Fall 2013 Counselors’ Information for Smittcamp Family Honors College President’s Honors Scholarship California State University, Fresno for applicants enrolling in Fall 2014 as new freshman

HOW DO STUDENTS QUALIFY TO APPLY? Students may have been nominated by the Principal or Academic Counselor according to GPA, but they also may apply if they meet at least one of the following minimum requirements: • Minimum GPA of 3.8 in high school courses (weighted or unweighted, through end of junior year) • Top 10% of graduating high school class • Minimum combined SAT ~ 1800 or ACT ~ 27

BASIC FACTS • Over 600-700 applicants each year • 15-18 Reading Teams~no relatives or friends of applicants involved • No preference towards particular high schools, majors, or family backgrounds • Average GPA of selected Scholars: over 4.3 • Average SAT verbal + math: over 1300 combined • AP scores of 4 or 5 on at least one test; passing score on IB HL • 50 President’s Honors Scholarships awarded each year

PRESIDENT’S SCHOLARSHIP 4-Year President’s Scholarship for undergraduate study in the Smittcamp Family Honors College includes each semester: • Tuition (In-State Registration) for all majors • Cost of a double occupancy, Community Style dorm room Not included: • Student fees, room upgrades, food costs, and books

ADDITIONAL PERKS Use of the Smittcamp Family Honors College Office • Computers and Printer • Fax • Copy Machine • Student Lounge/Kitchenette and Seminar Room • Staff Assistance General Education Advising Priority Registration Extended Borrowing Privileges at Madden Library

REQUIRED HONORS CURRICULUM General Education (small classes—25 students) • Lower-Division: 2 Honors GE courses each semester the first two years, for a total of 8 Honors lower division GE courses • Upper-Division: 3 Honors GE courses satisfy all upper-division GE requirements Honors 101 often fulfilled overseas Another Special Honors course • Honors Colloquium (Town Hall format with guest speakers): 4 in first two years, 1 in a subsequent semester Senior Honors Project or Honors 180 Special Project

OTHER REQUIREMENTS Minimum GPA: 3.25 in first and second years 3.4 in third and fourth years Most graduate summa (3.9+) or magna cum laude (3.7+) and over 90% in four years. Community Service: 30 (20 Honors/10 Anywhere) hours in first year 20 (10 Honors/10 Anywhere) hours in second and third years

RESEARCH ADVANTAGE As undergraduates at Fresno State, SFHC scholars perform lab research that is not available to undergraduate students at large research institutions.

STUDY ABROAD (President’s Scholarship may apply to fees) CSU International Programs University Study Abroad Consortium Fresno State Mini-Semesters American Institute for Roman Culture in Rome Departmental Programs

GRADUATE STUDY Our President’s Scholars have attended some of the best schools for medicine, law, business, engineering, and arts & sciences: • UCSF, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Hastings • Stanford • Yale • Cornell • Princeton • Columbia • Carnegie Mellon • University of Chicago • Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies • Indiana University • New York University • Loma Linda University • Boston University • USC • of course, Fresno State! (and many more….)

Athletics & President’s Scholars: Katie Lee & Eric Battles named 2011 Bulldogs of the Year http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2012/04/27/battles-lee-named-bulldogs-of-the-year/

HONORS AT GRADUATION 2013 4 SFHC Undergraduate Dean’s Medalists 1 SFHC Graduate Dean’s Medalist B.A. Art, B.S. Biology M.A. International Relations NSF Fellowship Winner, 2013 Attending Harvard University for Ph.D. in Public Policy Megan Bailey (Grad, Soc Sci) in center; clockwise from top left: Shelby Art (Arts and Hum), Diana Lopez (Ed), Lindsey Lewis (Ag), Heather Donat (Social Sciences) 12

APPLICATIONS

3 MANDATORY APPLICATIONS 1) California State University, Fresno • Complete online application at www.csumentor.edu Oct. 1 - Nov. 30, 2013 • $55 nonrefundable application fee 2) Fresno State Scholarships Application • Complete online application at www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/scholarships/scholarshipapplication/ available October 1, 2013 3) Smittcamp Family Honors College Due 12/12/13 (online @ Scholarships web site) All online! Don’t delay!

SFHC APPLICATION Students will download the PDF file from the Fresno State Scholarships application web site It is highly recommended that they have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to access the application.

COUNSELOR’S ROLE Applicant will ask for the email address of the high school counselor/registrar so that applicant can provide it on the Scholarships web site. Counselor/registrar will have to upload documents in one PDF to the web site in response to a prompt received by email: • Counselor Verification form and • Official high school transcript (& official college) • 2 Letters of Rec with cover sheets (if school has restrictive policy) Counselor/registrar will scan and upload these documents together in one PDF.

COUNSELOR’S ROLE If the applicant needs to change the person responsible for uploading high school documents, the student can use the reset button to resend a request to a counselor/registrar, who will then upload the Counselor Verification form and official high school transcript in one PDF. Schools may also submit transcripts by Docufide online to the Scholarships web site.

SFHC APPLICATION

SFHC APPLICATION Students MUST uploaded all of these together: Completed Application with Applicant’s signature (and a Parent/Guardian’s signature if Applicant is under 18) Three (3) Essays Two (2) Letters of Recommendation (at least one from a classroom teacher) and Recommendation Forms (with signatures) Copy of AP/IB test score reports Unofficial college transcripts for all courses taken

ONLINE DEADLINE DECEMBER 12TH

NOTIFICATION The Honors College will notify all applicants of their status at the end of February. The letter will be sent through US mail. If applicant has not received a Notification Letter by mid-March, contact the Honors College.

RESPONSE Please encourage your students who receive an offer of the President’s Honors Scholarship to let us know whether they will be accepting it as soon as possible. They also need to respond to all communications from the Scholarships office via email. By early April they should know where they wish to go to college because all major deadlines will have passed. We will be providing Advising Days for registration for Fall classes in early April. Again, please encourage clear communication with us.

QUESTIONS? Call the Smittcamp Family Honors College office 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 559.278.8160 E-mail our office at honors@csufresno.edu