<p>What is the significance of graduating with an honors economics degree instead of a regular one, apart from the grueling thesis I would have to write.</p>
<p>First one I can think of is that it would be a very nice enhancement to a graduate school application.</p>
<p>It would look nice on a job application, too.</p>
<p>You will have the opportunity to learn more, to challenge yourself more, to accomplish more, and to develop your mind more.</p>
<p>If you plan a research career, the honors program would be very valuable because it offers an opportunity to do research. It provides a sneak preview of what research is like, and if all goes well, it can provide letters of recommendation from one or more faculty members who can speak knowledgeably about your ability to do research. Certainly, the honors program is a great choice for people who intend to go on to earn a Ph.D.</p>
<p>For those who don’t seek a research career, it may or may not be a good choice. Honors research can be interesting, and it adds a new dimension to your academic experience, but it is very time-consuming – far beyond the time you would normally be expected to put in for the number of credits you will get. You’re an econ major. You understand about opportunity cost. If you do an honors thesis, it will require time that would otherwise have been devoted to other things – such as electives outside your major, extracurricular activities, job or internship hunting, or a part-time job on campus. It’s up to you to determine which of these choices is more appropriate for you.</p>
<p>One of my kids, who was interested in a research career (in computer science) chose to go the honors route. The other, who is not interested in research (and incidentally, is in the same major you are), decided against it. They both had good reasons for their decisions.</p>
<p>If you are attending a large university with large introductory courses, the honors sections will provide an opportunity to get to know a professor early on. My husband teaches some honors economics sections, and he finds a significant difference in the students who enroll in the honors sections–better prepared, more interested in the material, more likely to come to class prepared for discussion, more likely to read the interesting links he sends them, and so on.</p>
<p>Midmo makes a very good point about honors sections of introductory courses. They definitely can provide an enriched academic experience. </p>
<p>However, I think the OP was asking about the process of getting an honors degree, which usually involves writing a thesis in the junior and/or senior years. This is quite a different thing from participating in honors sections as an underclassman.</p>
<p>It is very confusing that universities use the term “honors” to refer to both of these situations, and I wish they would come up with a different term for one of them.</p>
<p>Depends on your school, and your future plans. Your academic adviser will probably have more insight than we do…</p>
<p>You can start working on the requirements for an Honors degree and later not do the thesis, thus “dropping out” of Honors but there will be a point at which you can’t start the process. Your transcript should show honors credit. More importantly, as mentioned above, will be the learning/knowledge benefits to you. Go for it. By the time you are involved in the thesis you should be ready for doing it- and it may not be as grueling as you are told. Research in a field you like is enjoyable and writing the thesis is worth any efforts required. Stretch your mind to the max.</p>
<p>I plan on eventually getting a MBA so I would mainly be doing it for grad school and a job out of undergrad before grad school…so idk, still a tough choice because I’m not really interested in research (at least not yet) but I would love the boost it would give me</p>
<p>^ It doesn’t sound like it would benefit you much, if at all. You don’t sound into doing a thesis or doing research. It wouldn’t help for getting an MBA. </p>
<p>And it is more demanding, which can take away from other things. Everything is a trade off so don’t just take something on for the “potential boost”, because (as you’ll learn in economics) everything also has opportunity costs, and ones you can’t realize yet. It might mean say not taking some other cool or demanding course outside your major, or it might mean not having time for a sport or a club or a cause, maybe it might mean an impact on your overall GPA).</p>
<p>My nephew, who already had a job lined up before he graduated was one of those kids who wrote a thesis. It turned out to be an advantage. His thesis earned him some recognition within the company and as a result, was able to work on a particular project. It’s not that he went around boasting about his research, but the thesis was published and it sold itself.</p>
<p>^That is incredible about your nephew. But also I would like to point out, rare too for an undergrad to have publishable research (which is what makes your nephew sound awesome).</p>
<p>Through the process of thesis writing, you would have a faculty mentor who would know you very well and who would help you get a job/get into grad school. You should make sure to nurture and continue this relationship beyond your undergraduate career. Remember, it is not who you know, it is whom you know! You would also have a definite project that you completed, which is HUGE for potential employers and would make your resume stand out. I would say that it is definitely worth it to write the thesis, but that you should start it second semester junior year OR the summer between junior and senior years. This would make it much more feasible. Good luck!</p>
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<p>Given that your plans include an MBA – which means working for a few years before going to business school because business schools don’t want to take fresh college graduates – a better use of the summer between your junior and senior years might be working at an internship that is business related (or at least economics related). The internship is likely to be far more important to you in getting your first job than your thesis would be (especially since you won’t have finished your thesis at the time when you start interviewing for entry-level jobs). </p>
<p>But starting on your thesis research during the second semester of your junior year would be a good idea. These things always take longer than expected.</p>