<p>Been accepted into a pretty decent school that is slightly more prestigious than my other choice. I'm fairly competent in my choice of study but this degree with business oriented classes is more attuned to make myself more marketable. I like the program more at the more prestigious university but they require a masters thesis. I for one am frightened that I would do well for the initial classes and then fail my thesis having made it a completely pointless process. The only other option the program has is instead of a thesis you would do something called an "applied project" which sounds kind of similar. Oh yea, and the more prestigious school is NYU (scps) vs BU (metropolitan college).</p>
<p>bump.</p>
<p>This is an interesting question.</p>
<p>Thoughts anyone?</p>
<p>Personally, I would say yes.</p>
<p>I am not sure about your field, but at least in the sciences a thesis holds more weight than a non-thesis track in most cases, especially if you want to go into research. A thesis shows what you, personally, have achieved. Doing well in classes is one thing, but showing that you can apply your knowledge to an original work, I think, says a lot more about you and what you are able to accomplish. So now your choice is a degree that will mean more from a program that you like more at a school that is more prestigious. I would think that choice was an easy one.</p>
<p>Do not be afraid of the thesis, just put the work in and do your best. If the school admitted you to a thesis program, I am sure that you are capable of doing it. This is something that could effect the rest of your life, I would think now is not the time to take the easier road because you are frightened.</p>
<p>Yeah. I have thought about not going to graduate school just because of the thesis requirement too.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am not sure about your field, but at least in the sciences a thesis holds more weight than a non-thesis track in most cases, especially if you want to go into research.
[/quote]
Is a non-thesis track preferred if we want to go back to industry upon graduation? I'm thinking of going to graduate school to keep up with technology; I'm not sure if that is worth it.</p>
<p>A thesis based track would show you have the ability to come up with new ideas and do work independently, outside of a classroom. I'm sure businesses will value that highly.</p>
<p>S chose his undergraduate school in large part because it requires a thesis of every student, so I would think choosing a graduate school because it doesn't require a thesis is a legitimate criteria. However, writing well is a desirable skill, whatever your future endeavors may be, so if you're a weak writer perhaps graduate school can be an opportunity for you to become a stronger writer.</p>
<p>I chose the non-thesis track, not because of writing, but because it would only take one year to complete the program instead of 2.</p>
<p>Don't be scared. For the most part, universities don't expect you to write your thesis out of thin air. They require you to take a thesis writing class, have weekly meetings with your thesis adviser, write numerous drafts, discuss your research method, etc. I was also afraid of writing a thesis for my school, but at my program you start slow. I just finished the first step of my thesis, my literature review (30 pages). And at the end, it wasn't that hard. It just takes time like everything else. If you can write 5 pages you can write 20. Just keep plugging in quotes and describing them. </p>
<p>In hindsight, you might regret not going to a more prestigious school because you were scared. Face your fears!</p>
<p>Eh. I'm actually the other way around - I don't want a program that doesn't at least have a thesis option. So I can hardly say that making decisions based on the thesis/non-thesis factor is "stupid" per se.</p>
<p>But I think that you are letting yourself be scared unnecessarily by the prospect of a thesis. I think it's pretty unusual to fail your thesis. There's a lot of quality control that goes into theses along the way. If you finish it and your advisor approves of it, you're probably going to pass.</p>
<p>Yes. It's stupid not to go to a school because it has a thesis program.</p>
<p>I'm finishing my undergrad, and I'm doing my thesis right now. The idea of thesis writing scared me in my earlier years, but now. I seriously love my topic.</p>
<p>Thesis writing is the best thing that can happen to you, because you learn more things from your thesis than you do from sitting in classroom. Also, if you're field requires you to do research, then thesis is like "test to becoming a true researcher". It's a really great experience so don't flip out over it.</p>
<p>Here's something that you'll need to keep in mind. For thesis writing - LOVE YOUR TOPIC. If you do, it makes things easier.</p>