Letters & Science Honors Program Honors in the Liberal Arts Application

The College of Letters & Science Honors Program provides a community for many of UW-Madison’s most engaged and intellectually curious undergraduates. The Program offers three degree tracks: Honors in the Liberal Arts , Honors in the Major, and Comprehensive Honors (which includes Honors in the Liberal Arts).

The Honors in the Liberal Arts track can be a great fit for students who enjoy learning about new subjects and wish to fully embrace the benefits of a liberal arts education. Students do not need to have decided upon a major or have committed to attending UW to apply. There is no single Honors student profile; the L&S Honors Program values applicants from all backgrounds.

This application should only be completed by students hoping to complete Honors in the Liberal Arts or Comprehensive Honors. The Honors in the Major track is completed after students begin their studies on campus and officially declare a major. If you would like to receive more information about an Honors in the Major track during the Fall semester, please plan on connecting with a major and/or Honors advisor once you arrive on campus.

Visit the L&S Honors Program for more information.

Eligibility:
Use this application if you would be a new first-year student in the College of Letters & Science in the upcoming Summer or Fall term. Please note that students with a major outside of L&S (including School of Business and College of Engineering majors) are generally not eligible to complete Honors in the Liberal Arts through the College of Letters & Science.

Current UW students and new transfer students can find information about an alternate application process on the L&S Honors Program website.

Deadlines (11:59 PM Central Time): Please apply as soon as possible since space in the program is limited. You may apply before receiving an admissions decision from UW. Please note that before your application will be reviewed, you must have been admitted to UW’s College of Letters & Science.

Monday, February 19, 2024: Receive a decision from the Honors Program in mid-March.
Sunday, March 10, 2024: Receive a decision from the Honors Program in mid-April (and before SOAR registration opens).
Sunday, April 21, 2024: Receive a decision from the Honors Program by May 31. Final deadline for full consideration for Fall 2024.
Sunday, May 5, 2024 will be considered for fall admission pending space availability. Decisions will be shared by mid-June.

Applications submitted May 5 and June 1 will be reviewed on a rolling basis, pending space availability.

Admission to the L&S Honors Program does not involve a scholarship or monetary award.

Award
$0.00
Organizations
L&S Honors Program
Deadline
06/01/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. Select the Honors degree track you are currently interested in. Before answering this question, review information about the Honors degree tracks on the "Honors Overview" page of our website.

    Note: The Honors in the Major track of the L&S Honors Program is declared after you are on campus, not through this application process. If you are interested in "Honors in the Major" alone, there is no need to complete this application.
  2. Review the majors and certificates (similar to minors) available at UW. List up to four majors that you are most interested in right now. If you are currently interested in any of UW's undergraduate certificates, you can also list up to two potential certificates with the label "certificate."
  3. Like other information content and sources, generative artificial intelligence (AI) can support the development of original ideas but should not be used to write your essays and not be presented as your original work.

    As a prospective L&S Honors student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I agree to adhere to UW-Madison's conduct standards of honesty and integrity. Falsification would violate the core principles of the Honors mission. As such, I will properly credit the sources used in my written submission for this application.
  4. What do you hope to gain from completing the Honors in the Liberal Arts track of the L&S Honors Program? In your response, please address each of the following prompts:

    (a) Explain why you are specifically interested in completing the Honors in the Liberal Arts track.
    (b) Describe how joining the L&S Honors Program will support your growth.
  5. What do you want to explore academically? Before writing your response, think about topics you have not yet been able to explore in an academic setting or classroom. Then, invent two new courses that you would want to take if they existed. In your response, please address each of the following prompts:

    (a) A title for each course
    (b) Brief descriptions of course topics, outcomes, and/or activities in each course
    (c) The impact of each course on you and/or the student body
  6. How would you contribute to the Honors community? The L&S Honors Program benefits most from a deeply engaged and enthusiastic student body. In your response, we recommend you:

    (a) Identify one experience of great importance to you.
    (b) To the extent you are comfortable, share how that experience shaped you as a person and student and how it may demonstrate your likelihood of engaging more deeply with L&S Honors Program opportunities.
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