PSU Honors College Admit Packet 2024

UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

WELCOME TO HONORS!

WELCOME TO THE

UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

In the Honors College, you dig deep into the issues that matter most, join a tight-knit community of highly motivated students, and experience an exceptional education unlike any other. Our goal is to equip students with reading, writing, and research skills that will help you throughout college and into your professional life. Honors classes emphasize thinking critically, deconstructing arguments, and understanding how knowledge is created.

As an Honors student at PSU, you have all the benefits of a small liberal arts college embedded in Oregon’s only public urban research university. Our location in the city of Portland opens unmatched opportunities for research, creativity, and academic exploration. You will work closely with world-class researchers, study abroad with Honors faculty in London or Kenya, and intern with top employers. It all culminates in your senior year, when you research, create, write, and publish your Honors thesis.

Through connecting with peers, professors, and honors student resources, I learned that everyone in the honors program was there to support and help me. No matter what level I started at, I was able to find a space that encouraged my growth.

- Kamerin Villagomez, Senior, Biology; West Linn, OR

800+ HONORS STUDENTS

51% TRANSFER STUDENTS

33% FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS

BENEFITS OF THE HONORS COLLEGE

There are many benefits to being an Honors student at PSU. You’ll receive personalized advising, priority registration for classes, and support from trained tutors in the Honors Writing Center. Honors has an interdisciplinary resident faculty; these are professors who only teach in the Honors College and who will get to know you and your academic goals. We also offer internships for credit, access to leadership opportunities, and enrichment workshops focused on graduate school and careers. Your time in the University Honors College will be both challenging and rewarding.

Being in Honors has helped me secure interviews with high-ranking officials and professionals in my area of interest, which has enriched my thesis journey and provided me with incredible networking opportunities for the future.

- Molly Pettit, Urban and Public Affairs, '23. Currently attending Lewis and Clark Law School.

21% NON RESIDENT

Transferring to PSU Honors allowed me to pursue fulfilling academic study with the resources, support, and freedom to develop and write my Honors Thesis. The skills I've learned in Honors enriched my PSU coursework - Honors or regular - and empowered me to pursue academic excellence.

- Lauren Yanase, Senior, History; Portland, OR

34% FROM DIVERSE RACIAL & ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS

CURRICULUM

Honors is a four-year curriculum. Each year is designed to teach valuable reading, writing, and research skills, while building a strong cohort of peers and connecting you to Honors faculty. The curriculum will prepare you to carry out your senior thesis: a year-long independent project on a topic of significance to you. Transfer students are supported in starting at either the sophomore or junior level. Honors courses fulfill your general education requirements at PSU, making Honors an integral part of your degree, not in addition to it.

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS | HON 101-103: THE GLOBAL CITY

This writing-intensive, year-long sequence is taken with the same professor and cohort of peers, allowing you to create lasting connections while studying the urban environment.

SOPHOMORE TRANSFERS | HON 260: HONORS WRITING FOR SOPHOMORE TRANSFERS

This course is the expected entry point for transfer students starting Honors at the sophomore level. You will connect with a cohort of other new students and learn foundational writing skills.

JUNIOR TRANSFERS | HON 360: HONORS WRITING FOR JUNIOR TRANSFERS

This class is designed to teach the skills from the first two years of Honors, so you will be prepared to take junior seminars and complete your thesis. This class is reading and writing intensive, learning how to think critically about how scholars perform research, establish their arguments, and enter into academic discourse.

Honors students are motivated, curious, hard-working, and generous with their classmates. They come from a broad range of backgrounds, and they bring this diverse life experience to our conversations in the classroom. For me, as a professor, these qualities in students make my job so rewarding and interesting, and I believe Honors students truly value the atmosphere of camaraderie and respect for difference.

- Dr. Rebecca Summer, Assistant Professor of Urban Geography

STUDENT LIFE

HONORS EVENTS

Honors hosts a variety of events to help students connect to one another, connect to PSU, and connect to the greater community of Portland. Stop by the Honors Commons for Game Nights, where Codenames is a fan favorite, as are the free snacks. Meet other Honors students interested in community service when volunteering at the PSU Community Orchard. Or attend a Career Services workshop helping Honors students develop their LinkedIn profiles.

In the fall, Viking Days is a series of events and activities welcoming you to PSU's urban campus. The Honors College has many events, including a trip on the streetcar to Portland’s famous Salt and Straw ice cream shop.

