A Self-Assessment for Prospective Students
Insert the appropriate number for each item.
- 5—agree strongly
- 4—agree
- 3—indifferent or can’t decide
- 2—disagree
- 1—disagree strongly
Caution: No one will score a 100 on this (at least not without multiple personalities). Some items are contradictory, because we’re describing a varied group. We’re just showing you a range of personality traits and priorities that we often see in Honors Program students. What they have in common is that they don’t settle for the usual. Otherwise, they show a lot of variety. Honors has room for both the dreamers and the goal-oriented.
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1. I like to read for fun. |
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2. I can stall on schoolwork but still make an A with a last-minute push. |
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3. I am goal-oriented and hate to be distracted from achieving what I've set my sights on. |
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4. My strongest motivations are intrinsic. Some things are worth doing for their own sake. |
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5. Sometimes I enjoy being alone with my thoughts. |
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6. Discussing ideas with other people is exciting. |
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7. I find myself thinking differently from those around me. |
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8. I am already gathering information about postgraduate education (law schools, med schools, graduate school, etc.). |
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9. I solve problems more quickly than most people. |
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10. I enjoy being with friends who are as smart as I am. |
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11. I can tolerate living with “loose ends”--unanswered questions, unsolved problems. |
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12. I would rather take all the classes I’m interested in than graduate early. |
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13. I want to take classes that challenge me, even if it doesn’t mean more money when I graduate. |
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14. I expect to meet interesting people and be exposed to new ideas in college. |
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15. I would like to go abroad for study or travel. |
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16. I enjoy doing projects or research on my own. |
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17. A good course is one that is an adventure in thinking and that tackles big issues. I would take it even if I weren’t guaranteed an A. |
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18. I’m pretty sure of who I am, even if I haven’t chosen a career. |
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19. Even though I expect to make new friends and participate in extracurricular activities, my top priority in college is learning. |
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20. I pay attention to current events. |
Interpreting your score: Take the number itself pretty loosely. Generally, a high total means high compatibility. If you answered with lots of 4s and 5s, then you’re wired a lot like current ACU students who enjoy Honors. They are your people—welcome home! If your total is 70 points or more, you can be pretty confident about enjoying Honors. On the other hand, if most of your responses were 3s, 2s, or 1s, you would probably be impatient with the Honors Program. If you feel, “I don’t see myself in this list,” then you’ll want to look at other opportunities at ACU. There are plenty of ways for bright people to challenge themselves and become successful graduates besides doing Honors.
