university of arizona honors essay

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Choosing the best university of arizona honors college essay prompt 2019-20, school supplements.

UPDATE: The University of Arizona Honors College essay prompts have changed for 2020-21. Take a look at our updated guide!

If you’re applying to the Honors College at the University of Arizona, you’ll need to choose 1 of 3 supplemental essay prompts. This guide will help you choose a prompt that will help you show off your unique strengths in 500 words or less.

Let’s take a look at the University of Arizona Honors College essay prompts!

Prompt #1: Maturity

"A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Maturity is a virtue that we all strive for but often find difficult to obtain. It is a quality that we must acquire at some point in our lives as we become adults. What do you think it means to be a mature person? Write a well-organized essay in which you describe what you think are some of the qualities that make a person mature.

Can you think of a time when you felt proud of the way that you handled a challenge or a difficult decision? If so, this prompt could be a good choice for you.

To write a compelling response to this prompt, you’ll need to answer two questions.

• First, what do you think it means to be mature? You don’t have to perfectly match the Eleanor Roosevelt quote in the prompt, but you should clearly describe 1-3 traits or behaviors of a mature person.
• Then, connect your definition of maturity to your own actions. What is a specific example of a time when you acted mature? How did you demonstrate the qualities of a mature person?

Let’s look at an example student’s topic:

• Definition of Maturity: The willingness to put the needs of others above what I want.
• Example from My Life: When my sister was struggling with her cancer treatments, I quit the varsity crew team so I could be there to support her.

Prompt #2: Relationships

We experience many types of relationships with our family and friends during our lifetimes. Some of these relationships survive over the years, while others deteriorate. What qualities are important to learn and develop in order to sustain healthy, lasting relationships? In a well-developed essay, discuss those qualities that you feel contribute to a healthy relationship. Support your answer with specific details or examples from your own experience or reading.

Admissions readers are interested in your relationships because they are looking for clues about what kind of community member you are.

Can you think of a lasting, healthy relationship where you helped someone, learned from someone, or collaborated with someone to work towards a goal? If so, this prompt could be a great choice for you!

A compelling response to this prompt will answer these brainstorming questions:

• What is a healthy, lasting relationship from your life?
• What are 1-3 qualities that were essential to the success of that relationship?
• How has this experience prepared you to be a great community member at Arizona Honors College? (Tip: talk about this in your conclusion.)
• Traits of a Healthy Relationship: Patience, Trust
• Example from My Life: Tutoring the same student for 3 years as a volunteer
• Connection to Future: When my peers at Arizona Honors College are struggling with challenges, my patient and trustworthy nature will allow me to help them.

Prompt #3: Skills

Many people have argued that the skills needed to be successful in today's workforce have changed. What skills do you feel an individual needs to be successful in a job today? Why do you feel these skills are most important? In an essay to be read by a teacher, identify the skills you feel are most needed by an individual to be successful at work and provide reasons to persuade your teacher that these are the most critical skills for success.

In this University of Arizona Honors College essay prompt, the key word is “persuade.” If you choose this prompt, you’ll need to make a persuasive argument about which skills are most valuable for future career success, and provide supporting evidence.

Admissions readers will be looking for clues that you have thought about how best to prepare for your future goals. Choose this essay if you have clear career goals. You’ll want to connect your topic to your own future.

Here are some brainstorming questions to help you develop your topic:

• What are 2-3 skills that you think are essential to success in the workforce today?
• Can you back up that claim with examples from real life? Do some research. Try to support your arguments with evidence, such as data, real-life examples, or studies.
• What are your career goals, and how will these skills help you succeed?

Tip: Complement Your Common App or Coalition App Essay

When you choose your University of Arizona Honors College essay prompt, consider how it will work with your Common App or Coalition App essay. Take the opportunity to show a different facet of who you are.

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Honors Thesis

The Honors Thesis is a personalized experience that serves as a stepping stone toward the next stage of your academic or professional career. It allows you to work one-on-one with a faculty member to create a long-term, in-depth project in an area that you’re passionate about.

VIEW THE THESIS GUIDEBOOK

You sought new ideas, perspectives, and experiences; you connected with faculty, peers, community members, and industry partners—now what? 

You create. .

Your Honors Thesis is a large final project and, depending on your major, might take the form of a capstone, design project, research paper, or creative work—we’ve even had students write novels. No matter the final format of your thesis, you’ll incorporate the knowledge and investigative techniques you learned during your undergraduate career in new directions. That can make the project both intimidating and exciting!

The Honors Thesis is a two-semester commitment that demands a minimum of six units of work.

Students may complete an Honors Thesis and graduate with honors in their major or minor. Students may graduate with honors in more than one major or minor by completing two distinct theses.

How much time should you spend preparing, planning and executing your thesis?

Faculty Mentor

Your mentor will help you outline your goals and develop a plan of action.

Completing the Thesis/Capstone Prospectus is a mandatory step in order to graduate with honors.

What form will your final project take?

This spring event showcases the work of graduating seniors and Quest students through poster sessions and videos. 

Get inspired by previous students’ completed work.

Submitting Your Thesis

Stay on track to graduate and follow the thesis submission.

Questions about the Honors Thesis? Attend an upcoming virtual info session!

January 31, 4:00 - 4:45 PM | REGISTER NOW

February 20, 5:00 - 5:45 PM | REGISTER NOW

March 14, 5:00 - 5:45 PM | REGISTER NOW

March 27, 3:00 - 3:45 PM | REGISTER NOW

April 15, 4:00 - 4:45 PM | REGISTER NOW

University of Arizona

• Cost & scholarships
• Essay prompt

Want to see your chances of admission at University of Arizona?

We take every aspect of your personal profile into consideration when calculating your admissions chances.

University of Arizona’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Common app personal essay.

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

Honors Program

Our Honors Program offers the opportunity to pursue advanced study in English literature, professional and technical writing, or creative writing, to work in independent studies and small classes with English Department faculty, and to learn from and with a small peer group of students.

Honors Courses

The English Honors Program consists of twelve units (four courses): two sections of an exclusive honors seminar (496A Honors section) and two independent studies (498H), normally taken in the fall and spring of the senior year, during which the student writes a thesis. The courses can also fulfill requirements for the major and for the Honors College (if applicable). Many English Honors students are double majors, or plan a semester abroad during their junior or senior year; the requirements for the English Honors Program can usually be successfully coordinated with these individual needs. The thesis can be counted for Honors College credit (Honors College students who are also English Honors only have to write a single thesis for both programs).

Honors Seminars

The Honors seminars are exclusive and challenging small topical seminars that will provide not only advanced study in a topic of the faculty member’s research specialty, but also advanced training in the critical reading, argumentative writing, and research discipline necessary to pursue independent thesis research. Since English Honors cohorts usually comprise English, Professional and Technical Writing (PTW), and Creative Writing majors, the seminar faculty are encouraged to incorporate some creative assignments into the coursework. English Honors students must take two designated English Honors seminars, and one is offered every semester.

Honors Thesis

The honors thesis is a substantial and original piece of critical or creative work that forms the signal achievement and culmination of the student’s undergraduate career. Students may apply to write a creative thesis, a thesis in English literature, a thesis in professional and technical writing, or some combination of the three.

The English Lit or PTW thesis is a long essay modeled after published scholarship in the discipline of English or PTW and written under the advisement of a member of the English faculty. It should advance an original and well-researched argument that participates in existing scholarly debates about a topic of the student’s choosing. Critical theses may be of any length, but customarily they are 25 to 50 pages.

