Featured – Page 17 – University Honors Program Blog

Hey, You Should Really Be in Honors!

January 14, 2020February 5, 2020Community Life, Featured, General News

First-year students in their second semester at GW are invited to apply to join the Honors Program! The deadline is Friday, February 21, 2020. Students accepted will enter the program their sophomore year and jump-start with a specially designed course in Fall 2020. If you’d like to be part of the University Honors Program, please apply! If you’re already in the UHP — we know you’ve got friends that would be perfect for the UHP, so encourage them to apply!

Some quick FAQs, as well as details about the application process, are below. You can find the application here.

When/where/how to apply? Applications are available online. Complete it and return it to the UHP Office at 714 21st Street NW by 5pm on February 21, 2020.

What are the requirements to apply? The specific application materials are described in the application. Second-semester freshmen with strong GPAs should apply — the UHP requires its students to maintain GPAs high enough so that it’s mathematically possible to graduate with a 3.0. Please note that student schedules must allow for the student to take HONR 2016 Enlightenment East & West in fall 2019.

When are decisions announced? We’ll notify applicants during the spring semester, before registration in March.

Apply to be a Peer Advisor

January 14, 2020January 28, 2020Community Life, Extracurricular Opportunity, Featured, Student Peer Advisors

Honors Peer Advisors are an integral part of UHP advising. They provide mentorship to incoming first-year students and advise on the UHP student experience, honors classes, housing, and all other facets of life at GW. If you have a knack for mentorship and lending a helping hand, this could be the position for you.

Are you interested in applying to be an Honors Peer Advisor? Applications are now open:

Apply here if you’re applying as a new Honors Peer Advisor
Apply here if you’re applying as a returning Honors Peer Advisors
- Please note that the Peer Advisor Leader (PAL) application is only available to returning Peer Advisors. It is included in the returning Honors Peer Advisor application form.

The application deadline is Friday, February 7th, 11:59PM. Please contact benfaulkner@gwu.edu with questions regarding the application.

Social Media Spotlight: Facebook!

November 5, 2019January 17, 2020Featured, General News

This one took me far too long to do in Photoshop. Please admire my handiwork.

Ah, Facebook. Ol’ Faithful. The land of parents, baby photos, extended family members you’ve talked to once, and acquaintances from middle school that you wouldn’t say hello to now if you passed on the street.

The UHP Facebook page is an active place – a hub of free food notifications, event announcements, and program announcements. It is probably the best place other than the blog and the NewsFlash to find information about upcoming events and deadlines for the program.

There’s nothing fancy about our Facebook page. It has no fun Insta stories managed by Peer Advisor Brittney, nor Weekly Wisdom Tweets from Peer Advisor Ryan. The UHP Facebook stands strong nevertheless, a bulwark of regularity in the chaos that surrounds us. It has weathered many a storm, lived through many an SA scandal, seen Honors Advisors and Program Coordinators come and go. It has survived them all.

So, if you have a Facebook and haven’t already, come on over and give us a like. Let your timeline, filled as it is with videos of obscure stand-up comedy and endless political arguing between people you’re not sure you’ve ever even met, be dotted with the delights of the UHP. Find us here: https://www.facebook.com/theUHP

Opportunities with CUFR Workshop Series

October 29, 2019January 16, 2020Featured, General News

Join the UHP and the Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research for a workshop series showcasing all the different opportunities for undergraduate fellowships and independent research that lie before you as a GW Student. Both sessions will be held in the Honors Townhouse Club Room, 714 21st St NW. A light dinner will be served along with the event. Sign up for either session (or both of them!) here.

Session 1 (November 7, 5-7 PM):

In the first session, we will discuss the opportunities that exist for you during your time as a student here, like different avenues for funding available for independent research projects and the chance to get to know faculty in a unique way through research assistantships.

Session 2 (November 14, 5-7 PM):

In the second session, we will discuss the opportunities that exist for you after your time as a student. Fellowships, graduate school funding, and post-grad research are all part of the contemporary academic experience – let us help you navigate all of those complexities!

