Welcome! You're here because you're wondering what the University Honors Program at LMU is all about, and whether it's what you're looking for in your college experience. Let's find out!
Who are you?
Are you someone who is curious about the world around you? Do you find yourself wondering how things work, why things are the way they are, and how they can be different? Do you love learning new things? Exploring new ideas and concepts on your own, simply because you can't stand to not know? Do you have diverse interests such that you can't be contained to one discipline, one major, one line of work? Do you love the thrill of discovering a new idea, or making a connection between two different courses, or debating the nuances of something with your friends? Do you, to put it bluntly, embrace your own "nerdiness"?
Do you thrive in a community of support and collaboration rather than cut-throat competition? Are you excited about the idea of adding to your knowledge and skills so you can put them to work solving problems in the world? Do you consider yourself a person who wants to make life better for others--other people, other non-humans, future people, people you may never know?
Who are we?
That's us, too. We're a curious community--intentionally phrased to be read at least two ways. We're engineers, feminists, philosophers, critical theorists, entrepreneurs, musicians, producers, historians, acrobats, biologists, economists, political scientists, physicists, and so much more. We're pre-law, pre-med, pre-PhD, pre-circus, pre-CEO, pre-Nobel, pre-changing-the-world. We love interdisciplinary education, we aim to break down barriers between the classroom and the world, and we see ourselves as people for others.
What are we looking for?
When deciding who belongs in the program, we look for evidence in your application that you have chosen to undertake meaningful challenges to develop your abilities even when no one required you to do so. We also look for evidence that you have taken available opportunities to participate in and to cultivate mutually supportive communities. We don't care very much about whether you were on the "talented and gifted" track in middle school, the honors track in high school, or how many times you made the dean's list. The world is an inequitable place, and many amazing young people don't get the preparation they crave and deserve, and many others squander every available resource. So, we're pretty uninterested in your academic preparation thus far. Instead, what we do care about is your passion and potential for learning, creating, and doing great things. We do care about your commitment to unlocking your own potential, your desire to reach the next level, your need to engage with a community of other similarly-motivated people.
What do we offer?
The problems facing the 21st century will not be solved by any one person or one discipline. They will be solved by a collaborative, multidisciplinary, multicultural, and creative community of scholars. The University Honors Program at LMU prepares you to join that community by challenging you to give your best efforts inside and outside the classroom.
So poke around the website and get a feel for whether the Honors Program is a good fit for you. In particular, check out the Requirements page to see what we expect of our members and the About, Research, and Benefits pages to see what Honors has to offer. If you have any questions, check out the FAQ or email us at honors@lmu.edu. If you think this is the community for you, head over to the Application page for the next steps. We look forward to learning about you!