FAQs
Introduction to Honors and Benefits of Participating
What is the Honors Project?
The Honors Project is an interdisciplinary learning community. In this community, highly motivated students are provided with the coursework, support, and guidance to develop their academic and intellectual autonomy, collaborative abilities, and research skills. Participating in the Honors Project will both deepen your learning in your regular courses and grant you recognition that will help you with your transfer ambitions.
How does it work?
If you are accepted into the Honors Project, you’ll pair a “foundation” course (any transfer-level academic course) with an interdisciplinary Honors Seminar in either Math/Science or Humanities. You’ll develop an individual research project: your seminar instructor will help you focus and design your project, while your foundation course instructor will support you with subject-specific expertise.
Students who successfully complete at least two semesters of honors credits will be recognized as a “CSM Honors Scholar” on their transcripts.
What will I learn?
You will learn advanced academic and research skills: you’ll develop an academic research proposal, engage in an academic research process, use library databases, create an annotated bibliography, write a research paper for a specific academic discipline, and you’ll present your academic work at our end-of-term academic mini-conference.
Will completing the Honors Project enhance my transfer opportunities?
Yes, the Honors Project will provide you with important advantages. You will learn how to make connections between your courses, synthesizing your learning across disciplines. You will develop greater academic autonomy and responsibility. You will be better prepared for the higher-level work you will encounter at your transfer institution. Beyond honors transcript notation, you can and should emphasize in your personal statement the skills and experiences you’ve acquired in the program.
What support services are available to me while I am part of the Honors Project?
As a member of the Honors Project community, you’ll enjoy many levels of support.
- You will be joining a cohort of students who share your high motivation and proven academic success.
- You will enjoy close contact and support from your foundation instructor and your Honors Seminar instructor.
- You will be able to seek Honors counseling, problem-solving help, and letters of recommendation from the Honors Coordinator(s).
- Our Honors Counselor Michael Vargas will be able to provide you with priority counseling appointments, and special help with Student Education Plans (SEPs).
Is the CSM Honors Project on social media?
Yes, you can follow @honorsprojectCSM on Instagram.
Timeline and WorkloadHow long does the program take to complete?
Three semesters is the typical and recommended length of participation. Although students are occasionally able to complete the program in two semesters, this is not an encouraged practice, particularly for students interested in UCLA TAP certification: UCLA policy explicitly mandates that a student must be a college student for a minimum of two years after high school completion to be eligible for TAP certification.
How much extra work will the Honors Project be?
Our honors program is relatively demanding. You will earn two units of honors credit for your Honors Seminar, which involves a substantial amount of work. Bear in mind that you need to complete all work for your transfer “foundation” course, to pass that course successfully; the research project that emerges from the honors seminar will earn you honors credit for that transfer course.
Are there financial costs associated with this project?
Beyond standard course fees, required texts and materials, there are no additional costs.
Application and Enrollment QuestionsWhen can I apply?
Apply before the semester in which you plan to begin Honors coursework. We recommend applying approximately two to six weeks before the semester begins, in order to allow ample time for application review and admissions processes, but students are welcome to apply at any time.
The semester has already started, but I just found out about the Honors Project! Can I still apply?
Yes, application review continues through the start of the semester. With the permission of the seminar instructor, accepted students will be able to enroll in seminars using add codes through the add deadline, provided they have addressed any course equivalency or unit max load issues prior to enrollment.
If I’m not accepted, can I reapply later?
You are welcome to reapply the following semester.
To improve chances of acceptance, we encourage students to build strong positive relationships with all their instructors, to foster academic success by using the excellent student support services available at CSM, and to practice consistent academic curiosity, engagement, and integrity in their coursework.
What are the requirements to be accepted?
To be accepted, students must:
- Complete or be currently enrolled in English C1000 or English C1000E (or equivalent).
- Submit a personal statement of 250 words or more describing their interest in the program.
- Have a minimum 3.20 cumulative GPA.
Although the Honors Project strives to support as many interested and qualified students as possible each semester, we are limited by the number of seminar course sections we are able to offer, so we cannot guarantee admission to the program for every student who meets these requirements.
Can I enroll immediately after being accepted?
Enrollment is not automatic upon acceptance to the program.
The registrar’s office may take several days to process student information. Once students are “coded” they may enroll in the course. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that there are no holds on their enrollment. For example:
- Students who meet the English requirement with AP scores or completion of an equivalent course outside of SMCCD will need to complete the Course Prerequisite Equivalency Form, upload supporting documents, and receive approval from the admissions office in order to enroll in an Honors seminar.
- Students who plan to enroll in more than 19 units in a fall or spring semester will need to petition for approval from an academic counselor to enroll beyond the maximum units.
I don’t have a specific project or foundation instructor in mind. Can I still apply?
Yes. Your Honors Project seminar instructor will support you as you conceptualize and develop your project, and will help identify an appropriate foundation instructor to support your work.
The foundation course I have in mind has both a lecture and a lab. Will the units for both the lecture and lab count towards my total number of Honors units?
We cannot guarantee that students will be able to count both lecture and lab units towards their total number of Honors units. Speak to your instructors and counselor.
I’m taking classes at multiple San Mateo Community College campuses. Does it matter where I take my Honors seminar or my foundation course?
Yes, it does matter. College of San Mateo, Cañada, and Skyline each have their own Honors programs. It is possible to participate in Honors across more than one campus, but we recommend that you speak to the Honors coordinators at your primary campus before applying.
Can I use Honors credit earned at other colleges to help complete the Honors Project?
You may petition to do so, but it is not guaranteed.
I’m a high school senior taking classes at CSM. May I apply and participate?
The CSM Honors Project is designed to support community college students in their transfer journey, so our community college students will be given priority in the Honors Project application process.
High school seniors who are enrolled in College of San Mateo classes are able to apply if they meet the eligibility requirements, but high school students are not eligible for UCLA TAP certification.
We strongly recommend that students apply to Honors ahead of their first or second semester at College of San Mateo in order to receive the maximum benefit from the program.
How do I get started?
Carefully review the eligibility requirements and the application overview on the application page, and submit your application!
Please reach out to csmhonorsproject@smccd.edu if you have any additional questions.