The  creative  thesis is a substantial piece of creative writing in one of three genres—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—written under the advisement of a member of the creative writing faculty. Note : Students wishing to write a creative thesis are strongly encouraged to apply for English Honors. Due to great demand and limited faculty availability, students accepted into the English Honors program will be prioritized for thesis advising.

English Honors Thesis Independent Study Form

Creative Writing Thesis Advising Guide for Faculty

Application Process and Requirements

Any student may apply for English Honors, regardless of their major or their college. Transfer students are eligible to apply. Students in the Honors College must apply as other students for admission to English Honors, and admitted students are not required to join the Honors College. Since the English Honors program usually takes three semesters to complete, it is best to apply before the final three semesters of a student’s undergraduate career. Students with only a single semester left in their undergraduate study will most likely not be admitted.  Applications are only accepted in mid- to late October, and decisions are made in early November.

Students who miss the application deadline but are able to turn in all materials before the committee meets to review, usually within 1-2 weeks of the application deadline, may be considered but will not be prioritized. After the committee reviews and makes decisions, no further applications for that year will be considered.

Honors College Note: Honors College students who are only applying for a creative writing thesis (not English Honors) may turn in applications after the application deadline. These will be considered on a rolling basis but will not be prioritized for Creative Writing faculty advising.

Applicants should submit a completed application form, which includes a writing sample, a personal statement, and the names of two faculty members who will serve as references. 

Faculty references will be contacted by the department directly. Faculty references do not have to be members of UA faculty, but should have instructed the student at some point (transfer students may list as references faculty from prior institutions). Students may find it beneficial to ask faculty members for permission to list them as references prior to doing so.

Full instructions and information about submitting application materials can be found on the   English Honors and Thesis Application Form 2023 .

If you have any questions on this process, please contact Program Coordinator, Sharonne Meyerson ( [email protected] ) with questions about the application process, or the Honors Program faculty coordinator, Dennis Wise ( [email protected] ), with questions about the program curriculum and coursework.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between english honors and the honors college i’m an honors college student, does that mean that i can take the english honors seminars.

The difference is that students, whether Honors College or not, must apply to the English department to be admitted into English Honors. English Honors is free, but is restricted to just the small cohort that is admitted each year. If you are an Honors College student, but have not been accepted to English Honors, you may not take English Honors seminars.

But then, why is there an “Honors College” section of the English Honors 496A? Is that open to Honors College students generally?

No. The honors 496A classes are split into two co-convened sections for enrollment purposes so that Honors College students who are also English Honors students may receive honors credit in their college. Because Honors College students cannot receive Honors College credit for any class that is open to non-Honors College students, we must split the class enrollment into a non-Honors and an Honors section. But both sections are restricted to English Honors students only, and both sections meet at the same time and in the same classroom—they are effectively the same class. Since all English Honors classes are enrolled by department consent, we will enroll you into the appropriate section.

I’m already an Honors College student, why should I apply for English Honors? I already have to write a thesis for the Honors College.

Many of the English Honors students who were also Honors College students have reported that the English Honors program was the most intellectually stimulating aspect of their undergraduate careers. You only have to write one thesis to satisfy both Honors College and English Honors requirements. And, if you’re a creative writing major, being accepted into the English Honors program prioritizes your application, per Creative Writing faculty policy, to write a creative writing thesis under creative writing faculty advisement.

I’m a transfer student, can I apply? Whom can I use for faculty references?

Yes, transfer students are eligible to apply. You can use instructors from your former institution or current faculty for your faculty references.

I’m an Honors College Creative Writing student and want to write a thesis with a faculty member. I don’t want to take the seminars and don’t want to graduate with English Honors. Does this mean that I can't receive advising from Creative Writing faculty?

No. Honors College students who want to write a creative thesis with CW faculty but do not want to fulfill the other requirements of English Honors may apply for a Creative Writing faculty advisor using the same application form. There is a checkbox on the form through which to indicate that preference.

I’ve missed the deadline for the application, does this mean I’m shut out of English Honors and/or a Creative Writing faculty thesis advisor?

Depends. If you have missed the English Honors deadline by only a few days or a few weeks, contact the English Undergraduate Office. If the committee has not met yet to make decisions, it is possible to turn in your application late. After the decisions are made, no more applications will be accepted for review. If you are applying only for a Creative Writing faculty thesis advisor and not for English Honors, then you may turn in your application late. Late applications in these cases will be considered on a rolling basis but will not be prioritized.

Undergraduate Dean’s List, Honors & Awards

University academic recognition.

Recognition of outstanding academic achievement is granted to every undergraduate student attaining the required proficiency.

Dean's List

Dean’s List recognition is awarded every term, based on units completed for credit and letter grade, which excludes courses with the following grade types:

Superior (S), Pass (P), or Fail (F) grades

Incomplete (I) grades that have not yet been completed

Dean’s List recognition is part of the official record and appears on the transcript .

Bachelor’s Degree Latin Honors

Three categories are awarded for superior scholarship in work leading to the bachelor's degree. This honor, based upon degree conferral grade-point-average, is part of the official record, is awarded upon degree conferral and appears on the  transcript  and diploma of the recipient.

To be eligible for Latin Honors at graduation, bachelor's degree candidates must have completed at least 45 graded units of University Credit  with letter grades that carry the required grade-point-average.

Graduation with Honors

Graduation with Honors is bestowed on students who have completed all requirements of the University-wide Honors Program . This academic recognition is part of the official record and is noted on the transcript and diploma of the recipient. Honors students also wear a special medallion at graduation bestowed by the W. A. Franke Honors College .

Commencement Awards and Recognition

Other awards and honors in recognition of outstanding academic achievement are bestowed through a student’s college.

Honor Societies

Colleges and departments offer participation in discipline-based honor societies and associations. Interested students should contact departmental and college academic advisors.

Related Guidelines & Links:

Access Your Grades

Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation

Grading Policies

Transcripts

Related Policies:

Grades & the Grading System

Apply   MAINTENANCE REQUEST

Resident Assistant

Resident assistant recruitment information, applications are now closed; the information below is intended for reference only..

If you have any questions about the application process, please review the information below. 

Job Expectations

The RA Job Expectations are updated each year.

• If you are applying as a mid-year hire: Review the 2023-2024 RA Job Description
• If you are applying for Fall 2024: Review the 2024-2025 RA Job Description

Please note: specific responsibilities and requirements may change.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Resident Assistant position, you must meet all the following requirements:

• You must currently be in good conduct standing with Housing & Residential Life and the Dean of Students.
• Candidates that have below a 2.0 cumulative GPA will be removed from the process. 
• You must have spent at least one semester as a full-time college student at the University of Arizona to be eligible to apply.
• You must maintain full-time student status (12 credits) while on staff.
• You must be able to arrive on campus and attend, and fully participate, in Fall RA training (Early August), which is mandatory.
• You must attend and fully participate in Spring RA Training (Early-January), which is mandatory.
• Resident Assistants are required to work through hall closing at the end of each semester.
• Positive attitude
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Commitment to helping others
• High level of maturity and responsibility
• Time management and organizational skills
• Responsibility
• Cultural Understanding
• Personal Growth

Application Information

Applying to be a Resident Assistant (RA) involves more than completing an application and interviewing; applying is a process. While the position comes with great rewards, it also can be demanding at times. Our application process is designed not only to ensure that we get the best candidates for the position but also to provide the opportunity to make sure the RA position is the best fit for you.

