HONORARY UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARD

Honorary Undergraduate Scholar (HUS) awards will be presented at NEPA’s Annual Meeting that is being held on October 26, 2024 to recognize individuals with outstanding undergraduate records in psychology and to encourage promising students to pursue careers in the discipline. Students pursuing associate and baccalaureate degrees are eligible for HUS awards, and the Experiential Activity criterion (see below) recognizes potential differences in curricula and opportunities across institutions.

ELIGIBILITY: All current undergraduate psychology students including members of the class of 2024 (those whose graduation date will be May, June, or August 2024) and are receiving or will be receiving an A.A./A.S. or a B.A./B.S. degree from a New England or surrounding state college or university are eligible.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE: Any faculty member in psychology or a related field may nominate a student. One digital set including each of the following must be received at the NEPA office by August 31, 2024.

• Either a personal statement by the nominee that addresses the selection criteria OR a resume of the nominee’s career and educational experiences. The personal statement should describe the nominee’s accomplishments, present interests in psychology, and future goals and should be no more than three pages.

• One letter of nomination from a sponsoring faculty member that addresses the nominee’s qualifications and performance with respect to the selection criteria.

• An official transcript—an unofficial copy is acceptable, if necessary.

• Other supporting documents may also be submitted–for example, letters from fieldwork or research supervisors, copies of papers presented at conferences.

• Those that are selected who have completed research projects are given the opportunity to turn their research into a poster or oral presentation that will be presented as part of the Honorary Undergraduate Scholar Award ceremony.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Nominees are evaluated primarily on the basis of their achievements in and contributions to psychology as undergraduate students (85 points maximum). These include the following:

1. Academic Achievement (15 pts.). Overall GPA, psychology GPA, academic awards such as Dean’s List, President’s List, Psi Chi, Psi Beta, and other awards of academic excellence.
2. Evidence of Interest and Goals in Psychology (15 pts.). Selection of multiple courses in psychology, participation in psychology clubs, attendance at conferences, and other activities demonstrating interest and goals in psychology.
3. Experiential Activity (15 pts.).
4. A.A. Candidates: Scholarly and research activities, such as Independent Study, Honors projects, class projects, reading about a topic in-depth and reporting it in a paper, the development of documented statistical skills, and presentations at a conference will be considered.
5. B.A./B.S. Candidates: All research activities, such as Independent Study, Honors projects, class projects, reading and reporting primary research, contributions to faculty research, activities that foster the development of research skills and publications, and presentations at conferences will be considered.
6. 4. Service or Applied Activities (15 pts.). Human service activity on campus or in the community–including volunteer work, internships, or paid employment. Also includes psychology-related activity in such settings as business, education, and government.
7. Contributions to Psychology (10 pts.). Leadership in Psi Chi, Psi Beta or Psychology Club, assistance to other students through, for example, tutoring, and other activities that advance psychology or assist their department.
8. Quality of Personal Statement or Resume (5 pts.). Written with care and is thoughtful addresses selections criteria, and is grammatically correct and presented well.
9. Other Qualifications or Considerations (10 pts.). Evidence of achievement in the context of unusual circumstances (e.g., overcoming physical disability, economic disadvantage, or other obstacles or life circumstances). Contributions to student life or to the community that are not directly psychology related (e.g., extra-curricular activities such as student government or varsity athletics, community activities such as political campaigns or scouting).