering

Your Academic Path Honors Courses & Credit

Penn State will extend its offer acceptance deadline from May 1 to May 15, 2024, for incoming first-year students enrolling in the summer or fall 2024 terms. Penn State News Release

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Information about Penn State's participation in the Common App.

Penn State is now one of more than 800 colleges across the United States accepting applications through the Common App .

Apply via the Common App

Application Eligibility

First-Year (Freshman) and International Students: Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) domestic and international students.

Transfer Students: All transfer students should apply to Penn State via MyPennState .

Am I at a disadvantage if I apply through the Common App instead of MyPennState?

No, the required application materials and application evaluation process are the same if you apply through the Common App or through MyPennState. There is no advantage or disadvantage to either application but you should apply through only one application platform.

The Common App and the MyPennState application give students the opportunity to apply Early Action (all materials submitted by November 1). Students applying Early Action will have a decision by December 24. For those students choosing not to apply Early Action and for all domestic students, we recommend submission of a complete application, including all required materials, by December 1. The application fee regardless of platform is $65 for domestic students and $75 for international students.

Checking your application status

Once you submit your application through the Common App, you will receive an email from Penn State Undergraduate Admissions directing you to go to MyPennState to complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). You may feel that you completed this step as part of your Common App, but you must complete the Penn State SRAR via MyPennState in order for your application to be reviewed. Once you submit all materials for your Common App you should regularly check its status and receive an admission decision in MyPennState .

Early Action and Priority Filing Dates

Early action: november 1.

The Common App and the MyPennState application give students the opportunity to apply Early Action (all materials submitted by November 1). Students applying Early Action will have a decision by December 24.

Rolling Admission:

Applicants are evaluated on a modified rolling admissions schedule. Additionally, some academic programs have limited enrollment and specific application dates. For those students choosing not to apply Early Action and for all domestic students, we recommend submission of a complete application, including all required materials, by December 1.

Fee Waivers

You may be eligible for an economic need-based fee waiver based on information in the Profile section of your Common App. If you meet the criteria for a Common App fee waiver, your Penn State application fee will be waived.

To receive a Common App fee waiver, you must affirm at least one of the following indicators of economic need:

• I have received or am eligible to receive an ACT or SAT testing fee waiver;
• I am enrolled in or am eligible to participate in the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program (FRPL);
• My annual family income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service;
• I am enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families (e.g., TRIO programs such as Upward Bound);
• My family receives public assistance;
• I live in federally subsidized public housing, a foster home or am homeless;
• I am a ward of the state or an orphan;
• I can provide a supporting statement from a school official, college access counselor, financial aid officer, or community leader.

Common App Resources

Below are some tools and resources you can use should you use the Common App:

• The Common App blog highlights announcements and any changes coming for the upcoming application year
• Common App Ready has PowerPoint presentations, videos, and handouts (in English and Spanish) that can be used to walk students and parents through the Common App
• The Common App website has a wealth of college exploration tools for students as well as a parent section
• The Virtual Counselor is an online content library of articles and videos with college-related advice for students and parents
• Common App for Mobile   Navigate the entire college application journey with our mobile app. Move seamlessly from the web to your phone or tablet without missing a beat.
• The Advisor role and Application Preview help counselors and those supporting students keep track of a student’s application progress as well as view their application, with student permission
• The Common App Solutions Center provides 24/7/365 support, including easy to search FAQs, live chat, and schedule-a-call