English Honors Frequently Asked Questions
If I am abroad, do I still apply for the Honors Program during the fall of my junior year?
Applications are due during the fall of Junior year for all William and Mary students, here and abroad. Exceptions are for transfer students who began at William and Mary during their third years and who were therefore unable to apply to Honors in the fall; others with truly extenuating circumstances that prevented fall applications may also apply on April 1. The Honors Committee will accept honors proposals from these few students on April 1. All who are considering the spring submission date are urged to consult with the Director of Honors and prospective project advisors at least five to six weeks in advance of the deadline. Many advisors may have committed to other students, so some flexibility in the conception of a project may be necessary.
If I am abroad for the fall semester of my junior year, do I still take the Thesis Proposal Writing Workshop?
Yes. The class is conducted via email for all students; the Honors Director, who teaches the class, is also available via skype or for in-person consultations. The registrar has ways of enrolling you in “here credit” even while you are also enrolled in “away credit.” There is no fee for the course.
Is the Thesis Proposal Writing Workshop required?
Yes. Proposal guidelines are exacting. The proposals require careful preparation, and the workshop helps you refine your materials.
If I write a thesis, do I still need to take an English senior seminar, or an ENGL 475?
Yes. You need English 475 to graduate, for the COLL curriculum requires all students to take a 400-level capstone.
Who reviews my Honors Application?
The Honors Committee, which is composed of English faculty members. The same committee will also review the Thesis Proposals that will be submitted to the Charles Center for funding and the more developed Thesis Proposals at the end of your junior year. Often the committee provides feedback, which helps you revise the proposal as you progress.
Is there a GPA requirement for admittance to the Honors Program?
Basic requirements for admittance into the Honors Program include a GPA of 3.0 or higher; most successful applicants have considerably higher GPAs. Admitted students are usually considered to be particularly strong, accomplished writers and researchers.
Do I need a letter of recommendation when I apply to the Honors Program?
No letters of recommendation are needed, but you will be asked about classes that were particularly meaningful to you at William and Mary, and about contact information for those courses' instructors. The Honors Director will ask those professors for a sentence or two about your work as part of the review of applications.
Do I need to know what I will write about when I apply to the Honors Program in the fall of my junior year?
Not entirely, but we think it useful for you to have identified potential areas of focus, including particular eras, authors, fields of study, types of criticism, or genres. It is also useful to know which course or courses served as the anchor for your thesis formulation. We also ask you to consider several possible areas of interest, for in some cases, your ideal advisor may be on leave or may have agreed to advise another project. Or there may be unexpected obstacles with a particular topic, so we encourage you to maintain several viable options as you apply to the program.
How do I find out about the outcome of my application?
You will be notified via email about the outcome of your application to the Honors Program. Admitted students will be invited to sign up for ENGL 494, the Thesis Proposal Writing Workshop in late October of junior year.
If I am a transfer student, can I apply to the Honors Program?
Yes. Many transfer students begin their studies at William and Mary in their junior year, so there will be a special deadline for transfer students in the late spring; this deadline will also extend to other students who experienced extenuating circumstances in the fall. When you apply to Honors, the Honors Committee will want to review copies of your academic transcript from all the colleges you attended. It is best to begin consulting with the Honors Director very soon after spring break if you are interested in the April 1 application for Honors; it usually takes 5-6 weeks to put together a proposal.
Can I apply to write a thesis in English Honors if I am not an English major?
We expect that all Honors students in English be majors or minors in English; students whose transcripts show the number of credit hours equivalent to those in the minor will also be considered.
How do I find a thesis director for my project?
Ideally, you want to consider professors with whom you have worked successfully and in whose classes you encountered the works that are the basis of your project. Reaching out to several professors by mid-fall semester of your junior year will allow you to discuss your ideas for a possible thesis and determine if and how you should move forward with them. You should settle on an advisor during the first week of the workshop. Your advisor will then help you as you develop your proposal. No proposals will be accepted unless they have been vetted thoroughly by your faculty advisor, so regular coordination with your advisor and the Director of Honors is expected during your junior year.
Are there options if my project doesn’t work in the English Department’s program?
Some students consider Interdisciplinary Honors, especially if their central focus is not detailed textual analysis.
How do I register for either the Thesis Proposal Writing Workshop?
We will take care of this for you. During your senior year, all registrations for Honors work are controlled by the Charles Center (for ENGL 495-6), and they usually occur in the summer, after the rest of fall registration.
