Application for Honors College
The application should take you half hour to an hour to complete - you will be able to save and continue later if you so wish.
You will need the following before starting the application:
- Have already applied to Pittsburg State University - you will need your PSU ID
- High School Counselor information - name, phone, and email
- Reference information (two references) - name and email
- Photocopy of ACT or SAT verification sheet
- Written Essay (Microsoft Word or PDF) - see essay prompts below
Deadline for submission is January 15th.
All material must be received by this date.
Evaluation Process
A committee of five faculty members and two current students in the Honors College will review each qualified application against a 100-point rubric with points as follows:
- 40 points - Academic Record to include ACT, GPA, and Transcript Analysis
- 25 points - School Activities, Community Service, Employment, Honors and Awards
- 20 points - Essay Evaluations (10 each)
- 10 points - Letters of Recommendation
- 5 points - Discretionary
NOTE: Once the Honors College application is submitted, we will make one (1) attempt to email your High School counselor and the two (2) references. We will provide information and instructions how to submit the material online. You will be notified when your applicant file is complete. There will be three (3) submissions - two (2) references and one (1) official copy of transcript.
It is important that you follow up with your references. Sometimes emails cannot be delivered or they get delivered in Junk email folders.
Essay Prompts
Essay – 300 word limit
In this short essay, please discuss your current academic and professional goals as you prepare to enter college.
Personal Narrative – Two Options
Step #1: Read and consider the following prompt:
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Step #2: Choose an option for your response:
Option #1: 300 Word Essay
Option #2: Creative Audio/Video Presentation that answers the prompt
- Items to consider:
Short video (5 minutes or less, linked to YouTube or Vimeo)
Narrated slideshow presentation (Link to Google Slides, Prezi, Canva, etc.)
Musical presentation (Link to video or audio of a musical performance)
Any other creative presentation not listed must be less than 5 minutes long or no more than one page long (Microsoft Word or PDF)