Application for Fall 2024 First-Time Students Now Available! |
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APPLY HERE |
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High School Students
This application is meant for students who are currently seniors in high school, or who have graduated early but not yet attended any post-high school college in a full-time basis.
Students who have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher should consider first applying for the University's Meridian Scholarship. More information on that can be found here.
Application Deadlines
Students are typically admitted for the fall semester. If you plan to enroll for a spring semester, we will work with you on an individual basis.
We do offer an option for an early application submission. Students who apply by 14 February 2024 will have a result by the end of March.
Application Standards
Generally speaking, successful applications will meet or exceed the stated GPA and then meet one of the Additional Criteria as outlined below.
Honors takes a holistic approach to your application. Every application is reviewed, even if the information provided falls short of our stated averages. We want to ensure that students in honors are both capable of the work expected at the college level AND that they show the interest and potential for our approach to education.
For guidance, however, our most successful candidates will meet at least two of the credentials listed below. No one credential is considered more than the others.
Typical Criteria
- GPA: High school cumulative GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale). Weighted or unweighted.
- ACT Composite score of 25 or higher
- Combined SAT score of 1200
- Top 10% of high school graduating class
- Valedictorian or salutatorian of high school class
- Completion of 15 credit hours or more in dual enrollment or college-earned credit (excluding AP)
- Completion of a summer or semester-long student exchange/semester abroad program
- Completion of 100 service hours in high school
- Significant engagement in activities (school, community, faith community)
- A strong letter of recommendation from a high school teacher in an academic subject
Application Content
The contents of our application ask you about your engagement, involvement and what you’ve learned. You can click into the proper application in each of the sections below. There are three parts to our application:
- Basic application information (name, contact information, etc.)
- A description of your involvement and accomplishments through your school and community. The application encourages you to highlight and describe your participation in these areas:
- Academic Achievements and Recognition
- Organizations and Activities
- Athletic and Artistic Endeavors
- Community Activities
- Volunteering and Community Service
- Work and Internship Activities
- Other Activities
- An essay
Essay Prompt and Questions
This is the actual essay prompt and options found in the application. The essay is the place where we learn the most about you, so we strongly encourage you to think about our guidance here before you write, and to be sure to capture the content and spirit of the prompt.
Students who choose to participate and successfully engage in honors share certain traits. They value experimentation. They take risks, even when that can be frightening. They learn from successes and mistakes. They show curiosity, even in the face of ambiguity. They embody the opportunity to grow.
Your essay is a chance to demonstrate how you embody these principles. Of the following prompts, you will choose one. Each will allow you to showcase your writing and presentation skills. They present no option for a “correct” answer. Instead, they give you a chance to demonstrate your boldness, your ability to communicate, your openness to creative thinking and presentation, and your ability to deal with ambiguity itself.
C. What don't you know about yourself or the world; and how do you intend to learn about it?
D. Honors is more than just "being smart." The most successful honors students demonstrate a sense of creativity and a passion for something. For this question, tell us about a project or event that sparked your creativity and passion. Be sure to include details about how you were involved, but also consider sharing your thoughts about: what did the project teach you about yourself? How did the project challenge your way of thinking. And most importantly, what can you do with this new knowledge as you plan your next chapter in college?
Essay Submission Options
We want to give you the best opportunity to present yourself, so we offer two submission options.
- You can submit a written response with your application. While there is no minimum or maximum page length, most successful submissions have ranged from 2-3 pages.
- As an alternative to a written essay, we also provide an opportunity to submit a video essay. There are no specific restrictions on your presentation, but we do ask that you do not go to any expense in creating your video. (Using commonly available recording and editing software is sufficient). The video should be between 3-5 minutes, and you should be sure to address your chosen prompt.
