Application Requirements
A complete application packet will include a 1) cover letter, 2) research statement, 3) unofficial transcript and a 4) nomination letter from your Research Mentor. Your research statement should be reviewed by your Research Mentor before you submit to honorsnd@nd.edu by November 1.
Cover Letter
Submit 1 page, single-spaced:
- Include your email, college, major, year, and research mentor.
- Include how long you have worked with your research mentor.
- Include why you are applying to the Honors Program.
- Include career plans, including an explanation of how your research experience would fit into your career plans, both immediate and long-term.
Undergraduate Student Researcher Statement
Submit total of 5-6 pages, single-spaced:
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Research Experiences
- Description of the research undertaken to date, in courses and with research mentors and how you developed from each experience
- No more than 1 page in length
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Research Intent
- Is a description of proposed research that provides sufficient detail to demonstrate the viability and worthiness of the research to enable reviewers unfamiliar with your specific area of research to provide a reasonable assessment. Research that is driven by the scientific thought process versus a mostly technical contribution.
- Should be 3-4 pages in length
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Should have the following structure with these subheadings:
- Background with references
- Preliminary results, if applicable
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Aims (2 to 3 aims)
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Each aim should have the following labelled subsections
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Hypothesis
- Should be intellectually deep
- Result in multiple experiments
- Rationale (for that aim)
- Experimental strategy with methods
- Interpretation and significance.
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Hypothesis
- As experiments progress and if issues arise, the research mentor, advising mentor, and student researcher should feel free to adjust research aims to move the Honor’s research forward.
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Each aim should have the following labelled subsections
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Significance of Proposed Research
- Generally, a paragraph describing the broader impact – how could the information generated by this research be applied or have an impact on scientific knowledge)
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Timeline of your research by semester until graduation.
- A description of experiments that will be conducted through the spring of senior year.
- The student’s role and project should be clearly defined, if the student is part of a research team on a large project.
- Generally, a half of a page in length.
Nomination Form Letter From Faculty Mentor
Your Research Mentor should complete the following form and email directly to honorsnd@nd.edu by November 1.
Download the Nomination form here: Nomination form letter
Primary Contact
For more information or if there are questions, please contact:
Prof. Amy Stark
Honors Program Faculty Coordinator
(574) 631-1540