Did you write an honors thesis? Was it worth it?

[dnase]

Have you ever done an honors thesis, be it in the sciences or humanities? Did you have research experience aside from your honors thesis? And most importantly, was writing your thesis worth it in the end (in terms of learning/feeling accomplished, or maybe giving you a boost with grad/med school admissions)?
If you chose not to do one, do you wish you did?
I'm interested in hearing your experiences!

My senior friends are only months away from graduation and I can't blame them for losing a bit of motivation at this point 😛 Personally, I am on the fence about this. If I pursue a career in the sciences, I'm going to have numerous opportunities in my life to work in labs and write long papers about my work. Taking classes in other departments? Maybe not so much...

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[blizzah]

I'm writing one now. No, it's not worth it.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I've never written one, but I can before I graduate if I want to (but I probably will choose not to). Honestly, it sounds like alot of work and I don't really see the point if you already have prior research experience.

 

[ucsfstudents]

Very good experience. If you have the opportunity, go for it. Why not? Next thing you know -- if you haven't already done so -- you'll be writing papers and applying for grants. Push yourself to accomplish more.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

I wrote two! It was a lot of fun to do my own research project, and it's a good way to learn how research actually works.

One of the more important things that a lot of people don't consider is that it allows you to form strong relationships with faculty to get a really strong LOR (presuming you do well that is 😉).

 

[jf1987]

I thought it was a good experience. My thesis adviser wrote one of my LORs, I was able to give two conference presentations and a poster presentation. Also more research to add to my ECs. Pretty good deal, but it was a lot of work. I had to take some tough grad level stats classes though (not cool).

 

[t0othpick]

I'm writing one now. No, it's not worth it.

+1

Most of the students in my thesis class are doing it because an honors thesis gives them a big boost for PhD programs. Sure, it might benefit you on your application, but the actual benefits I don't think are quite as great. I've been in a chem lab for over 2 years and everything I'm doing now for my honors thesis I've already done/learned while doing research in my lab.

The only benefit I've gotten is that it forces me to do a lot of research in a short amount of time, so I've been a lot more productive in my lab now than before.

Find a faculty you'd want to work with, build a strong relationship and get some research done. Doesn't need to be an honors thesis.

 

[Ebola4Breakfast]

I wrote one. All in all, I thought it was a good, worthwhile experience. 👍 Because I went to a very non-research based university, my thesis was based on research that had been performed at an external research program. I probably lucked out because, as part of the program requirements, we already had to write an in-depth paper in order to get our last paycheck. That paper formed the skeleton of my thesis. When my senior year rolled around, all I had to do was update and beef up my introduction and discussion. It was relatively painless. I think the overall process helped me in writing subsequent papers and manuscripts.

 

[bunnity]

I didn't write one and it hasn't slowed me down at all.
I do wish I'd done research in general, because it may have helped me get NIH/Merial funding this summer, but then again my friend who worked in research for 5 years had her proposal rejected too...

 

[plumhill]

I'm writing two (one I've already started, the other is to be started in about six months). So far, I like it, and I know it'll probably suck later on...but from what I've heard people who do one (or more) are thankful later on.

 

[jesse120]

I did one. It was a pain, but it has become a good conversation piece in interviews. And, truthfully, I did learn a heck of a lot because of it. If you're interested in the topic, it's worth it. If you don't care much about the topic, definitely don't do it.

 

[skinnyDO]

I did one in bioinformatics. It helped me get into my MS thesis program. Some could argue that my MS helped me get into DO school but I think I could have gotten in without it. Having said that, you will learn alot so I say go for it.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I wrote one. It was in biochemistry and has helped me getting used to read and writing scientifically. That is greatly helping me now as I try to write review papers. It didn't help with medical school admissions, no one cared.

 

[tsf3396]

I'm writing one now. No, it's not worth it.

Ditto.

 

[NickNaylor]

I dropped out of the undergrad honors program during my last year specifically to avoid the thesis. I haven't regretted it for a minute.

If your thesis is on something you're truly interested in, the thesis might be an enjoyable adventure. If it's simply a step to getting honors printed on your degree (as it was for me), save yourself the grief and drop it.

 

[Tots]

I am in the process of doing one now(sort of)...but I won't get honors because I refuse to spend my last quarter taking an honors seminar. Now I wonder why I am even doing the paper....

 

[North12]

I found there was a divide - if you loved your project, it was awesome and if you hated it, it was a waste of time.

Catch is you won't know how you feel until you finish it... so you will have to take a chance!

I loved mine, so I would say go ahead. I thought it was great bc you become an expert in a topic by the end of it. BUT I haven't been asked about it at all in interviews so medical school-wise it doesnt seem to be very important.

 

[NickNaylor]

I found there was a divide - if you loved your project, it was awesome and if you hated it, it was a waste of time.

Catch is you won't know how you feel until you finish it... so you will have to take a chance!

I loved mine, so I would say go ahead. I thought it was great bc you become an expert in a topic by the end of it. BUT I haven't been asked about it at all in interviews so medical school-wise it doesnt seem to be very important.

Exactly: it's something that you should want to do if you were to ignore everything else. Otherwise - and not unlike medicine - it's not worth the time and stress just to say you did it.

 

[catzzz88]

I thought it was a good experience. My thesis adviser wrote one of my LORs, I was able to give two conference presentations and a poster presentation. Also more research to add to my ECs. Pretty good deal, but it was a lot of work.

I agree with this. I had a similar experience with my thesis advisor. It is a chance to get to know yourself and your advisor, get in some research, and work hard towards a noble goal. For added bonus, chose a medically related topic. I did mine on molecular pathways of cyclic fibrosis and now it is a great conversation starter.

Go for it, good luck!

Best,
C