Food for Thought with Prof. Arun Malik

October 29, 2019January 16, 2020Featured, General News

*Professor Arun Malik and the city of Quito*

Our second Food for Thought of the semester will be Friday, November 8, from 12-1pm. Professor Arun Malik, one of our Faculty Fellows who is teaching Natural Resources and Environmental Economics with us this semester, will be discussing his research on traffic congestion and air pollution in Quito, Ecuador. Reserve a spot for yourself here, and read more about the talk below:

Controlling Traffic Congestion and Air Pollution in Developing Countries: Policies and Pitfalls

Driving restrictions based on a vehicle’s license plate number are widely used in cities of the developing world to control traffic congestion and air pollution. In 2010, Quito, Ecuador joined the long list of cities that employ driving restrictions. The results of research into Quito’s program will be presented. Quito’s program, unlike a number of others, appears to have been successful in reducing congestion and air pollution, but it has also resulted in an unanticipated increase in crime.

Spring 2020 Registration Guide

October 25, 2019January 16, 2020Featured, General News

It’s almost time to register — WOOO! To help prepare, check out these tips and reminders.

Registration Schedule

***Friday, November 15, 7AM: Honors Early Registration***(Remember, early registration is for your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th semesters!)

Nov 18	Monday	90 or more hours (credits) earned
Nov 19	Tuesday	70 or more hours (credits) earned
Nov 20	Wednesday	50 or more hours (credits) earned
Nov 21	Thursday	30 or more hours (credits) earned
Nov 22	Friday	0 or more hours (credits) earned

Registration is open from 7AM-10PM.

If you’re not sure when you register, you can check your earned credit hours in GWeb using the following path: Student Records & Registration Menu > Student Records Information Menu > Transcripts > View Unofficial Transcripts. Make sure you’re looking at overall hours earned for the accurate total!

Urgent Hold Information

Check your record via GWeb regarding holds prior to your scheduled registration time. Any hold on your account will prevent access to registration. You can view any holds on your account by looking at: Student Records & Registration Menu > Student Records Information Menu > View Administrative Holds.

Make sure to check now and again in the days lead up to registration. Check early, and check often! BADLY TIMED HOLDS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU:

Fall Registration Advising

All honors students are encouraged to see a Program Manager before registration. Make sure you are prepared with a tentative course schedule using the Spring 2020 Schedule of Classes and Honors course descriptions. As new course information and revisions become available, we will update the website. Please re-check the information on the Schedule of Classes and the Honors site before you register to ensure that you’re up-to-date!

Please use our wide selection of dates to your advantage – plan on meeting with an advisor at a time that is most practical given your registration date. Students may discuss registration (and remove an advising hold, if applicable) by one of the following options:

Attend an advising party in the Honors Townhouse Club Room:
Monday, November 11th from 4 -6pm (pizza!)
Thursday, November 14th from 10am-12pm (bagels!)
Friday, November 15th from 12:00-2:00pm (pizza!)
Make an appointment with an advisor online at honorsprogram.gwu.edu/make-appointment.

Welcome to Josh Mays, Our New Program Coordinator!

September 25, 2019January 16, 2020Featured, General News

Greetings, UHPers! My name is Josh Mays and I’ll be the UHP’s new Program Coordinator! I’ll be handling the communications end of the program (the NewsFlash, the blog, social media, etc), as well as much of the nitty-gritty administrative work.

I’ll be sitting at the front desk most of the time, so please feel free to say hi! I’d love to get to know everyone in the program.

A little bit about me: I recently graduated from GWU (and the UHP) with a degree in International Affairs and a minor in Philosophy. I’m also a DC-area native! I grew up in Montgomery County, MD (just a short drive from the end of the Red Line), but now I live in the city itself. I’m super passionate about philosophy, politics, and religion– especially the intersection of all three. In my free time, I enjoy reading about the aforementioned topics and playing Dungeons and Dragons.

I’m really excited to be back with the program as a staff member. The UHP was the thing that drew me to GWU in the first place, and I have not regretted any of the time I’ve spent investing in the program. Honors classes were where I developed my greatest intellectual passions and found my most dedicated mentors, and the friends I made in the Honors community are some of my closest ones to this day. I love this program, and I can’t wait to give back to this community in whatever way that I can!

Welcome from the UHP!

August 27, 2019January 16, 2020Featured, General News

Dear University Honors Program students,

Hello and welcome to the start of the 2019-2010 academic year! As always, summer has passed quickly by and we are excited to begin a new year with you all. We look forward to challenging you and having you challenge us, too!

This year brings a change to the Honors administration. Elizabeth Chacko will be overseeing the UHP as part of her new role as Associate Provost for Special Programs and the Mount Vernon Academic Experience. She will be working to energize the Mount Vernon Campus and build a dynamic, thriving intellectual community by bringing together faculty, students and post-doctoral researchers to tackle interesting research problems. Honors students – both those living on and off the Mount Vernon Campus – are encouraged to get involved in research activities, classes and seminars. For all UHP-specific research opportunities, check in regularly at: https://honorsprogram.gwu.edu/research-assistants and the Honors Blog.