HONORS COMMONS

The Honors Commons is a student lounge in Epler Hall that is reserved for all Honors students, including those living off-campus. It’s where we host events, meet with the Honors writing tutors, and hang out. The Commons is keycard accessible 24/7.

HONORS STUDENT HOUSING

Stephen Epler Hall is our living learning community for Honors students. Students are not required to live in Epler or on campus, but it is a great way to build community, stay connected with Honors students, and explore downtown Portland. The fifth and sixth floors of Epler Hall are reserved for first year Honors students.

JOIN THE HONORS DISCORD

Connect with other Honors students on the Honors student Discord channel. Ask questions about what your Honors courses will be like and what are can’t miss Honors events.

JOIN NOW!

Not only do you feel like you have a “home base” both in the form of physical spaces (Epler Hall and the Honors Commons), but also in the sense that you will almost certainly know the names of everyone in your Honors graduating class by the end of your college career.

- Sam Kemp, Psychology and Communications, '23; Las Vegas, NV

ONLY IN HONORS

ROSENBAUM SERVICE LEADERS SCHOLARS

Rosenbaum Scholars are matched with a local non-profit board for which they serve as an intern. Internships run for the 9-month academic year from September to June. Rosenbaum Scholars receive a $2,000 scholarship, earn 8 Honors internship credits, and receive tuition remission scholarships covering this internship credit. Scholars are selected in spring term for the following academic year through a competitive application process.

STUDY ABROAD

Honors students are strongly encouraged to study abroad through any of the many programs approved by PSU. Seminar classes and internships taken abroad can fulfill Honors junior requirements. The Honors College also hosts two Honors faculty-led study abroad programs just for Honors students, one in London and one in Kenya.

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

The Honors College offers a variety of leadership opportunities for students that contribute to the vibrancy of the Honors community. If you have writing or graphic design skills, consider joining the Communications Intern team. If you enjoy writing or teaching, working as a Writing Center tutor might be perfect for you. Do you enjoy planning events and creating a community? The Community Fellows would love to have you. Public speaking? Become an Honors ambassador!

Participating in the Rosenbaum Scholars program provided me with invaluable skills in empowering BIPOC students in STEM fields. Despite lacking a background in non-profit organizations, the program and its board members offered tremendous support throughout my learning journey.

- Connie Tran, Senior, Biology major; Portland, OR.

Connie (front row, second from the right) interned with MESA, an organization that equips teachers to help underserved students excel in STEM.

The trip to Kenya allowed me an opportunity to not only look at architectural structures and the building of a developing nation, but also learn about the role of organizations and policies in helping shape the future of Kenya.

- Henry Senters, Junior, Architecture major; Portland, OR

Honors has given me the opportunity to grow my portfolio and build my design experience. Working as an Honors Communications intern has provided me with the opportunity to work on projects in a real-time professional environment that supports my creativity and exploration.

- Malcolm Church, Senior, Graphic Design major; Fresno, CA

INSIDER TIPS

AT GRADUATION, WE ASK OUR STUDENTS FOR ADVICE TO GIVE INCOMING HONORS STUDENTS:

Make connections and ask for help. Introduce yourself, get to know other students. Ask questions, meet your professors during office hours and find activities on campus that align with your interests and goals. Let your education be a 360-degree experience.

Take advantage of having a dedicated Honors Academic Advisor. Make an appointment with Brianna.

The Honors program is very much a “you get what you put in” experience. You can do the bare minimum to get by, or you can challenge yourself to grow and develop as a student, scholar, and human.

Talk to your faculty! Go to office hours! They want to get to know you and are not as scary as they sometimes seem.

Start on your thesis early, it’s never too early to begin brainstorming ideas and building connections with faculty you may want to end up working with.

Honors is about challenge and diving in deeper - do not get discouraged or intimidated if this doesn't come naturally at first! It's about learning a process and knowing that you get to use those skills to explore what you want to study as a senior.

FIND ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IN THE HONORS PORTAL

• Important Links

• Scholarship Details

• Curriculum Overview

• Honors Housing

• Study Abroad

• Insider Tips

• Contact Information and more!

CAMPUS MAP + FAVS

Kamerin

Wild Rose Coffee

Best golden latte! I love the furniture and the vibes. It’s so nice to study here and they also have gluten free pastries 4

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