The selection process begins in November when the RA selection website is updated with the new information for the next year's staff. Information about the process will be distributed for promotion at the beginning of November with information sessions and applications going live on November 3, 2023. The process ends around spring break when candidates are notified of their selection status for the following academic year. More information is below:

1. Learning more about the position In addition to reading the website, the best way to learn about what RAs do is to get out and meet the people who work in the dorms. Talk to an RA or Community Director about their experiences. Attend one of our information sessions where staff members will talk about the position and explain the application process. 

2. What you need to know about applying online Between November 3, 2023 at 12 am and January 4, 2024 at 11:59 pm, complete the online application form located on this website . The essay questions that will be asked are listed below and all candidates are encouraged to answer these questions prior to starting an application, and then cut and paste their answers into the application in the appropriate space.

The Resident Assistant application is authenticated through UAccess. It is assumed that the individual completing this application is the student who is applying for the Resident Assistant position. Given this, the student applicant will be held responsible for the accuracy and truthfulness of the information submitted on and/or related to this application for housing. For this reason, some of these fields within the application will be pre-filled with student information on file.

The Resident Assistant application will ask the following:

Personal Information: The personal and address information displayed comes from your official University records. Housing & Residential Life's systems are updated by central University systems daily. If any of the displayed information is incorrect, you may still complete the application and then make the changes to your official records with the University. Within 48 hours of a change to your University records, it will be updated in Housing & Residential Life's system, including in your Resident Assistant application.

Academic Information: You must have a 2.50 cumulative semester of the University of Arizona GPA to be hired as an RA. Housing & Residential Life must have permission to check your GPA in order for you to be considered eligible for hire.

Interview Times: Candidates will be contacted at the beginning of February with the status of their application. The status will be one of two statuses: 1) invitation to interview or 2) notice that your candidacy in the process is no longer active. Those invited to interview will need to go back to this RA Application to select a date and time to interview. Interviews will be taking place between February 9-11, 2024. Carefully check your class schedule and activities as rescheduling interviews are done on an emergency basis only. If asked to continue in the process, you will be invited to participate in the interview. The interview day will consist of a 30-minute interview on one of the interview days.

Residence Hall Community: •    You will be asked to list any type of residence hall community you have lived in. •    If you are a transfer student, you will be able to list your previous residence hall communities. •    You will also be asked about your areas of interest with regard to our many Living Learning Communities. RAs selected for Living Learning Communities can expect responsibilities that may look different from other RAs. Although specific duties vary from community to community, Living Learning Community RAs typically are called upon to do more than an RA on a non-Living Learning Community wing. Here is a general list of additions and extras that one can anticipate: community-specific training, planning meetings, collaboration with living-learning partners, and more-focused programming. As an example, RAs in The Arts District Community are expected to know more about the arts than the average RA. •    You will select from a list of the Living Learning Communities (visit this link for a list and description) any community you are interested in.

• For each Living Learning Community, you are interested in, you will answer the following essay question: Please explain your interest in the Living Learning Community you selected. Specifically, address ideas you have for that community, how you would work with related campus partners, and any related unique skills/experiences you possess.
• During the interview process, you may be asked questions regarding the Living Learning Communities you indicated an interest.

Involvement: •    You must confirm that you have read and understand the RA job description. •    RA appointments are for the academic year. You will be asked if you are able to commit to the entire 2024-2025 academic year. •    You will be asked to list any campus and/or community organizations you have participated in, as well as anticipated commitments for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Application Essay Questions:

• Describe a challenge you have experienced and how you approached the situation. What did you learn from this challenge and how might you utilize this knowledge in the context of the RA position? (min. 250 words, max. 500 words)
• Tell us about a time when you actively contributed to or participated in a community. What motivated you to get involved, what impact do you believe your participation had on the community, and how would you use this experience to encourage residents to participate in their own dorm community? (min 250 words, max. 500 words)
• Our Wildcat Living curriculum encourages RAs to cultivate well-being within a dorm community. What does well-being mean to you and describe at least two specific strategies you use to promote and maintain your own well-being as a college student. How would you promote well-being to your residents even when their strategies differ from your own? (min. 250 words, max. 500 words)
• As an RA, you will interact with students with a variety of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Tell us about a time where you learned more about your identities or the identities of someone else. How did this experience shape your approach to interacting with diverse individuals? What steps do you continue to take to stay informed and respectful of various identities and how would you implement this approach into the RA role? (min 250 words, max. 500 words)

3. Interviewing As part of the selection process, after applications are reviewed, the chosen candidates will have to attend a 30-minute interview with current Housing & Residential Life staff members. You will be notified via email if you are invited for an interview and be given instructions. You must be available for the date and time you select to interview for the position. 

• All interviews will occur February 9-11, 2024.
• Please plan on arriving 15 minutes early to interview.

2024-2025 Academic Year Selection Timeline

Should I go through the 2024-2025 return housing application process if I’m applying to be a Resident Assistant? You should plan for fall housing without considering the Resident Assistant position in your plans. If you would like to live on campus next year even if you are not selected for an RA position, please go through the 2024-2025 return housing application process. If you are offered and accept an RA position, any payments you made in conjunction with your fall housing application (e.g., Application Fee and/or Confirmation Rent Payment) will be refunded to you. If you plan to live on campus only if you're a Resident Assistant, it is not necessary to complete the 2024-2025 return housing application process. If you are not selected for an RA position, and you did not go through and complete the return housing application process, you will be ineligible to return to campus housing next year. Resident Assistant selection will be completed in late March, giving candidates time to plan for fall housing accordingly.

If I’m accepted, can I get an extension on my decision timeline or defer my acceptance to another semester/year? No. Due to our staffing needs and out of respect to other candidates also in the process, we do not allow candidates to receive an extension on their decision timeline or to defer their acceptance to another semester/year. If you choose to decline your position, we encourage you to consider applying again next year.

If I’m not accepted, can I apply again? Absolutely! We encourage you to continue to stay active and involved at the University and consider applying again next year.

Can I hold another position on/off-campus if I am a Resident Assistant? The Resident Assistant position is designed to be a 10-15 hour per week, live-in leadership position and is expected to be your number one priority after academics. We understand that our RAs are student leaders who are already very involved within the community, and it is possible for you to hold additional commitments while being an RA. However, if selected, it is important for you to speak with your Community Director about any other responsibilities you have beyond the RA position as soon as possible. RAs cannot work, under any circumstance, over 15 hours a week at any other combination of on-campus jobs per university policy. Overall, you are not allowed to hold additional positions that require more than 20 hours of your time per week, whether it's one job or a combination of leadership positions.

Will my profile in an online community or social networking site affect whether or not I will be hired? If you are hired for the RA position, you are expected to be a positive role model for all communities that you’re involved in. It is up to you to look at your profile pictures, comments, groups, etc. and decide if that is the best reflection of yourself. Understand that these images and associations may influence your Community Director and your future resident’s opinions of you before they even meet you in person.

If I have been documented for an incident, can I still be a Resident Assistant? That depends. Students must be in good conduct standing with the Dean of Students Office and Housing & Residential Life in order to become a Resident Assistant. Good conduct standing means: you are not currently on deferred eviction status or evicted from Housing & Residential Life or currently suspended, expelled, on interim suspension, or on university probation from the University. In addition, you must not have any incomplete educational interventions with the Dean of Students office.

I’ve never lived in a residence hall. Can I still apply? Housing & Residential Life values a wide range of experiences in our student leaders and that includes students who have only lived off campus. So yes, please still apply!

