If I received an e-mail encouraging me to apply, am I more likely to get in?

If you received an invitation to apply to LSA Honors, it was based on raw data (GPA and test scores) that we received from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, but those numbers tell us only part of the story. Once we receive your essay, we’ll use it and review your entire Common Application to do a holistic evaluation of how well you will fit in the Honors Program. In this evaluation process, we’ll try to view your grades and scores in the context of how you approached high school, how well you did in your specific high school, how your mind seems to work (this is where your essay comes in), and how we think you’ll do in college.