Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a Senior Independent Project/Thesis?
A senior Independent Project is a project you begin your junior year and complete your senior year. You must have an advisor for your project/thesis, other than the director, who will aid and guide you through the proccess. The thesis/project does not have to be in your intended major or minor, however you must present/preform your project at the end of the year Academic Festival. You must turn in a bound copy at the end of the proccess, 20-30 pages, or shorter for a Visual Art. We have had very creative projects that range from Chemistry/Biology experiements, Musical Theater, Score Composition, English exploration, to Buisness and History presentations. Students will begin to meet with the director their Junior year to begin the long, but very fruitful proccess of creating an original work.
However, students may not double in credit hours for honors and a departmental thesis. They are expected to be two different papers, or one to be an extension of another. The H491 credit hours will b e used to fulfill General Elective credits (it may be counted as a Common Curriculum with the director's approval).
2. Will my participation in the University Honors Program hurt my GPA?
No. Honors students commonly graduate with the highest GPAs in the university. Honors courses are not graded on a curve, and Honors faculty recognize that most students in Honors courses may earn high grades. High academic achievement in the Honors Program does take strong self-discipline and motivation, characteristics which the University Honors Advisory Board looks for in evaluating candidates for admission into the program.
3. I have a very demanding major with many requirements. Will participation in the University Honors Program complicate my progress towards graduation?
Because the Honors courses replace Common Curriculum courses required for all majors, participation in the University Honors Program does not add to the number of requirements for graduation and can fit with any major. In some cases, students who receive AP credit will still take the Honors courses in that field. They receive elective credit for the AP work, which decreases the number of courses they need for graduation, even though the number of Honors courses is not reduced.
4. Should I wait until the beginning of my sophomore year to apply to the program, so that I can get adjusted to college life first?
Students commonly find that participation in the Honors Program from the beginning of their freshman year helps with their adjustment to college, assisted as they are with peer mentoring and the camaraderie that develops among Honors students. The special Honors co-curricular activities further promote a feeling of integration into the new collegiate environment.