What if I don’t have the required GPA? You must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA, and a 2.5 semester GPA in order to qualify for the RA position. This GPA requirement exists because the Resident Assistant position is a time-intensive position and time management is essential to maintaining good grades. Another reason is that a Resident Assistant serves as an academic role model for their students, peers, and the department of Housing & Residential Life, therefore maintaining good grades is essential.

Do I already need to know how to confront people or deal with emergencies? No, prior experience is not a requirement to be a Resident Assistant. All staff members receive comprehensive training prior to the academic year on many situations that might arise. Furthermore, throughout the academic year, Resident Assistants are provided ongoing training and support by their Community Director and the department.

I am an international student, can I still apply? Any full-time student who is permitted to work in the United States is eligible to apply. If you are unsure of your work eligibility, please check with the Office of International Student Programs.

I am a graduate student, can I still apply? Yes. While the RA position is staffed in undergraduate residence halls, full-time graduate students are still eligible to apply. Please note, if you are interested in the Graduate Resident Assistant position for La Aldea Graduate Housing that the position is hired through another process, please contact La Aldea staff at [email protected] .

What qualities do strong candidates possess? We look for well-rounded candidates to become RAs. While we look for no specific qualities, we encourage you to be authentic and bring your true self to the process. 

Interview Process and Timeline

What does the interview process entail? The interview is 30 minutes. This process that will allow you to demonstrate your strengths in a variety of contexts. The individual interview will allow you to talk one-on-one with a Residential Education Staff and a Resident Assistant. In addition, you’ll have the chance to learn more about the Resident Assistant experience, with time set aside for questions you may have for us.

If I will not be available during the stated interview times should I apply? If you will not be available to interview during the defined interview time frame, you will not be considered for a position and, therefore, should not apply. Given the size and nature of the process, we do not have the ability to make accommodations for individuals who will not be able to attend the interview during the defined interview time frame. If you are studying abroad during the spring semester, please select a time on the application and email [email protected] as soon as possible to determine if we are able to setup an interview.

What should I wear to the interview? The first impression you make on a potential employer is the most important one. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you present yourself – which includes your attire and how you carry yourself. That’s why it’s always important to dress appropriately for a job interview even if the work environment is casual. We encourage you to wear something that will allow you to be comfortable, look professional and presentable, and give you confidence as you demonstrate your skills to the interviewers.

Benefits and Compensation

The compensation package for the 2023-2024 academic year is below. Compensation packages are evaluated each year and are subject to change. All changes to the compensation package will be communicated once they are finalized. While packages may change, the value of the package should remain the same or increase from year to year.

Will being an RA affect my financial aid? The Resident Assistant position can affect your financial aid or scholarship award. To determine how that will affect your situation specifically, please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at (520) 621-1858.

What is the compensation for being an RA?

You will be provided a single room in your assigned residence hall (valued at $9,990).

• RAs in double rooms may have roommates at the time of Fall Opening as space is needed. 
• The department assigns RAs to a residence hall based on departmental needs. In rare cases, reassignment may be necessary.  

You receive a partial meal plan as another part of your compensation.

• You receive a total of $1,575 for meals. The distribution of the funds is a combination of Meal Plan and/or CatCa$h at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. For Honors Village RAs, this distribution is a combination of Meal Plan, CatCa$h, and/or Meal Swipes. If selected for the RA role distribution of this compensation will be determined prior to each semester.
• Additionally, $150 CatCa$h is given for use during Fall Training. 
• The RA role is a 10-month commitment from Early August 2024 - Mid May 2025 (refer to the Job Description for more details). Staff who are hired, leave, or are removed from the position at any time during a semester will receive prorated compensation packages for the time worked. Prorated means that the total amount of the meal plan compensation is divided by the number of working days a semester to calculate a daily rate. The daily rate is multiplied by the number of days worked to identify the amount of meal plan money that should have been spent by that time. You must pay back to Housing any amount of your meal plan that you have spent beyond this amount.
• If you do not spend all your Meal Plan/CatCa$h prior to ending your RA role that amount left will rollover into the next academic year. If there’s any Meal Plan/CatCa$h left at the time you are no longer a student at UA that meal plan money will be lost.
• Meal Plan/CatCa$h cannot be reimbursed as a monetary value.

Assignments and Placement

Can I choose the building I want to be a Resident Assistant in?

If you are hired for the Resident Assistant position you are hired for the department, not for a specific building. While it is possible for you to voice your areas of interest in the application, those preferences are not guaranteed to be met. Resident Assistants are placed in buildings due to qualities that would make them successful in that environment

As a Resident Assistant, will I have a roommate, and if so, for how long? The University attempts to provide housing for as many students as possible, requiring the use of all available spaces. Resident Assistants in single occupancy rooms will not have a roommate. Resident Assistants assigned to established double occupancy rooms will, most likely, have a temporary roommate. Half of the Resident Assistant’s double room will be used to house students until permanent accommodations become available for the temporary roommate. The Resident Assistant will be provided single occupancy of that room only after all other students have been accommodated. The length of time this process takes varies from year to year, but all steps are taken to minimize the overall impact of the temporary housing process on our Resident Assistants.

What is the process to be a Resident Assistant in La Aldea, the 12-month graduate housing hall? La Aldea has seven Graduate Resident Assistants (CRAs), who work 12 months of the year, primarily with graduate students. The selection process to be a GRA in La Aldea is completely separate from the RA selection process. If you are interested in applying for a GRA position, please look for postings or contact the La Aldea office: [email protected]

What is the alternate pool and how will I know when I’ve been selected from the alternate pool? The alternate pool is for those candidates who we feel are qualified for the RA position, but, due to the number of applicants, are not placed in a building. Candidates in the alternate pool will be notified via e-mail if they are offered a position and building placement as an RA.

When will I know my actual building placement? When you are offered a position, your offer letter will include what building you will be placed in. You are unable to change what building you will be placed into. If you choose to decline the placement, you will be removed from this year's process.

Training and Support

When do I need to be back at the UA for Resident Assistant training? Resident Assistant training for the academic school year begins in early August (exact dates are TBD), with a move date starting July 30. Please know that more details on RA training will be going out in June. Dates are listed in the job description; any changes will be sent out as they are made. You are expected to be present on campus, and fully participate in the entirety of training, opening, and Community Day. The RA position will require a great deal of time from early August through the first week of classes. Please [email protected] if you have more specific questions.

If I have a conflict, can I miss training or be late for it? No. Resident Assistant training is an essential component of your being a successful RA. During training, all RAs and individual staff will be talking about crisis management, emergency protocols, hall operations, etc. RA training is also an essential time to bond with your staff and start to build strong working relationships that will aid you throughout the year. Please keep in mind that Summer Session II typically conflicts with the first portion of Fall RA Training and class conflict is not an excusable reason to miss Fall RA Training.

Do I have to stay until the residence hall closes for break or return before the residence halls open from break? As stated in our sample Resident Assistant Expectations, staff members are required to stay until the halls close for the break and return before the halls open from break. Details of dates and times, which are specific to each school year, are listed on that year’s current Resident Assistant Expectations. It is necessary for some Resident Assistants to be on duty for Thanksgiving recess and Spring break.

What are the basic components of training?  There are two basic components of training: RA Training and Hall Opening/Move-In. As a new RA, you are not allowed to miss any part of training or opening.

