Does graduating with honors actually matter?

[manderpander]

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I was originally planning on graduating with honors and completing an honors thesis but would this actually help me get into pharmacy school?
I really don't want to write a thesis....

 

[Confessabear]

I'm sure it will give you some brownie points, but its not required. If you have a solid GPA, PCAT, extracurricular, and decent interviewing skills then you should be golden for pharmacy school admissions. However, if you can graduate with honors, then why not. It will give you resume some prestige, possibly a job offer? 😛.

 

[Rx Jezter]

Honors what, exactly?

 

[manderpander]

For a lot of state schools if you are in the honors college you can graduate with honors if you take so many "honors" classes and complete a thesis/cap-stone project.
-does that clear things up?

 

[Rx Jezter]

Ah, OK. I'm familiar with Honor's programs but not an Honors College. Your honors/awards/scholarships are briefly listed in one page of your application so, while I think it does make you look better on paper, I don't know how much it will actually impact your chances of getting in. If you have more important things to do like study for finals or something then I wouldn't prioritize writing your thesis paper but if you have nothing better to do just crank it out since a little boost to your application is better than no boost at all.

 

[manderpander]

Your confusion is particularly why i am iffy on completing it- not a lot of people understand what graduating with honors is and it isnt standardized between schools or even across departments within schools. I really dont want to put the time and effort into writing and researching a 50 page thesis if it is going to be counted the same as someone else taking a set number of honors classes or something of that nature... especially since I don't want to go into research.

 

[Rx Jezter]

You're right, it may be an inefficient trade-off. I don't know how prestigious your honors are but, on top of your personal statement, many schools include a small essay section in the supplemental application that lets you talk about whatever you want. If being in this program reflects how awesome/intelligent/hard-working you are compared to your peers at your school then I would give yourself some credit and incorporate it into your application somehow. At the least, you can mention it in your interview. The more qualities that make you stand out, the better your chances are of getting into pharmacy school I think.

 

[Amicable Angora]

I was originally planning on graduating with honors and completing an honors thesis but would this actually help me get into pharmacy school?
I really don't want to write a thesis....

It will help, but only slightly.

 

[isanders]

I was faced with the very same question my freshman year. I completed my honors classes for my freshman year of college and wondered if it was worth all the extra work plus classes that were harder that could potentially bring my GPA down. Since the honors program at my school focused on non-science classes for the most part it was not very helpful to me so I talked to others and figured out that it is a total waste of time to be honest. Doing all those hard classes outside the sciences, doing intercultural project (maybe just my school), and honors thesis among others just totally outweigh the small benefit of having been in the honors program. Pharmacy schools will focus much more on your GPA, PCAT, and extracurriculars, so save yourself some time and don't do it, thats the best advice I can give you. Good luck🙂