Incoming First-Year Students

Applying to the Program

The College Honors Program shall consider both quantitative and qualitative measures. For admission, a high school GPA in a challenging high school curriculum is a necessary, but not sufficient, criterion. SAT and ACT scores are optional. Grade point average and entrance examination score (if submitted) are only two measures assessing the intellectual, creative, and moral engagement of applicants. Qualitative measures, including essays and letters of recommendation, will also be used to assess the intellectual independence or engaged learning values of the applicant. It is possible that a student could have high grades or test scores but lack in the intrinsic or ‘engaged learning’ values necessary to flourish in the College Honors Program. It is also possible that a student could have less than excellent test scores but demonstrate the intellectual, creative and moral engagement that is the distinctive disposition of a College Honors student.

Steps to Apply

Step 1: The initial application for admission into the College Honors Program is included as an optional part of the Common Application. Complete the “College Honors Admission Essays” section of the application when applying to Ramapo College.

Go to Ramapo’s Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/explore/ramapo-college-new-jersey

Step 2: If you respond YES to the question “Are you interested in applying to the Honors Program?” you will be given the option to choose two of three essay questions. Text boxes will appear for you to paste in your two essays. Each essay is 800 words.

The essay questions are:

Most people belong to many different communities; groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interests, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Describe a community to which you belong and your place within it.
What kind of impact would you like to make in the world? What is it that you aspire to? Please be as specific as possible.
Please tell us about a creative or scholarly work that has really resonated with you or made a big impact on you. It could be a work of fiction, a film, a piece of music or art, a piece of journalism, or something else.

Step 3: If you are selected to join Honors, you will be notified in early spring, and invited to campus for a new Honors student event.

Incoming First-Year Students

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Applying to the Program