<p>Basically I was wondering whether the option to do an Honors Project at Oberlin is really the same thing as a doing a Thesis. I know only a few people get to do one though, anyone know how competitive it is to get?</p>
<p>and also, does anyone know how the geology department is? I know it's small, but any more insight would be good!</p>
<p>thanks guys!</p>
<p>Each department does things differently. Some invite their top students, others let students propose projects. I think there is a minimum GPA needed for you to qualify. I majored in the humanities and needed to write a 60+ page thesis. I think in the sciences you spend a year (or maybe more) doing research and then write a shorter thesis, but I’m really not sure. </p>
<p>I know nothing specifically about the Geology department. The best thing to do would be to ask one of the faculty, maybe the Chair.</p>
<p>@whisperofrain I recommend taking a look at the current course catalog; clicking on any department that’s highlighted will talk about the major/minor requirements and honors requirements (among lots of other pertinent things). The short version: each department is different in its honors system (as girlinbraids mentions), but there are most similarities than differences.</p>
<p>[College</a> of Arts and Sciences - Oberlin College - acalog ACMS?](<a href=“Oberlin College - Acalog ACMS™”>College of Arts and Sciences - Oberlin College - Acalog ACMS™)</p>
<p>I also composed an extensive blog post about my senior project in cinema studies last spring. Cinema studies is a bit in flux still, as anyone who is a senior and in the department has to complete a project, and then based on progress/development/execution, will receive honors. </p>
<p>[Oberlin</a> Blogs | Blog Entry: “Senior Projects: Like Cracker Jacks, or Pringles”](<a href=“http://blogs.oberlin.edu/learning/college_courses/senior_crunch_time.shtml]Oberlin”>http://blogs.oberlin.edu/learning/college_courses/senior_crunch_time.shtml)</p>
<p>I’m not a huge fan of reposting my own work, but no one else has written about the senior experience/honors yet, I figured it was relevant. You can also expect at least one post from Patrick Doherty '11 on his history honors project later this spring.</p>
<p>I’ve taken a couple of geology courses at Oberlin even though I don’t plan to major in it. That should be an indicator of how good the professors are-- they make geology really enjoyable! I do know a few geology majors, and from what they’ve told me, the department is small but really good and fairly well-respected. My geology tutor is a senior geology major and had some cool sort of research internship every summer and was accepted to a lot of top-notch grad schools for geology.</p>