Information Sessions

Campus-wide information sessions will be hosted as follows:

• Nov 3: Tubac Room (SUMC), 1-2pm
• Nov 6: Saguaro Room (El Portal), 4-5pm
• Nov 7: HNRV 1067/68, 6-7pm
• Nov 8: Saguaro Room (El Portal), 10-11am
• Nov 9: Presidio Room (SUMC), 10-11am

Mid-Year Hiring

Candidates interested in applying to be a Mid-Year Hire for Spring 2024 will complete the 2024-2025 application and indicate their interest in being a mid-year hire in their application.

• Applications should be submitted by November 19th.
• Mid-Year Hire Interviews will be conducted November 27-29, 2023.
• Mid-Year Hire Offer Letters will be sent via email to selected candidates December 6-8, 2023.
• If you have questions about the Mid-Year Hire Process, please contact [email protected] .

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

A Great Arizona State Essay Example

What’s covered:, honors college essay example , where to get feedback on your essay .

Arizona State University Barrett Honors College provides a smaller community within the large research university with increased access to benefits like faculty mentorships and unique research and internship opportunities. In this post, we’ll go over an essay a real student submitted to Barrett Honors College, and we’ll discuss the strengths and areas of improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved)

Alexandra Johnson , an expert advisor on CollegeVine, provided commentary on this post. Advisors offer one-on-one guidance on everything from essays to test prep to financial aid. If you want help writing your essays or feedback on drafts, book a consultation with Alexandra Johnson or another skilled advisor. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Prompt: Discuss how a 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. (300-500 words)

Perching up from my lounging position in the recliner, I watched intensely as Bruce Willis dreadfully observed his wife drop his wedding band, revealing that his character had been dead for the entirety of the film, unbeknownst to the audience and himself. Instinctively, I reached for my phone, as I often did after movies, to discover what had just happened on the screen before me. I was met with videos, articles, and all forms of media dissecting the film. As it explained, the director, M. Knight Shyamalan, hinted at the character’s supernatural status throughout the entire film. In fact, Bruce Willis’s character is not acknowledged by any characters in the film other than the little boy who can “see dead people”, and I never thought twice about it. To put it simply, I was fooled. In what may have been the most well-executed plot twist of all time, The Sixth Sense revealed that sometimes the simplest answers are the hardest to uncover.

Everyone has experienced it before, the “aha” moment in which they make a significant realization. For me, this instance was never more prevalent than after watching The Sixth Sense. The entire film, the director was providing me with the clues and information necessary to uncover the answer, but I, along with virtually all other viewers of the film, missed it. As I look to begin a career in business after completing my education, I find that reading between the lines and uncovering these answers is paramount. Take for example, Mark Zuckerberg starting Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg had no insider information or knowledge that was kept from the rest of the world. Everyone knew that computers and technology were the way of the future; everyone knew that kids loved their cell phones and social interaction. The difference is that Mark Zuckerberg recognized these needs and started one of the largest enterprises in the world. The concepts seem simple once they are presented, but the ability to discover them is what is important.

Information is something that is available to everyone, they just have to seek it out. With the significant research funding provided by Barrett through The Bidstrup and Barrett Research Fellowship and other programs, I know that I will have the ability to uncover this information. One specific project I would like to get involved with is the fight against the climate crisis. Just like The Sixth Sense, the writing is on the wall. The evidence is clear and the need to combat this crisis is evident. As an aspiring marketing major, I hope to utilize the information gained through my research to discover the most effective way to persuade citizens to act with environmental integrity. The unique close-knit nature of the Barrett students and faculty will aid me in my effort to achieve this goal. For me, it is not about “seeing dead people” but about seeing the answers to complex problems in business.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay does a wonderful job of answering the prompt. The writer shares a piece of popular culture, The Sixth Sense , and focuses their analysis on the part of the film relevant to their realization. They then expand on this realization before tying it to their life. This personal connection to their life and the Honors College is key to the success of this essay. 

The writer starts with great imagery and instead of just talking about the film, they discuss their reaction to it. From the first sentence, the writer is a part of the story when they say, “Perching up from my lounging position in the recliner, I watch intensely…” They continue by writing about their “aha” moment and how they came to it. The end of the first paragraph leaves the reader with an idea of the essay’s message: “sometimes the simplest answers are the hardest to uncover.” Having a sentence like this at the end of your first paragraph serves both to excite the reader about the rest of the essay and ensure that the realization part of the prompt is clearly answered. 

An example about Mark Zuckerberg serves as a transition from how the writer’s realization played out in a movie to why it’s relevant in everyday life. This flows well into the last paragraph where the writer talks about how they want to use Barrett Honors College’s resources to achieve their goals. 

The last paragraph is strong because of how personal it is to the writer. The reader learns that the writer wants to major in marketing and conduct research about environmental issues. The essay comes full circle by relating the writer’s research goals with the movie. Doing this gives the reader closure and shows that all the information in the essay was significant. 

What Could Be Improved 

While writing about Mark Zuckerberg in the second paragraph does connect the film to real life, it doesn’t provide any insight about the writer. This space would be better served by elaborating on ideas in the third paragraph about what the writer wants to research, or by providing an example of a time that the writer discovered a simple answer. 

The last paragraph could also benefit from even more specific details. These could include what the writer wants to research with the school funding, what professors the writers want to work with, and how the “unique close-knit nature of the Barrett students and faculty” will help the writer with their research. As a general rule, the more details you can provide when talking about why you want to go to a school, the better! 

Want feedback like this on your Arizona State University essay before you submit? We offer expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers.

Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

SUBMIT A STORY IDEA

Amendments to the Undergraduate Dean's List, Honors and Awards Policy

In the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, the Office of the Registrar, and Arizona Online proposed amendments to the Academic Distinction, Dean's List, Honors and Awards policy, which applies to undergraduate students. The policy has been updated to better reflect the diverse courseloads of the University undergraduate population and provide meaningful and identifiable recognition for student academic success. 

The updated policy was approved by the Undergraduate Council, Undergraduate College Academic Administrators Council, and the Faculty Senate during the spring of 2024. 

Amendments to the policy include: 

Expanding the applicability of Dean's List and Dean's List with Distinction 

Recognizing the achievement and progress of half-time students, a new category has been introduced for inclusion on the Dean's List and Dean's List with Distinction, with eligibility starting at a minimum of 6 units. Additionally, in alignment with the University's full-time status policy, the unit requirement for the full-time Dean's List and Dean's List with Distinction has been revised to 12 credits. This update prompts the removal of the Honorable Mention category, as its requirements were identical to the newly updated full-time Dean's List requirements, making it redundant. These amendments enhance recognition while upholding academic standards.

Removing year-based Academic Distinction 

Academic Distinction served as the annual counterpart to the term-based Dean's Lists, with many students receiving both forms of recognition for grades earned during the same term. Emphasizing term-based accomplishments will simplify the process for both students and the institution. Additionally, for full-time and half-time students, Dean's List and Dean's List with Distinction will now be recognized for all terms—winter, spring, summer, and fall. 

Renaming policy name and headings for clarity:

• The policy title is now Undergraduate Dean's List, Honors & Awards. This change reflects the removal of Academic Distinction and specifies that the policy applies exclusively to undergraduate students.
• "Graduation with Academic Distinction" is replaced with "Bachelor's Degree Latin Honors." This term is chosen for its wide recognition across institutions, unlike "Graduation with Academic Distinction," which is less clear.
• The section previously titled "University Academic Honors" is now "University Academic Recognition." This update helps differentiate between academic recognitions and the honors program.
• The single section "Other Awards & Honors" has been split into two sections: "Commencement Awards & Recognition" and "Honor Societies." This separation clarifies that Commencement Awards are one-time recognitions given at the end of a student's academic journey, while Honor Societies may involve ongoing membership throughout their time as a student.

