<p>I just finished my Freshman year at Penn State and am planning on getting a BS in Economics. I have the option of joining the Paterno Fellowship, which after meeting some requirements, would automatically put me into the Schreyer Honors College at the start of my Junior year. Schreyer is one of the best ranked honors colleges in the country, and would require me to write a thesis in my senior year. There are no regular scholarships just for being a member if you join after your Freshman year. So I was wondering if it was worth the extra work to complete such a program. Would it be easier for me to find a job? Would my starting salary likely be higher? Will my chances at grad school (I hope to go for an MBA) be increased? And if the answer to any of these is yes, then by how much?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>I think the answer to all of those questions is no. If you don’t plan on going to grad school, the only thing a thesis will be useful for is self enrichment. Scholarship money and research for graduate school are the only really guaranteed tangible benefits of doing an honors program.</p>
<p>I think writing a senior thesis is a great experience for almost all students. If the project is ambitious, it can lead straight into grad school. Even if the final product is not so great, it requires you to plan something large-scale and to work on your own (with an advisor’s help, of course) over a significant period of time without the support of a class structure. You will learn a lot about independent thought and writing, and about time management–useful things to know no matter what your eventual career path.</p>