A lot of people hear about the Honors College, or have it recommended to them by their guidance counselors, teachers or professors, but may not know exactly what the Honors College is or how it works.  Here are answers to some of the questions we get asked most often.  If there's something you'd like to know that isn't covered here, feel free to give us a call at 270.745.2081 or E-mail us at honors@wku.edu.

WHAT KINDS OF GRADES DO I NEED TO QUALIFY ?

To join the Honors College, you need to have at least a 3.8 high school GPA (on a 4.0 scale) or a composite ACT score of 27 ( or a combined verbal and math SAT of 1210) or be in the top 15% of your High School Class. If you're currently (or have been) a full time college student with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, you're also eligible to join the Honors College. Joining the Honors College is as simple as completing a short application and then getting started. Additionally, students must submit a 500 word essay, an activities/leadership sheet and optional letters of recommendation.
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WHAT'S THE HONORS PROGRAM ALL ABOUT ?

Honors is your chance to challenge yourself. We offer enriched general education and majors classes, honors colloquia that will stretch your mind, and your opportunity to work one on one with a faculty member on an independent research or creative project. We also have funds available for things like international study or short courses that will help open doors in your career field. Our students also do a lot of community service, working with groups like the Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity, as well as Western's Academic Advising Center, helping other students make the adjustment to college. Our main goal in the Honors College is to provide opportunities for motivated students to get everything they can out of their college experience, and to put a personal stamp on their education. We call it the 'Challenge of Opportunity.'

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM ?

To be a University Honors College graduate, you'll need to take at least 24 credit hours as honors, complete an honors thesis, and graduate with a GPA of 3.4 or higher. The 24 credit hours include honors sections of general education and majors classes, at least 2 honors colloquia, and an honors thesis. Of course these are minimum requirements - we hope you'll take as many honors courses as you can (and most of our graduates do). The best thing is that nearly all of your honors credits can also be used to fulfill requirements in general education, your major or your minor. That means you can complete the Honors College without staying an extra semester or taking extra classes each semester.

IF I HAVE A HIGH ENOUGH GPA AND ACT, AM I IN THE PROGRAM ?

Again, not necessarily. If you're eligible to join the program, then you can take honors classes (though you miss out on all the other benefits of being in the program). But to be an Honors College student, you need to formally apply to the program and complete the honors curriculum. At the other end, being a University Honors College graduate is distinct from (and goes beyond) simply graduating with honors (cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude). Only a subset of those people graduating with honors each year can also be called Honors College graduates.

HOW ARE HONORS CLASSES DIFFERENT FROM REGULAR CLASSES ?

Honors classes are small - usually fewer than 25 students - and taught by the best professors on campus. There's more discussion, less simple memorization, more opportunity to enhance your writing and critical thinking skills. Your professors expect a lot from you, but they give a lot of individualized attention as well. In honors courses, we don't simply do things faster - we do things differently.

WHAT ARE HONORS COLLOQUIA ?

Honors colloquia are discussion classes, where students and faculty consider and debate controversial issues. Typically there are no lectures and no exams; instead, the focus is on reading important books or papers, discussing those readings, and writing several research or creative papers relating to the course material. The topics of the colloquia change from year to year, but we always try to select topics that are interdisciplinary and for which there may be no clear right or wrong answers. If you want to get a taste of the graduate school experience, then honors colloquia are what you need.

WHAT'S THE THESIS ALL ABOUT, AND ISN'T IT HARD ?

The thesis is a chance for you to work on an independent project in your field of study for an extended period of time, and to produce a product that is truly yours. You'll work under the direction of a faculty member, who will help you develop the thesis project and will guide you and offer you feedback throughout the process. The topic and the format is up to you. We've had students complete field, lab or library research projects, but also compose symphonies, write plays, short stories or poems, develop teaching tools or marketing plans, and produce radio documentaries. All we require is that the thesis project take a critical and scholarly look at some particular topic. In many fields, the key to getting a good job or graduate fellowship upon graduation is to have real-world experience on your resume - the thesis is one good way to get that experience. As for being difficult, yes it is. Completing the thesis requires a lot of self-motivation and commitment, as well as solid intellectual ability. But if you have those things going for you, the thesis is something you'll be ready and able to do when it’s time to do it (just like walking, reading, or lots of other things you've already accomplished). And of all the elements of the Honors College, the thesis is probably the most valuable.

WON'T MY GRADES SUFFER IF I TAKE HONORS COURSES ?

Not necessarily. In fact, a lot of students get better grades in their honors courses than in their regular courses. A lot has to do with the format. If you prefer the small class atmosphere, the chance to ask questions and to get to know your professors really well, and having more control over your grades through essay exams, writing assignments and group projects, then you should find honors courses to your liking. We'll certainly try to challenge you, but we'll try to do it in a way that you get the benefits of that enriched learning experience without giving up the chance to get an excellent grade. On this point, you might also be interested in seeing what graduate and professional schools, as well as our alumni, have to say.