The amended policy is effective Spring 2024. Please note that the new Dean's List categories will be awarded for the first time in Spring 2024, and the Academic Distinction (academic year) will be awarded for the final time in Spring 2024 (based on coursework from Summer 2023 through Spring 2024). 

The amended policy can be read in full online (any personal bookmarks or direct links to the policy page should be updated to this new policy URL).

Questions about the updates to this policy should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar at [email protected] .

Resources for the Media

First-Year Admission

Applying as a first-year to the Honors Program

The application for first-year admission to Interdisciplinary Honors is integrated into the  UW First-year Application , with additional required essays and a separate evaluation process. You must complete and submit all of the regular UW Admissions and all of the Honors application materials to be considered for Interdisciplinary Honors admission.

Before applying to Honors, we recommend you explore the following:

Who are Honors students?

The honors curriculum, tips for applying, honors student leaders, scholarships, admissions faq.

Interested in applying for admissions for autumn 2024? Register for an information session!

RSVP HERE FOR AUTUMN 2023 SESSIONS

NOTE: We are unable to offer individual admissions appointments for prospective first-year applicants. Please attend an information, review our presentation slides,browse our website, and reach out to our Honors Student Leaders if you still have questions. Thank you for your understanding!

Important Dates

Application process.

To access and submit the Honors application questions:

• Follow the University of Washington Office of Admissions’ instructions on how to apply ;
• If you no longer wish to apply to Honors at any point, you must change your selection to “No.”
• Complete the UW application AND the Honors section of the UW application .
• You will receive separate confirmation emails from UW and the Honors Program.
• Check your email. UW Honors uses the email address in your UW application as our primary method of contact, including our decision letters and scholarship offers. If you set up an “@uw.edu” address, it will take priority. If you have not received any confirmation emails, please check your spam/trash folders first, then contact us at uwhonors@uw.edu .

Honors Essay

The heart of the Honors application is the Honors Essay. This essay, separate from the UW Writing section, requires an essay specific to Interdisciplinary Honors. Your response will be evaluated on content as well as form (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).

Your essay should be original, thoughtful, and concise. Do not copy previous essays from your UW application or materials found on the UW Honors Program web site. Draw on your best qualities as a writer and thinker; academic risk-taking is a core value of the Honors Program, so take some risks and be honest. Tell us who you are and why you want an interdisciplinary undergraduate education. Work on the essays early. Have someone proofread your writing but don’t let a proofreader erase your unique voice.

Essay Prompt for Autumn 2024

Respond to the essay prompt using no more than 450 words.

We want to understand your desire to learn new things and to push your education outside of the areas of learning that you are most familiar with. 

Tell us why this type of learning interests you and which subjects you’re excited to explore in college.

• Be yourself and be specific! This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to us. Demonstrate why you are interested in our curriculum and what qualities you would contribute to the Interdisciplinary Honors Program.
• Remember your audience. The UW is a large and diverse public institution. The people evaluating your application may not have the same beliefs or perspective you do. Diverse viewpoints are desired in the academic world. Consider this as you frame your essays.
• Proofread! Have someone who knows you proofread your responses, but don’t let your voice and perspective be erased.
• Do not send transcripts or supplemental materials (recommendations, news articles, resumes, digital media, etc.). These will be discarded upon receipt.

Read our Tips for Applying for more detailed advice.

The Honors Holistic Review & Test Scores

The University of Washington’s Office of Admissions has moved to a test optional policy for Autumn 2021 and beyond. Accordingly, the University Honors Program admissions evaluators will not consider test scores, which have historically been a small factor in our evaluation process. The Honors Program admissions evaluation focuses on many factors, including :

• Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in our specific interdisciplinary curriculum and values;
• Demonstrated cultural awareness or unique perspectives or experiences;
• Demonstrated academic preparation; and 
• Demonstrated commitment to community engagement.

To be considered for admission to the University Honors Program first-year applicants must first be admitted to the University of Washington. Please refer to the University of Washington’s Office of Admissions to further understand their review process.

Read our admissions FAQs

FROM THE DIRECTOR

As we enter a new freshman admissions season, the Director of Honors invites students and the communities around them to learn more about the UW Honors curriculum.

Connect with UW Honors:

Mary Gates Hall 211, Box 352800 Seattle, WA 98195-2800 Contact Us Office Hours: Mon-Thur, 10am-4pm, Friday by Online Appointment Only. For details click here .

© 2024 University of Washington | Seattle, WA

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O.J. Simpson, Football Star Whose Trial Riveted the Nation, Dies at 76

He ran to football fame and made fortunes in movies. His trial for the murder of his former wife and her friend became an inflection point on race in America.

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By Robert D. McFadden

O.J. Simpson, who ran to fame on the football field, made fortunes as an all-American in movies, television and advertising, and was acquitted of killing his former wife and her friend in a 1995 trial in Los Angeles that mesmerized the nation, died on Wednesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 76.

The cause was cancer, his family announced on social media.

The jury in the murder trial cleared him, but the case, which had held up a cracked mirror to Black and white America, changed the trajectory of his life. In 1997, a civil suit by the victims’ families found him liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald L. Goldman, and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages. He paid little of the debt, moved to Florida and struggled to remake his life, raise his children and stay out of trouble.

In 2006, he sold a book manuscript, titled “If I Did It,” and a prospective TV interview, giving a “hypothetical” account of murders he had always denied committing. A public outcry ended both projects, but Mr. Goldman’s family secured the book rights, added material imputing guilt to Mr. Simpson and had it published.

In 2007, he was arrested after he and other men invaded a Las Vegas hotel room of some sports memorabilia dealers and took a trove of collectibles. He claimed that the items had been stolen from him, but a jury in 2008 found him guilty of 12 charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping, after a trial that drew only a smattering of reporters and spectators. He was sentenced to nine to 33 years in a Nevada state prison. He served the minimum term and was released in 2017.

Over the years, the story of O.J. Simpson generated a tide of tell-all books, movies, studies and debate over questions of justice, race relations and celebrity in a nation that adores its heroes, especially those cast in rags-to-riches stereotypes, but that has never been comfortable with its deeper contradictions.

There were many in the Simpson saga. Yellowing old newspaper clippings yield the earliest portraits of a postwar child of poverty afflicted with rickets and forced to wear steel braces on his spindly legs, of a hardscrabble life in a bleak housing project and of hanging with teenage gangs in the tough back streets of San Francisco, where he learned to run.

“Running, man, that’s what I do,” he said in 1975, when he was one of America’s best-known and highest-paid football players, the Buffalo Bills’ electrifying, swivel-hipped ball carrier, known universally as the Juice. “All my life I’ve been a runner.”

And so he had — running to daylight on the gridiron of the University of Southern California and in the roaring stadiums of the National Football League for 11 years; running for Hollywood movie moguls, for Madison Avenue image-makers and for television networks; running to pinnacles of success in sports and entertainment.

Along the way, he broke college and professional records, won the Heisman Trophy and was enshrined in pro football’s Hall of Fame. He appeared in dozens of movies and memorable commercials for Hertz and other clients; was a sports analyst for ABC and NBC; acquired homes, cars and a radiant family; and became an American idol — a handsome warrior with the gentle eyes and soft voice of a nice guy. And he played golf.

It was the good life, on the surface. But there was a deeper, more troubled reality — about an infant daughter drowning in the family pool and a divorce from his high school sweetheart; about his stormy marriage to a stunning young waitress and her frequent calls to the police when he beat her; about the jealous rages of a frustrated man.

