Honors College Application

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Renew Your Mind

The Honors College is open to students from all majors, encouraging them to study great thinkers of the past to serve God’s world in the future.

Applicant requirements:

  • 3.5 minimum high school cumulative GPA
  • Scholarship recipient is required to live on-campus
  • Letter of reference – (must be a non-OKWU reference)
  • An interview, conducted either on Zoom or in person.
  • A 2-3 page essay in response to a prompt provided by the Director of the Honors College. Though the prompt may change from year to year, the essay provides a sample of academic writing to determine if the student is capable of Honors-level work.

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Application Essay

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, we encounter prisoners who have been chained in a cave their entire lives, seeing only shadows cast on the wall in front of them. When one prisoner is freed and exposed to the light of the sun, he realizes the deeper reality beyond the shadows. This journey from darkness to light represents the pursuit of truth, wisdom, and understanding.

At OKWU, we believe that the pursuit of truth is central to both intellectual and spiritual growth. After reading Plato’s allegory (see here), consider how this journey from shadow to light parallels experiences or desires in your life. Reflect on ways you have moved from ignorance or confusion to deeper understanding, whether academically, spiritually, or personally.

In two to three typed pages, draw connections between Plato’s allegory and your own educational journey and development. More importantly, rather than speaking only of your own life, demonstrate a careful reading of Plato by relating lines or passages from the allegory to your own experience.

  • How has your pursuit of knowledge, faith, or personal growth mirrored the themes of the allegory?
  • How do you see an Honors education as aiding in the process Plato describes?
  • What would a distinctly Christian reading of this allegory offer to set it apart from a merely secular reading?

Your essay should reflect on how your experiences have shaped your perspective on truth and growth, as well as how a Christian Honors education aligns with your desire to seek knowledge and meaning.

*Because the goal of this essay is for students to demonstrate critical thinking and winsome writing, no AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT or programs like it) should be used in the composition process. To enforce this policy, application essays may be filtered through OKWU’s anti-plagiarism software, utilizing AI-detection. Essays will be evaluated for

  1. Careful reading and citation of Plato
  2. Relatedness and application to one’s life experiences
  3. Excellence and clarity of writing
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 50 MB.
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