Honors University Transfer Program

Program Overview

The Honors University Transfer Program provides highly motivated students the opportunity to work closely with instructors and other motivated students in advanced levels of critical thinking, analysis, research, writing, and communication. The goal of the Program is to engage, support, and challenge self-motivated students to pursue a deeper education, enabling them to create opportunities for success in both their personal and professional lives. Honors courses offer enriched educational experiences through our Honors faculty, challenging coursework, typically smaller class sizes, and the opportunity to study with other highly motivated students.

See full listing of Honors courses offered.

See Honors University Transfer Program flyer (1 MB)

Benefits

• Honors students have successfully transferred to Stanford, Columbia, University of Chicago, Cornell, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, and many other top universities
• 97% successful transfer rate from Honors Program to 4-year universities.
• Honors recognition on transcripts and Honors classes include a selection of general education courses from the IGETC transfer plan.
• Collaborative and experimental learning (working in groups, doing field research, attending cultural events), and higher levels of critical thinking with an emphasis on writing skills.
• Class size typically limited to 20 students for more individual attention from instructors.
• Emphasizes skills needed in university-level work such as written analysis, research, collaborative learning, and oral presentation.
• We are one of only a handful of northern California colleges participating in the prestigious UCLA TAP (Transfer Alliance program).
• Earns priority consideration for transfer admissions into majors in the College of Letters and Sciences of highly competitive universities such as:
• Chapman University
• Pepperdine University
• Pomona College
• Santa Clara University
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, Riverside
• University of California, Santa Cruz
• University of Southern California
• Meets qualification for scholarships and grants available only to Honors students at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and Pomona College.
• Participation in research conferences and special events.
• Academic transfer Counseling and priority registration for classes.
• Supportive relationships with other bright, energetic learners and a Mentorship program.
• Special speaker series.

Eligibility

West Valley College Student Qualifications

• Earn a GPA of 3.25 or higher in at least 9 units of university transferable work at WVC
• Complete English 1A with a grade of A or B (or take 1A concurrently with your first semester of Honors courses and earn an A or B

High School Student Qualifications

• Earn a high school cumulative GPA of 3.5

Maintaining Membership

To maintain active membership in the Program, students must:

• Maintain 3.25 or higher cumulative GPA
• Recommended: Enroll in at least two Honors courses each year

You will have completed the Honors Program after successfully taking 5 Honors courses with a GPA of 3.4 or higher

Apply for Membership

In addition to the application, please email a copy of your transcript to Sam Liu.

Faculty

	Jose Bautista Psychology Instructor
	Leigh Burrill English Instructor
	Rachael Fields English Instructor
	Janine Gerzanics English Instructor
	Nichola Gutierrez Political Science Instructor
	Janis Kea Economics Instructor
	Tim Kelly History/Political Science Instructor
	Andrew Kindon Anthropology/Geography/Philosophy Instructor
	Sam Liu Economics Instructor Honors Program Coordinator
	Julie Maia English Instructor
	Ann Malmuth-Onn Dance Instructor
	Benjamin Mendelsohn Astronomy Instructor
	Nils Michals English Instructor
	Cynthia Napoli-Abella Reiss Art History Instructor
	Eric Pape English Instructor
	Carol Pavan Counseling Instructor Honors Counselor
	Jennifer Wagner English Instructor
	Rebecca Wong Math Instructor
	Michelle Zajac Communication Studies Instructor

Events and Activities

Fall 2018

• Presentation on How to Apply to Selective Universities
• Guest Speakers: Past WVC Students Come Back to Share Their Experiences
• Presentation: How to Be F.I.R.E.- Financially Independent, Retire Early
• Honors Faculty-Student Reception

Spring 2019

• WVC Honors Research Symposium
• Stanford Honors Research Symposium

Contact Us

	Honors Program Coordinator Sam Liu Office Hours Tuesday and Thursday 12:20 PM – 1:50 PM or by appointment in LA/SS 1C
	Honors Counselor Carol Pavan