Bethany Cobb Kung is stepping into the role of Director of Honors and, as Director, will continue to be the main point of contact for all student-related matters in Honors. As always, your voices really matter to us and we welcome your input and feedback. Please visit during “UHP DirectorOpen Office Hours” (Mondays, 11am on the Vern; Thursdays 2pm on Foggy Bottom – check the UHP calendar for exact dates) to ask questions, provide feedback, complete paperwork or just chat! If those times are not convenient, please email to schedule an appointment.

This year, we welcome a fantastic group of Faculty Fellows to the Mount Vernon Campus. This Fall, Philip Wirtz of the School of Business will be teaching “Data Science, Predictive Analytics and Ethics” and Arun Malik of Economics is teaching ”Natural Resources and Environmental Economics”. In the Spring, Ryan Engstrom from Geography will cover “Geospatial for Good”. Stay tuned for announcements about the “Food for Thought” lunches which will feature the Faculty Fellows and some of our core faculty members presenting their research to our whole community.

This semester, the UHP will be working with GW’s Marketing and Creative Services department to develop an introductory video about the UHP to be featured on our website, which is currently being redesigned. We will be asking for some “on camera” volunteers and you might see cameras briefly in your classroom or at community events. You are always welcome to decline being videotaped (just inform the cameraperson) and we will do our best to keep disruption to a minimum.

As always – please check the blog regularly and read your Newsflash carefully to keep aware of the many exciting events that are coming this year. Only your involvement can keep our UHP community thriving! First up will be our Fall Hike, on Saturday, September 14th (details to follow, keep your fingers crossed for nice weather). Also take advantage of Professor on the Town events and other community programming as it arises. Planning way ahead, the Fall 2019 Student Faculty Dinner will be held on Wednesday, December 11th – prepare to eat lots of food!

All the best,

Bethany Cobb Kung

Director, University Honors Program

Elizabeth Chacko

Associate Provost for Special Programs and the Mount Vernon Academic Experience

Hey, You Should Really Be in Honors!

December 10, 2018January 16, 2020Featured, General News

Freshmen in their second semester at GW are invited to apply to join the Honors Program! The deadline is Friday, January 25, 2019.

Students accepted will enter the program their sophomore year and jump-start with a specially designed course in fall 2019. If you’d like to be part of the University Honors Program, please apply!If you’re already in the UHP — we know you’ve got friends that would be perfect for the UHP, so encourage them to apply!

Some quick FAQs, as well as details about the application process, are below. You can find the application here.

Please come to an info session!

We’ll be holding information sessions for interested students to ask questions and hear from Honors advisors and current students! Join us on

Wednesday, January 16 at 5pm
Thursday, January 17 at 5pm

All sessions will be held in the Honors Program office at 714 21st Street NW. Just walk up the steps at the brick townhouse between Hall of Government and Lisner Auditorium.
When/where/how to apply?
Applications are available online. Complete it and return it to the UHP Office at 714 21st Street NW by 5pm on January 25, 2019.
What are the requirements to apply?
The specific application materials are described in the application. Second-semester freshmen with strong GPAs should apply — the UHP requires its students to maintain GPAs high enough so that it’s mathematically possible to graduate with a 3.0. Please note that student schedules must allow for the student to take HONR 2016 Enlightenment East & West in fall 2019.
When are decisions announced?
We’ll notify applicants during the spring semester, before registration in March.

Extended Townhouse Study Hours

November 26, 2018January 16, 2020Featured, General News

Have you ever noticed how your favorite study spot not-so-surreptitiously floods with strangers the closer we get to finals? Well good news! You don’t have to fight for a spot to study in Gelman any longer!

The UHP townhouse will be open nights and weekends for extended study hours during finals!

There’s plenty of space in the club room AND basement of the townhouse. And to sweeten the deal, we’ll have snacks to power your brains as you think your way to a solid A. That includes hot chocolate and coffee, btw (just make sure to bring your own mug!).

Check out the full schedule below:
Saturday, 12/8: 12-8 PM
Sunday, 12/9: 12-8 PM
Monday, 12/10: 9 AM-10 PM
Tuesday, 12/11: 9 AM-10 PM
Wednesday, 12/12: 9 AM-10 PM
Thursday, 12/13: 9 AM-10 PM
Friday 12/14: 9 AM-10 PM