RAPS & HONORS
Q Who should apply for RAPS/Honors?
RAPS and Honors recognizes that both RAPS and Honors students are motivated, bright, and engaged. RAPS/Honors applicants are ideally students who want to be academically challenged, embrace interdisciplinary critical thinking, and approach learning with curiosity and a sense of ownership.
AFFILIATION WITH HONORS
Q Do I have to be an accepted UHM Honors student by the time I apply for a Regents and Presidential Scholarship?
We strongly recommend and encourage that RAPS applicants complete the UHM Honors Program application process as early as possible, as an Interview is required and early planning optimally facilitates this. The UHM Honors Program application process can commence in the Fall, for example, even before submitting the overall RAPS application.
Applicants need to plan and set up Interviews early as the UHM Honors Program will also be interviewing non-RAPS applicants during Spring, and the schedule can quickly fill up. May 1st is the final date to complete and submit the 3 Step UHM Honors Program process (1.Application & short essay, 2. Letter of Recommendation, and 3. Interview) for RAPS applicants. If you are awarded the scholarship AFTER May 1st, and if you have not yet been applied to and been accepted to Honors, you must complete the UHM Honors Program process within 30 days of notification.
Q Are the applications for Honors and RAPS the same?
No. These are separate applications. Applicants will need to have a Letter of Recommendation uploaded to the UHM Honors Mākālei application software. https://honors.coe.hawaii.edu/student
The process is very accessible. The applicant 1. enters the name and e-mail of of the recommender into the system, and 2. the recommender receives an e-mail directly from the Mākālei application software, and can choose to fill out the form or upload. Applicants should book an Interview ASAP once the first two steps of the application process are submitted and completed:
1. Application/Essay 2. Letter of Recommendation, and 3. Interview/RAPS onbaording.
Prospective applicants will meet with the following:
For Regents: Meet with Dr. Siobhán Ní Dhonacha or Ross Peterman
For Presidential: Meet with Dr. Shana J. Brown
Visit the UHM Honors Program website and click on Advising to set up an Interview. Go Here: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/honors/advising/
Q Can I still be in Honors even if I am not a RAPS recipient?
Yes.
Q How can I connect with other RAPS students?
RAPS are automatically part of the UHM RAPS Club. Visit the RAPS Club website here: https://rapsuhm.weebly.com/ for more information on how to become active in the club.
SERVICE & ENGAGEMENT
Q What kind of service/engagement requirements come with a RAPS scholarship?
Each RAPS recipient is expected to undertake and document 10 hours of service and engagement each semester – link here for more details about Service. Service Hours (Volunteering) are student initiated, can be Community or UHM based, and occur during Fall and Spring semester enrollment. Honors envisions “service” as meaningful unpaid engagement work and support that is focused on benefiting and helping entities at UHM or in the local community who advocate for the greater good in some fashion. This type of service and volunteering can strengthen civic engagement, meaning making, and foster a sense of connection and belonging.
Examples could be volunteering for the UHM Undergraduate Showcase at the end of each Fall or Spring semester, choosing from the UHM RAPS Club, UHM Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center Community Service, Native Hawaiian Student Services, Office of Civic and Community Engagement, or other UHM Clubs offering service, or sustainability or ‘āina based opportunities and initiatives either on the UHM campus or in the community.
This is not an exhaustive list, by any means, and there are a lot of options and variety, even virtually. See some resources for finding service opportunities below:
UHM Undergraduate Showcase
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/showcase/
UHM Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center Community Service
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/pac/
Office of Civic and Community Engagement
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/civic-engage/
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/civic-engage/upcoming-events/
Native Hawaiian Student Services
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/nhss/community-service-outreach/community-service-opportunities/
UHM COE ACCESS Engagement
http://socialsciences.hawaii.edu/access/engagement/