Admission
Each spring, Selected Studies sends out invitations to incoming freshmen who have a combined SAT score of at least 1250 (with a minimum of 580 on each part) or combined ACT score of at least 29 and a minimum GPA of 3.0. Freshmen on the Dean's list at the University of Hawaii are also invited to apply. However, Honors is not rigid in its admissions process. The program encourages high school counselors and UHM faculty to nominate students. Students may submit applications accompanied by a letter of recommendation. If you think that Selected Studies is for you, but have not received an invitation by June 1, please visit, write, email, or call us for the appropriate forms. You may also click on "Forms" on the bar above.

Requirements
Honors students in Selected Studies are expected to take as many "A" sections in a given semester as warranted by their schedule and current needs in fulfilling general education requirements. These "A" sections are required core courses with enrollment usually limited to 25 students. Selected Studies does not mandate a certain set of Honors courses overall. Students may therefore participate in Selected Studies at their own pace. If a student wishes to earn Sophomore Honors, however, a specific pace must be maintained. (See "Sophomore Honors.") Students must take one Honors course a semester and maintain a GPA of 3.0 to remain in good standing.

Sophomore Honors
The most complete level of participation in Selected Studies is achieving Sophomore Honors. To earn this award, students must take at least 28 semester hours of 100 and 200 level work in Honors specially-designated "A" sections, Honors Alpha courses, or in approved equivalents during a two-year period. The total of 28 semester hours means that an average of two "A" sections per semester should be taken. However, that average may vary if approved equivalents are also earned. Other approved courses also demand a high level of achievement: courses numbered 300 or above, which have an explicit college-level course as a prerequisite; Language 202 or above, Math 242 or above, if taken during the freshman year; any third-semester science. Advanced Placement courses with a score of 4 or 5 may also be approved equivalents. Finally, credits earned by taking HON 101 and HON 102, "Honors First-Year Experience," count double toward an award of Sophomore Honors.

Click here to see "Application Form for Sophomore Honors"

Certification
Once a student has finished the required number of courses, he or she is eligible for a certificate granting an award of Sophomore Honors. That designation will also be recorded on the permanent transcript. In order to qualify, a student must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the "A" sections and overall, and also a minimum of 54 semester hours. (Those students who do not earn Sophomore Honors are nevertheless recognized officially on transcripts as Honors students: any and all "A" sections are indicated as Honors courses.)

Advantages
Guaranteed Classes: When students go through a pre-registration process, seats in all Honors classes are reserved.

Advising: An important goal for Selected Studies is to provide individual attention to promising students. In Selected Studies, the Director of the Honors Program functions as advisor, giving students access to a faculty member ready to answer questions and solve problems. Advising for incoming freshman takes place in summer both in group formats and individual appointments. Thereafter students may ask for help at any time in the semester. Group and individual advising for all Selected Studies students also is available before registration each semester with the Director, the coordinator of the First Year Honors Experience, and specially-designated Arts and Sciences advisors.

Honors Floors in Freshmen Dorms: Each year, certain portions of a freshman dorm are set aside for Honors students. In this living/ learning environment, students meet their colleagues in the program, make friends, and form study groups. Honors students participate in dorm activities available to all students as well as plan their own special events. Participating in events together and sharing space create a comfortable and stimulating atmosphere in which students can begin to explore the world of ideas.

Innovative New Student Orientation: During the summer, the Honors Program holds several orientations for new students. Some are brief "nuts and bolts" sessions that feature advising, discuss registration procedures, and help with making a schedule. Honors also conducts innovative two-day orientations, called "Manoa as Text," that explore the campus with the help of peer mentors and digital cameras. These more elaborate sessions are designed not only to familiarize students with the campus, to advise them, and to help them with schedules, but also to give students a preview of academic expectations at Manoa.

Honors Reading Room: Room 504 in Sinclair library is set aside for Honors Students. The facilities include a lounge, study area, a computer room, lockers, and a library. Students may use the reading room whenever Sinclair Library is open.

Special Features
Selected Studies emphasizes a commitment to a strong curricular foundation that enables further learning.

Critical thinking is nurtured. Students learn not just the facts but the frameworks that establish them; students can experience not just science courses with lectures and lab sessions, but labs as hands-on learning about principles.

Students experience the process of research: freshmen and sophomores have the opportunity to explore how to conduct the formal inquiry of research in special Honors courses. This emphasis prepares students for their Senior Honors Project.

Many courses in Selected Studies are designated as "writing intensive," ensuring attention to a skill important in any career path.