<p>Pitt’s honors college is different than most other honors colleges. It is an open membership college where all Pitt students can take advantage of their offerings as much or a little as they are motivated to do so. However, from what I understand, if you are not admitted to the honors college as a freshman, you will either have to wait until your second semester freshman year (or perhaps sophomore year) to try to take honors courses, and you may need special permissions to do so. But you absolutely can take honors classes, and graduate with an honors degree without having been admitted as a first year freshman. The whole system is set up to encourage and provide resources for motivated and intellectually curious students, so absolutely, taking the initiative to contact then and explain why you want to be apart of the honors college is right up their alley. (see here: [Eligibility](<a href=“http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/about/eligibility.html]Eligibility[/url]”>http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/about/eligibility.html)</a>)</p>