Newly Admitted Students

welcome to the Honors College!

We are so excited that you’ve decided to join our community of creative problem-solvers, intellectual risk-takers, and compassionate, engaged citizens.

On this page, you will find important information and resources to help you succeed in the Honors College. Be sure to complete the tasks on your checklist, prepare for Honors Bridge Week, and check out the many supports and experiences offered to you as an Honors first-year student!

A student putting their handprint on a rock
  

Newly-Admitted Student Checklist:

Honors students on stillwater river paddleboarding

Important information about Honors Bridge Week!

Your first Honors Class is Honors 101, a semester-long, 3-credit course that begins with Honors Bridge Week. Honors Bridge Week runs from Sunday, August 24 (move-in day!) to Friday, August 29th, and includes activities that will introduce you to UMaine resources and give you time to meet and bond with fellow Honors students. Activities include paddling in the Stillwater River with the Maine Bound Adventure Center, small group discussions about the Honors Read, and more! 

The Honors College will be sending out more information soon about Honors Bridge Week, so please keep an eye on your maine.edu email. You can read more about RLEs and Bridge Week, including the $125 fee, financial aid and scholarship information, and answers to frequently asked questions by checking out the University’s Research Learning Experience website.

Note:

 If you are a student in one of the following majors or programs, you will participate in the Bridge Week for that major or program instead of the Honors Bridge Week:

All Business majors; Music, Music Education, and Music Performance; Biology; Zoology; Botany; Nursing; Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Child Development and Family Relations; Microbiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Biochemistry; Forestry; and Parks, Recreation & Tourism.  

First Year Resources

A group of students discussing in an Honors Course

Our four-year developmental “curriculum for inquiry” fosters academic skills and habits of mind that are valuable across all majors and degree programs and prepares students to take the next steps in their personal, intellectual, and professional journeys. The curriculum consists of 19-22 credits and satisfies a large portion of UMaine’s General Education requirements.

Learn More
Two people in an office setting, discussing and reviewing a document on a wooden desk.

The University of Maine’s Honors College advising program guides students to achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals. We use appreciative and proactive advising approaches and support our students by developing a collaborative approach to their academic experience. We provide individual and group advising options and partner with Residence Life to bring advising directly to students in the Honors LLC.

Learn More

The Honors College Mentors are current Honors students from different colleges and majors. Mentors help incoming first-year students adjust to the Honors College and the University of Maine academic experience.

Learn More
A picture of the Penobscot Pioneer Students posing in Colvin Hall

The First-Year Honors Cup is a competition between all first-year Honors students. The goals of the Cup are to get students engaged on campus, help them make friends, and encourage a little healthy rivalry between Honors 101 classes. You will learn more about the Honors Cup during New Student Orientation and Honors Bridge Week, as well as in the Honors Summer Newsletter! Keep an eye on your maine.edu for more details.

Learn More
A photo of two students in an Honors dorm looking at a book

Dedicated housing is an option made available for all four years to any Honors College student.  Four residence halls make up the Honors Living-Learning Community (LLC). The Honors LLC is made up of classrooms, study spaces, staff and faculty offices, and residences that create a shared space for Honors students to connect, learn, and thrive. The Honors College holds events in the LLC regularly, such as our annual Toast Party and the Last Day of Classes Picnic. There’s also a hot chocolate and coffee bar in the heart of the LLC, Colvin Hall, so you can get your daily caffeine fix before class!

Learn More

Questions?

Email honors@maine.edu