Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if I am not yet eligible to participate as a Research Fellow?
A: You might consider applying for the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program in the Office of Undergraduate Research at Texas A&M University .
Q: What if an advisor cannot attend a research presentation?
A: If an advisor cannot attend a presentation, he or she should send a representative.
Q: What if an advisor is on leave and cannot meet with his Fellow regularly?
A: We suggest having a co-advisor who is able to handle the day-to-day operations required by the program, such as meeting regularly with the Research Fellow. This is also a good way to introduce new faculty to the Research Fellows experience.
Q: How are individual and presentation groups formed?
A: Research Fellows are formed so that a Research Fellow is placed within a community of scholars—other Fellows and their faculty advisors with similar research interests. Presentation groups (usually two individual groups) are formed so that Fellows present to BOTH scholars sharing their own academic interests and expertise AND scholars having expertise outside their academic discipline. Therefore, presentations must be broadly informative to the scholarly community. Each Fellow will remain in his/her Fellows group during the year, but each Fellows group will be paired with a different group for each set of presentations. Therefore, some members of the presentation audience will be different with each set of presentations.
Q: May a Fellow switch from one group to another?
A: Only in an extraordinary situation. Such a change would have to be approved by the Associate Director for the Honors Programs.
Q: What if a Fellow cannot present on the assigned presentation date?
A:The Fellows receive their presentation schedules months before they give their presentations, allowing them plenty of time to plan for these important dates. However, if a Research Fellow cannot present on the date he or she is scheduled due to a university-excused absence, he or she may schedule another presentation, which will be made to the Fellows coordinator and the Associate Director of Honors and (if available) the Fellows advisor.
Q: What if a Research Fellows advisor does not submit the progress report and completion report?
A: Submission of both of these reports is required for a Fellow to receive honors distinction at graduation and on his transcript and to have the Research Fellows Program research credits marked as honors course on his/her transcript.
Q: Is there a recommended text by the Honors Programs Office for writing the thesis?
A: Yes, Research Fellows may use How to Write a BA Thesis: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper by Charles Lipson (University of Chicago Press, 2005). Other resources for writing in particular disciplines are available in the Honors Programs Office. Please contact Jennifer Veracruz for a list of these resources.
