PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION
Links to application forms are provided below. There are several requirements that you should make sure to prepare beforehand as you will not be able to save your information before submitting it to us. Please read the instructions carefully.
Short Answers
The application will ask you some "short answer" questions. Each answer should be about 2 or 3 sentences long. Please be ready to respond or copy/paste your response when you fill out the rest of the online application. Again, there is no option to save and come back to your application.
Questions for Selected Studies applicants:
1: Why have you decided to come to the University of Hawai΄i at Mānoa?
2: Why have you decided to join the Honors Program?
3: How do you plan on becoming involved in the community outside of your academics?
Prompts for Upper-Division Honors applicants:
1: What are your post-graduate, long-term career goals?
2: How are you involved in the campus and community outside of your academics?
Short Essay
The application will ask you for a short essay. Your answer should be no more than 500 words. Please be ready to respond or copy/paste your response when you fill out the rest of the online application. There is no option to save and come back to your application.
Prompt for Selected Studies: "Something I Feel Passionate About"
Please think of this as an opportunity to tell us something about you,
your interests, and your motivation. It is not a research paper. We
are not grading you for your knowledge about a topic and it will not be
used to evaluate you. It will help us get to know you and advise you,
and may be used for program assessment purposes.
We would like you to write an essay (from the French essayer, "to attempt"), which is "an informal piece of non-fiction prose that treats a topic of general interest in a seemingly casual, impressionistic, and lively way" (DePaul).
If you are sending in a paper application, please make sure your essay is double-spaced with standard margins and that your name is on each page. Please submit your essay with the completed application form.
Prompt for Upper-Division Honors: "My Future and the Honors Program"
Please think of this as an opportunity to tell us something about you and your plans while you are in the Upper Division Honors Program. It is not a research paper. We are not grading you for your knowledge about a topic and it will not be used to evaluate you. It will help you think about your role in the Honors Program, help us get to know you and advise you. It may also help us with program assessment purposes.
We would like you to write an essay (from the French essayer, "to attempt"), which is "an informal piece of non-fiction prose that treats a topic of general interest in a seemingly casual, impressionistic, and lively way" (Depaul).
You can submit your essay with the application form or you can send it to us separately, either as an email attachment or printed on paper. If you are sending in a paper application, please make sure your essay is double-spaced with standard margins and that your name is on each page.
Incomplete Applications
The Honors Program will remind you if your application is incomplete, but please note that it is up to you to make sure your letter of recommendation is sent to us.
Conditional Admission
Students who do not meet minimum requirements may sometimes be admitted, usually on the strength of a teacher recommendation, or unusual personal qualities or qualifications. In such cases, admission is conditional upon satisfactory performance during the first semester in the Honors Program.
Housing Options
Student Housing is now accepting only WAITLIST applications. Therefore you should plan on your own off-campus housing, but may fill out a Student Housing application to be placed on the waitlist if a space opens up. Any questions, call Student Housing at (808) 956-8177.
The Application will ask you if you would like to live in Honors Housing. Honors Housing creates a sense of community of academically oriented students. We achieve this sense of community through the integration of residential and academic life, through both spontaneous and programmed activities. Students form study groups, mentor each other and provide informal support in academic work and campus life. The Honors Program organizes and/or sponsors Study Sessions, Faculty Visits and Scholarship and Graduate School Prep Talks, among other activities.
If the answer is yes, you can indicate your preference of Hale Aloha (a first-year hall) or Frear (an upperclass and Residential Learning Community hall). Please note that in order to live in Honors Housing you must do both of the following:
1 - submit the Student Housing Application form indicating this intention by May 1st
AND
2 - apply to the Honors Program, indicating this intention by May 1st
Students with Disabilities
The Honors Program is committed to serving the needs of our students with disabilities to ensure all our students receive optimal access, support and advocacy. Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation in regards to the application process can contact the Honors Program to discuss your options.
(808) 956-8391
honors@hawaii.edu
Sinclair 103, UHM Campus
GO GREEN!
In accordance and support of UHM’s Strategic Plan that emphasizes modernizing administrative information systems to reduce the paper environment, the Honors Program encourages our prospective students to submit their applications online. However if applying online is not feasible, the Honors Program provides a downloadable Application Form.