Calls to the Police

The abuse left Nicole Simpson bruised and terrified on scores of occasions, but the police rarely took substantive action. After one call to the police on New Year’s Day, 1989, officers found her badly beaten and half-naked, hiding in the bushes outside their home. “He’s going to kill me!” she sobbed. Mr. Simpson was arrested and convicted of spousal abuse, but was let off with a fine and probation.

The couple divorced in 1992, but confrontations continued. On Oct. 25, 1993, Ms. Simpson called the police again. “He’s back,” she told a 911 operator, and officers once more intervened.

Then it happened. On June 12, 1994, Ms. Simpson, 35, and Mr. Goldman, 25, were attacked outside her condominium in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, not far from Mr. Simpson’s estate. She was nearly decapitated, and Mr. Goldman was slashed to death.

The knife was never found, but the police discovered a bloody glove at the scene and abundant hair, blood and fiber clues. Aware of Mr. Simpson’s earlier abuse and her calls for help, investigators believed from the start that Mr. Simpson, 46, was the killer. They found blood on his car and, in his home, a bloody glove that matched the one picked up near the bodies. There was never any other suspect.

Five days later, after Mr. Simpson had attended Nicole’s funeral with their two children, he was charged with the murders, but fled in his white Ford Bronco. With his old friend and teammate Al Cowlings at the wheel and the fugitive in the back holding a gun to his head and threatening suicide, the Bronco led a fleet of patrol cars and news helicopters on a slow 60-mile televised chase over the Southern California freeways.

Networks pre-empted prime-time programming for the spectacle, some of it captured by news cameras in helicopters, and a nationwide audience of 95 million people watched for hours. Overpasses and roadsides were crowded with spectators. The police closed highways and motorists pulled over to watch, some waving and cheering at the passing Bronco, which was not stopped. Mr. Simpson finally returned home and was taken into custody.

The ensuing trial lasted nine months, from January to early October 1995, and captivated the nation with its lurid accounts of the murders and the tactics and strategy of prosecutors and of a defense that included the “dream team” of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. , F. Lee Bailey , Alan M. Dershowitz, Barry Scheck and Robert L. Shapiro.

The prosecution, led by Marcia Clark and Christopher A. Darden, had what seemed to be overwhelming evidence: tests showing that blood, shoe prints, hair strands, shirt fibers, carpet threads and other items found at the murder scene had come from Mr. Simpson or his home, and DNA tests showing that the bloody glove found at Mr. Simpson’s home matched the one left at the crime scene. Prosecutors also had a list of 62 incidents of abusive behavior by Mr. Simpson against his wife.

But as the trial unfolded before Judge Lance Ito and a 12-member jury that included 10 Black people, it became apparent that the police inquiry had been flawed. Photo evidence had been lost or mislabeled; DNA had been collected and stored improperly, raising a possibility that it was tainted. And Detective Mark Fuhrman, a key witness, admitted that he had entered the Simpson home and found the matching glove and other crucial evidence — all without a search warrant.

‘If the Glove Don’t Fit’

The defense argued, but never proved, that Mr. Fuhrman planted the second glove. More damaging, however, was its attack on his history of racist remarks. Mr. Fuhrman swore that he had not used racist language for a decade. But four witnesses and a taped radio interview played for the jury contradicted him and undermined his credibility. (After the trial, Mr. Fuhrman pleaded no contest to a perjury charge. He was the only person convicted in the case.)

In what was seen as the crucial blunder of the trial, the prosecution asked Mr. Simpson, who was not called to testify, to try on the gloves. He struggled to do so. They were apparently too small.

“If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit,” Mr. Cochran told the jury later.

In the end, it was the defense that had the overwhelming case, with many grounds for reasonable doubt, the standard for acquittal. But it wanted more. It portrayed the Los Angeles police as racist, charged that a Black man was being railroaded, and urged the jury to think beyond guilt or innocence and send a message to a racist society.

On the day of the verdict, autograph hounds, T-shirt vendors, street preachers and paparazzi engulfed the courthouse steps. After what some news media outlets had called “The Trial of the Century,” producing 126 witnesses, 1,105 items of evidence and 45,000 pages of transcripts, the jury — sequestered for 266 days, longer than any in California history — deliberated for only three hours.

Much of America came to a standstill. In homes, offices, airports and malls, people paused to watch. Even President Bill Clinton left the Oval Office to join his secretaries. In court, cries of “Yes!” and “Oh, no!” were echoed across the nation as the verdict left many Black people jubilant and many white people aghast.

In the aftermath, Mr. Simpson and the case became the grist for television specials, films and more than 30 books, many by participants who made millions. Mr. Simpson, with Lawrence Schiller, produced “I Want to Tell You,” a thin mosaic volume of letters, photographs and self-justifying commentary that sold hundreds of thousands of copies and earned Mr. Simpson more than $1 million.

He was released after 474 days in custody, but his ordeal was hardly over. Much of the case was resurrected for the civil suit by the Goldman and Brown families. A predominantly white jury with a looser standard of proof held Mr. Simpson culpable and awarded the families $33.5 million in damages. The civil case, which excluded racial issues as inflammatory and speculative, was a vindication of sorts for the families and a blow to Mr. Simpson, who insisted that he had no chance of ever paying the damages.

Mr. Simpson had spent large sums for his criminal defense. Records submitted in the murder trial showed his net worth at about $11 million, and people with knowledge of the case said he had only $3.5 million afterward. A 1999 auction of his Heisman Trophy and other memorabilia netted about $500,000, which went to the plaintiffs. But court records show he paid little of the balance that was owed.

He regained custody of the children he had with Ms. Simpson, and in 2000 he moved to Florida, bought a home south of Miami and settled into a quiet life, playing golf and living on pensions from the N.F.L., the Screen Actors Guild and other sources, about $400,000 a year. Florida laws protect a home and pension income from seizure to satisfy court judgments.

The glamour and lucrative contracts were gone, but Mr. Simpson sent his two children to prep school and college. He was seen in restaurants and malls, where he readily obliged requests for autographs. He was fined once for powerboat speeding in a manatee zone, and once for pirating cable television signals.

In 2006, as the debt to the murder victims’ families grew with interest to $38 million, he was sued by Fred Goldman, the father of Ronald Goldman, who contended that his book and television deal for “If I Did It” had advanced him $1 million and that it had been structured to cheat the family of the damages owed.

The projects were scrapped by News Corporation, parent of the publisher HarperCollins and the Fox Television Network, and a corporation spokesman said Mr. Simpson was not expected to repay an $800,000 advance. The Goldman family secured the book rights from a trustee after a bankruptcy court proceeding and had it published in 2007 under the title “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.” On the book’s cover, the “If” appeared in tiny type, and the “I Did It” in large red letters.

Another Trial, and Prison

After years in which it seemed he had been convicted in the court of public opinion, Mr. Simpson in 2008 again faced a jury. This time he was accused of raiding a Las Vegas hotel room in 2007 with five other men, most of them convicted criminals and two armed with guns, to steal a trove of sports memorabilia from a pair of collectible dealers.

Mr. Simpson claimed that he was only trying to retrieve items stolen from him, including eight footballs, two plaques and a photo of him with the F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover, and that he had not known about any guns. But four men, who had been arrested with him and pleaded guilty, testified against him, two saying they had carried guns at his request. Prosecutors also played hours of tapes secretly recorded by a co-conspirator detailing the planning and execution of the crime.

