Honors College: Honors Keystone Application

This is the application for admission to Honors Keystone in the Honors College at Southern Miss. If you are a current Honors College student, you do not need to fill out this application. You must complete the GO System’s General Application and the Honors Keystone Application to be considered for the program. The deadline to complete these applications is July 1st. (The application deadline has been extended to July 4 at 11:59 p.m. due to the holiday weekend.) References must be submitted by Monday, July 5 at 11:59 p.m. For more information, contact honors@usm.edu.

The Honors College offers an enriched and challenging educational experience for high-achieving, highly engaged students. As a junior and senior in the Keystone curriculum, you have the exciting opportunity to chart your own course through the design and completion of an original research project—the senior Honors Thesis. Working with Honors faculty and with a faculty adviser in your chosen discipline, you will move through a 5-hour course sequence, distributed across four semesters, that guides you through the thesis experience. Each step in the Keystone curriculum provides you with knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that prepare you for successful completion of the thesis project and the achievement of Latin Distinction.

To be eligible for admission, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.4 on at least 45 completed college credit hours and must have completed at least three full-time semesters of college. Students applying for this fall should have an anticipated graduation date of May or Fall 2023. The program is available for both Hattiesburg and Gulf Park students, and current Southern Miss students and prospective transfer students who meet the minimum criteria are encouraged to apply. All students admitted to Honors Keystone must take HON 300 (“Developing the Honors Thesis I”; 1 credit hour), in the fall semester.

Award
$1,000 annually for two years
Scopes
Special Awarding Deadline
Deadline
07/04/2021
Supplemental Questions
  1. Preferred First Name
  2. Cell Phone Number
  3. Preferred Email Address
  4. If you are a transfer student, will you have completed Honors graduation requirements from any of the following: Copiah Lincoln CC Honors College, Hinds CC Honors Institute, Itawamba CC Honors College, Jones CC Honors Institute, Meridian CC Honors College, MS Gulf Coast CC Honors College, Northeast MS CC Honors Institute, or Pearl River CC Honors Institute?
  5. IF YES: Please upload in the space below a note on letterhead from your Honors program director that certifies your status as an Honors program graduate.
  6. The Honors College requires a letter of recommendation regarding your preparation for the Honors curriculum. Please enter the contact information for a professor with whom you have taken a recent class, and we will contact your professor with a link to the recommendation form. *The recommendation must be submitted by your professor by the July 15th deadline.*
    • Recommendation Letter from Professor for Honors Keystone
  7. In order to address the following prompts, you will need to view the video linked "here.":https://youtu.be/muDsdDLg8mo Both essays should be a minimum of 400 words and should be thoughtful, carefully executed, and free of typographical and mechanical errors.
    • Essay #1: The “word cloud” slide presents a number of characteristics and character traits that we look for in our Honors applicants and that we hope the Honors experience will further develop. Pick one or more of these traits and discuss how you embody and/or aspire to them. Be as specific and detailed as you can, using examples and concrete experiences as appropriate.
    • Essay #2: The word “curiosity” is at the heart of the “word cloud” slide and at the heart of the Honors experience. In particular, curiosity drives research, which is at the center of the Keystone program. As a Keystone scholar, you will devote four semesters to developing and executing your Honors thesis--an extended work of original research, scholarship, or creative activity. Curiosity and passion for discovery—along with perseverance, creativity, discipline, and drive—are critical to this achievement. Write an essay in which you explain why you are interested in participating in undergraduate research and discuss your preparation for the Honors research experience. Be as specific and detailed as you can, using examples and concrete experiences as appropriate.
  8. Writing Sample
    • In the space below, please write a 150 to 200 word introduction to your chosen writing sample. For what class did you write it, why did you select this example, and what strengths do you believe it showcases?
    • Please submit an academic writing sample taken from a recent class. Your writing sample should showcase your academic and analytical writing strengths.
  9. Show 3 more