Description of the Enosinian Scholars Program

The Enosinian Scholars Program was established in 2000 by the University Honors Program and the Vice President for Academic Affairs to identify and support the very best research being conducted by undergraduates throughout The George Washington University.  It aims to prepare these gifted undergraduates for advanced work in their fields and provides both financial backing and mentoring during the students’ senior year.  Our students represent the most lively and committed scholars in a variety of fields, who come together in this program to share their work with faculty and peers.

This program puts the student’s goals at the center: while each participant is closely mentored by faculty advisors, the student’s own research (rather than collaborative work on a faculty member’s project) takes priority.  This allows students to focus on their departmental senior theses while reaping the benefits of added research funds, mentoring from the Enosinian advisor, input from fellow participants, and advice from experts outside GWU.  At the same time that it foregrounds the student’s individual research, the program also provides opportunities for each Scholar to share ideas and work with other participants, so that there is a sense of communal support and helpful feedback.  We thus foster a climate of collaboration while attending to each student’s thesis agenda.

In the past six years we have had candidates from Music, English, History, Political Science, International Affairs, Philosophy, Geology, Anthropology, Sociology, Biology, Physics, and Speech Pathology.  We have had students go on to graduate study at NYU, University of Chicago, Cambridge University, Oxford University, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and University of Massachusetts, with fellowship support from these institutions.  Several of our students have presented their work at national conferences of scholars in their fields, and one Enosinian thesis has been published as a book.  We are very proud of our extraordinary alumni, and delighted that the program continues to attract such excellent candidates.

How the program works

Students apply in the spring of their junior year to participate during their senior year.  The application process is simple, designed to take very little time, especially for those who have already thought about a research project for their senior year.  We look for students who have a high grade point average within their discipline (typically 3.5 or higher), a clear idea for their senior thesis, and the strong support of a faculty member.  Applicants are informed about acceptance in about two weeks after the application deadline.  Successful candidates then apply to register for Honors 198, Honors Senior Thesis, unless they are already registered for thesis credits within their departments.  Honors Program students should consult with an honors advisor about how the Enosinian Program fulfills their senior thesis and honors course requirements.

Beginning in the fall semester of senior year, participants meet regularly, as a group and individually, with the Enosinian advisor.  They also submit to the Enosinian advisor work leading up to their theses:  statement of purpose (or abstract); annotated bibliography; outline; selected segment of thesis.  With feedback during each phase, the student can confidently move forward toward completing the thesis in the course of the second semester.  The Enosinian advisor also meets with each student’s departmental thesis director and reader so that there is clear communication about the progress of the thesis.

At the end of the spring semester, all participants give an oral presentation and ‘defense’ of their work.  The examining board consists of the student’s director, reader, and one reviewer from outside the GWU community.  If the thesis and the defense meet the standards of the Enosinian Program, the student becomes an Enosinian Scholar, a designation that appears on his or her transcript and on the Graduation program.  Students who do not achieve George Washington University Enosinian Scholar status but receive a passing grade from their advisors will get full credit toward graduation.

If you have questions about the Enosinian Scholars Program, please contact Professor Tara Wallace – tgw@gwu.edu or 202-994-6644.