On Oct. 3 — 13 years to the day after his acquittal in Los Angeles — a jury of nine women and three men found him guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping, assault, conspiracy, coercion and other charges. After Mr. Simpson was sentenced to a minimum of nine years in prison, his lawyer vowed to appeal, noting that none of the jurors were Black and questioning whether they could be fair to Mr. Simpson after what had happened years earlier. But jurors said the double-murder case was never mentioned in deliberations.

In 2013, the Nevada Parole Board, citing his positive conduct in prison and participation in inmate programs, granted Mr. Simpson parole on several charges related to his robbery conviction. But the board left other verdicts in place. His bid for a new trial was rejected by a Nevada judge, and legal experts said that appeals were unlikely to succeed. He remained in custody until Oct. 1, 2017, when the parole board unanimously granted him parole when he became eligible.

Certain conditions of Mr. Simpson’s parole — travel restrictions, no contacts with co-defendants in the robbery case and no drinking to excess — remained until 2021, when they were lifted, making him a completely free man.

Questions about his guilt or innocence in the murders of his former wife and Mr. Goldman never went away. In May 2008, Mike Gilbert, a memorabilia dealer and former crony, said in a book that Mr. Simpson, high on marijuana, had admitted the killings to him after the trial. Mr. Gilbert quoted Mr. Simpson as saying that he had carried no knife but that he had used one that Ms. Simpson had in her hand when she opened the door. He also said that Mr. Simpson had stopped taking arthritis medicine to let his hands swell so that they would not fit the gloves in court. Mr. Simpson’s lawyer Yale L. Galanter denied Mr. Gilbert’s claims, calling him delusional.

In 2016, more than 20 years after his murder trial, the story of O.J. Simpson was told twice more for endlessly fascinated mass audiences on television. “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” Ryan Murphy’s installment in the “American Crime Story” anthology on FX, focused on the trial itself and on the constellation of characters brought together by the defendant (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.). “O.J.: Made in America,” a five-part, nearly eight-hour installment in ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary series (it was also released in theaters), detailed the trial but extended the narrative to include a biography of Mr. Simpson and an examination of race, fame, sports and Los Angeles over the previous half-century.

A.O. Scott, in a commentary in The New York Times, called “The People v. O.J. Simpson” a “tightly packed, almost indecently entertaining piece of pop realism, a Dreiser novel infused with the spirit of Tom Wolfe” and said “O.J.: Made in America” had “the grandeur and authority of the best long-form fiction.”

In Leg Braces as a Child

Orenthal James Simpson was born in San Francisco on July 9, 1947, one of four children of James and Eunice (Durden) Simpson. As an infant afflicted with the calcium deficiency rickets, he wore leg braces for several years but outgrew his disability. His father, a janitor and cook, left the family when the child was 4, and his mother, a hospital nurse’s aide, raised the children in a housing project in the tough Potrero Hill district.

As a teenager, Mr. Simpson, who hated the name Orenthal and called himself O.J., ran with street gangs. But at 15 he was introduced by a friend to Willie Mays, the renowned San Francisco Giants outfielder. The encounter was inspirational and turned his life around, Mr. Simpson recalled. He joined the Galileo High School football team and won All-City honors in his senior year.

In 1967, Mr. Simpson married his high school sweetheart, Marguerite Whitley. The couple had three children, Arnelle, Jason and Aaren. Shortly after their divorce in 1979, Aaren, 23 months old, fell into a swimming pool at home and died a week later.

Mr. Simpson married Nicole Brown in 1985; the couple had a daughter, Sydney, and a son, Justin. He is survived by Arnelle, Jason, Sydney and Justin Simpson and three grandchildren, his lawyer Malcolm P. LaVergne said.

After being released from prison in Nevada in 2017, Mr. Simpson moved into the Las Vegas country club home of a wealthy friend, James Barnett, for what he assumed would be a temporary stay. But he found himself enjoying the local golf scene and making friends, sometimes with people who introduced themselves to him at restaurants, Mr. LaVergne said. Mr. Simpson decided to remain in Las Vegas full time. At his death, he lived right on the course of the Rhodes Ranch Golf Club.

From his youth, Mr. Simpson was a natural on the gridiron. He had dazzling speed, power and finesse in a broken field that made him hard to catch, let alone tackle. He began his collegiate career at San Francisco City College, scoring 54 touchdowns in two years. In his third year he transferred to Southern Cal, where he shattered records — rushing for 3,423 yards and 36 touchdowns in 22 games — and led the Trojans into the Rose Bowl in successive years. He won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best college football player of 1968. Some magazines called him the greatest running back in the history of the college game.

His professional career was even more illustrious, though it took time to get going. The No. 1 draft pick in 1969, Mr. Simpson went to the Buffalo Bills — the league’s worst team had the first pick — and was used sparingly in his rookie season; in his second, he was sidelined with a knee injury. But by 1971, behind a line known as the Electric Company because they “turned on the Juice,” he began breaking games open.

In 1973, Mr. Simpson became the first to rush for over 2,000 yards, breaking a record held by Jim Brown, and was named the N.F.L.’s most valuable player. In 1975, he led the American Football Conference in rushing and scoring. After nine seasons, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, his hometown team, and played his last two years with them. He retired in 1979 as the highest-paid player in the league, with a salary over $800,000, having scored 61 touchdowns and rushed for more than 11,000 yards in his career. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Mr. Simpson’s work as a network sports analyst overlapped with his football years. He was a color commentator for ABC from 1969 to 1977, and for NBC from 1978 to 1982. He rejoined ABC on “Monday Night Football” from 1983 to 1986.

Actor and Pitchman

And he had a parallel acting career. He appeared in some 30 films as well as television productions, including the mini-series “Roots” (1977) and the movies “The Towering Inferno” (1974), “Killer Force” (1976), “Cassandra Crossing” (1976), “Capricorn One” (1977), “Firepower” (1979) and others, including the comedy “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” (1988) and its two sequels.

He did not pretend to be a serious actor. “I’m a realist,” he said. “No matter how many acting lessons I took, the public just wouldn’t buy me as Othello.”

Mr. Simpson was a congenial celebrity. He talked freely to reporters and fans, signed autographs, posed for pictures with children and was self-effacing in interviews, crediting his teammates and coaches, who clearly liked him. In an era of Black power displays, his only militancy was to crack heads on the gridiron.

His smiling, racially neutral image, easygoing manner and almost universal acceptance made him a perfect candidate for endorsements. Even before joining the N.F.L., he signed deals, including a three-year, $250,000 contract with Chevrolet. He later endorsed sporting goods, soft drinks, razor blades and other products.

In 1975, Hertz made him the first Black star of a national television advertising campaign. Memorable long-running commercials depicted him sprinting through airports and leaping over counters to get to a Hertz rental car. He earned millions, Hertz rentals shot up and the ads made O.J.’s face one of the most recognizable in America.

Mr. Simpson, in a way, wrote his own farewell on the day of his arrest. As he rode in the Bronco with a gun to his head, a friend, Robert Kardashian, released a handwritten letter to the public that he had left at home, expressing love for Ms. Simpson and denying that he killed her. “Don’t feel sorry for me,” he wrote. “I’ve had a great life, great friends. Please think of the real O.J. and not this lost person.”

Alex Traub contributed reporting.

An earlier version of this obituary referred incorrectly to the glove that was an important piece of evidence in Mr. Simpson’s murder trial. It was not a golf glove. The error was repeated in a picture caption.

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Robert D. McFadden is a Times reporter who writes advance obituaries of notable people. More about Robert D. McFadden