Being in the Honors College
This is the second of four posts giving all the insight about the Honors College at UNLV. This gives all the information that a prospective student might have about the Honors College. These posts are written by current Honors College students for possible Honors College students.
As a freshman in college, the most helpful resource I’ve had under my belt has got to be the HONORS COLLEGE. Now, I know what you’re thinking... coming from a high school setting, students often categorize “Honors” students as the “nerds,” but at UNLV, the Honors College is a place for like-minded students to take that extra step in their academic experience.
Being a part of the Honors College, you have a lot of resources that are only available to you! The Honors College is housed on the 1st floor of RLL, where Honors students have exclusive access to a computer lab and study hall. This is also where Honors students go to visit their advisors for academic advising within the HC and also to meet with their Honors professors during office hours. Another perk of this facility is that as an Honors student, you have your own access card that will allow you access to the Honors College resources after tradition office hours. How cool is that? Even more so, because there are only so many students in the Honors College, these private areas are not as crowded as Club Lied during study week and finals.
Now apart from the facilities available, there are also many other resources that are available to Honors students. There is an Honors writing center where, as opposed to the normal writing center, the consultants are more familiar with the Honors assignments and what the professors expect of their students. Freshmen are also paired with an Honors mentor during their 1st year to help them get accustomed to college life and academics. If you’re interested in studying abroad during your college lifetime, Honors students are also automatically awarded a $1000 scholarship to apply to a program of their choosing.
As an Honors student, the bulk of your general education requirements will be housed in the Honors College. Because the Honors College requires you to complete 31 credits under the HON prefix, some of the classes in your separate degree program will be waived to account for Honors classes. These Honors classes are much smaller than other classes at UNLV and you are grouped with other Honors students and taught by a professor in residence with the Honors College (making them easier to communicate with due to them only dealing with a small fraction of the students an auditorium professor would).
Now, not just anyone can be in the Honors College. Everyone who wants to be a part of it has to complete a separate application from the general UNLV application. This application is completely FREE and as long as you meet the requirements, you may apply! Given that you’ve already applied for UNLV, you will already have about half of the required materials available.
For incoming freshmen, you must have: a 3.7 (unweighted) GPA, a 27 ACT or 1275 SAT score, submit your unofficial High School Transcript, Test Scores, Resume, 2 Letters of Recommendation, (if applicable) Unofficial College Transcript, and complete 2 admissions essays.
For transfer students or existing UNLV students, the requirements are a little bit different. The documents required of you include: unofficial college transcripts (transfer only), a faculty letter of recommendation (transfer only), sample of academic writing (transfer only), cover letter, and 1 admission essay. You must also have a cumulative University GPA of 3.5.
Applying to be a part of the Honors College was one of the best decisions I have made to help better my college experience and I highly recommend anyone to apply as well. I’ve made so many friends within the college and have already made some close connections to some of my professors.You too can be a part of the Honors College. It will change your life!
Alex Ignacio, Sophomore
Orientation Leader
High School: Liberty High School
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Major: Entertainment Engineering with a Minor in Theater