Current ASU student

Apply to Barrett

Prospective students may apply only once to Barrett for any given semester. 

Be mindful of deadlines and work to ensure that a complete Barrett application is on file by the deadline to which you are applying. A Barrett application is complete when:

• It has been submitted, not just saved
• Both letters of recommendation have been received by Barrett

The Barrett application does not need to be completed in one sitting. A student may start, save their work, exit, and then return at a later date to finish and submit the application ahead of the appropriate deadline.  After starting the application, a student may re-access it via the “Apply now” button.

Apply now

Letters of recommendation

Students are required to have two letters of recommendation as part of their Barrett application. The letters of recommendation must be in English. At least one of the recommendations must be academic in nature, written by a high school teacher or university professor who instructed the student in a class. The second letter may also be academic or it may be from a guidance counselor, academic, or club advisor, coach, supervisor at a place of employment, etc.

Prospective students must use the Barrett application to identify and then send notification emails to their two recommenders. These messages will contain directions for how to upload a letter directly to a student’s Barrett application.

On the Barrett application, each student is given the option to waive the right to view their letters of recommendation. This means the applicant will not be able to see the recommendations submitted on their behalf. Choosing to waive or not waive will have no impact on how the Barrett admissions committee reviews the application.

Many recommenders prefer - or may even require - the ability to submit a confidential recommendation letter. We encourage each student to have a clear understanding of their recommender’s expectations in this regard. The decision to waive or not waive the right to view a letter is shared with each recommender.

Transcripts

Current ASU students upload an unofficial transcript to their Barrett application for any college or university (outside of ASU) attended in the last five years. Current ASU students who graduated from high school within the last two years also upload an unofficial copy of their high school transcript. An unofficial transcript is a copy of a transcript that has been in the possession of the student.

Application essays

The Barrett application essay allows you to address our admissions committee in your own voice. We have a deep interest in knowing why you are considering Barrett, The Honors College, and your essay will let us better see you as a future scholar in our honors community.

The essay will also contribute to our assessment of your ability to write effectively, a key skill for success in the honors curriculum.

Keep the following in mind:

• Your essay should closely examine your ideas about your education and about the Barrett experience
• Your essay may take creative and intellectual risks, but be sure to address and integrate all elements of the prompt
• Your essay should give the admissions committee insight into how you think, how you reason, and what you value

With an essay of approximately 300 - 500 words, reply to *one* of the following prompts. Your response may be critical or creative. Indicate at the top of your essay which prompt you are addressing.

• Prompt 1 
  Discuss how a specific piece of art (painting, literature, photograph, etc.) or popular culture (song, comic book, etc.) helped you realize something new about yourself or the world. What was that realization, and how did the piece of art or pop culture bring about this change in your thinking? Do not simply describe the piece of art or pop culture; instead, focus on its effect on you and how it makes you a good fit for the Barrett Honors College experience. 
• Prompt 2 
  Tell us about a habit or way of thinking that others would recognize as “uniquely you.” This is something you value and would hesitate to give up because it is a distinct part of who you are or what makes you different - why is it so? Be sure to share how this aspect of your identity makes you a good fit for the Barrett Honors College experience.

Current ASU students applying for Barrett Upper Division enrollment also compose a short essay addressing the following prompt: “Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project as the culmination of their honors college experience. In an essay of no more than 250 words, share your thoughts on the value of this capstone project to your educational goals.”

You will upload the primary and Upper Division essays as PDF (strongly preferred) or Word documents to your Barrett application.

Creative supplement (optional)

Each applicant may submit a single creative supplement - though multiple items may be included within - of no more than 5 pages in length. The document must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format and include the following:

• The student’s full name and 10-digit ASU ID number clearly presented at the top of page 1.
• A brief description of what is being submitted.
• A concise explanation of how the applicant feels the creative supplement enhances their application materials. In short, why is it important for the Barrett admissions committee to consider?

A creative supplement may be uploaded to the Essays page of the Barrett application.

• Creative Supplement Example 1
• Creative Supplement Example 2

Barrett cannot accept mp3 files. Should a student wish to submit an audio or audiovisual recording, the file must be uploaded to a website, such as YouTube, with the link to the piece then provided in the creative supplement document.