<p>I'm currently trying to decide if I want to try for honors at my college. This would require writing what's basically a thesis. However, I still have no idea what I want to do for it and as I'm studying abroad, the process would become more complicated. The honors process is very time consuming, and I'm hoping to try for an internship next year in a field I'm interested in which would also be very time consuming. However, I also thought that completing honors might let me know if I'd be interested in the life of an academic and would prove useful for going to grad school. My main question is, if you've done honors and are applying to grad school or have gotten in, how much did it help you in the long run? Thanks!</p>
<p>I also had to decide whether or not to do honors research while I was studying abroad. I chose to participate because the program is supposed to be a good preparation for Ph.D. type work (writing up and presenting your research, etc.) But of course you wouldn't be expected to produce as much as a graduate student who performs research full time. My professors still cut me slack, too, by giving me finals week off for more time to study. It certainly couldn't hurt an application, but because I'm currently applying I don't know how much it affects anything yet.</p>
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I'm currently trying to decide if I want to try for honors at my college. This would require writing what's basically a thesis. However, I still have no idea what I want to do for it and as I'm studying abroad, the process would become more complicated. The honors process is very time consuming, and I'm hoping to try for an internship next year in a field I'm interested in which would also be very time consuming. However, I also thought that completing honors might let me know if I'd be interested in the life of an academic and would prove useful for going to grad school. My main question is, if you've done honors and are applying to grad school or have gotten in, how much did it help you in the long run? Thanks!
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<p>What's your major? I think if you are an engineer, you will find that the teachers won't expect an insane amount of your time. I did the honors thesis thing, and the time I spent was reasonable. Actually slightly less than a normal class.</p>
<p>But I do hear that for the pure science majors, like physics, the teachers might be a bit more demanding.</p>
<p>What my honors theses did help me with was my job interviews! My interviewers really drilled me on my stuff, and it helped a lot because I was able to spend a lot of time talking about my research project! It helped me land a very good job. In the end, I'm so glad I did the research, because to be honest I have no idea what I would have talked about in my interviews otherwise! You just don't remember material from classes the way you do for a paper/project you've worked on.</p>
<p>As for grad school... I'm applying now, so I don't have my acceptances/rejections yet, but I'm sure the departmental honors distinction on my diploma won't hurt!</p>
<p>To reply, my major is history.</p>
<p>It's very important in the humanities and social sciences to write a thesis or a major research-based original paper as an undergrad. You will need it as a writing sample, as a way to determine your research interests, and likely, as a source for a recommendation. At most competitive programs, graduating with honors is expected as well. In short, if you think at any point that you may want to pursue grad school, do the thesis.</p>
<p>I hope that's not the case whatsyours, some of the programs at my Uni are VERY selective as to who is allowed to write said thesis. It's not even a matter of GPA, and it's even harder for those of us who are transfers. It'll be nearly impossible for me to do the thesis course sequence. I'm just hoping independent research with review of a professor I trust, and hopefully publishing in an undergrad journal will be good enough.</p>
<p>zuzu, how are students selected at your school? Also, why is it hard for transfer students?</p>
<p>It's determined by department. Some are easy...meet a certain GPA and say you want to; others, there's applications, interviews, letters of recommendation etc. The biggest reason it's difficult for transfers in the "non-easy" departments is because you start the honors sequence in the Fall of your Junior year. If you're just transferring in, it's not likely you know professors, have grades to show, etc.</p>
<p>For me, I had a 4.0 before transferring. I did well my first semester here, but got ONE bad grade my second semester. Since I only had 26 credits, that one grade in a 4 credit course was enough to lower my GPA below the required level. I'm trying to convince the department that my past history and the extenuating circumstances during the second semester (major family illness) shows my ability to bring my GPA up before I'm done and that I should be allowed to take part on a tentative basis; but who knows if it'll work.</p>
<p>I'd hate to think chances at grad school would be shot over a bad grade brought on by "excessive absences".</p>
<p>zuzu, I did the same thing. Transfer student in chemistry, had bad issues one quarter (by bad I mean one mediocre grade). I was encouraged by a couple professors to proceed anyway and was let in. Now, that one grade has proved to be extraneous and everything is going smoothly. Hope everything works out for you too. Don't give up!</p>
<p>Well, I think that independent study makes up for the fact that you didn't do a graded thesis. I think the point is that you need to produce some sort of independent or semi-independent work, especially in the humanities when they will require a writing sample from you. I think if one's aim is a doctoral program and they have the opportunity to write a thesis, they should, but it won't completely ruin your chances. In my department there were only four thesis students (me and three others) but a lot more than four of us went on to doctoral programs in psychology.</p>
<p>If you are in the Humanities, a thesis will be a great process to undergo - not only because it shows you can do research, but it might also get you into conferences or get published, which will look great on an undergraduate record (or so I've heard).</p>