Senior thesis value?

[yoyoyoyoyolee]

Why is it that senior thesis seems to add little to one's application despite all the work for it by a student?

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[foucault]

Who says it adds little value? (genuinely curious, don't mean to be snarky)

 

[yoyoyoyoyolee]

Who says it adds little value? (genuinely curious, don't mean to be snarky)

I searched in sdn and a lot of people say that not doing one does not hurt anyone and that doing one adds little value to the application. While it adds little value to the med school application, it's a way to get published sometimes and helps with one's professional development/thinking

Any thoughts by anyone else??

 

[honey0102]

I searched in sdn and a lot of people say that not doing one does not hurt anyone and that doing one adds little value to the application. While it adds little value to the med school application, it's a way to get published sometimes and helps with one's professional development/thinking

Any thoughts by anyone else??

I did a senior honors thesis. I really don't think that it is accurate to say it has little to no value. A lot of people have told me the opposite, that it does have value. I think it shows passion for research and the ability to engage with the scientific method. Showing passion in something, and not just checking the boxes, can be valuable when applying to medical school. A thesis is also a way to stand out and show uniqueness.

 

[yoyoyoyoyolee]

I did a senior honors thesis. I really don't think that it is accurate to say it has little to no value. A lot of people have told me the opposite, that it does have value. I think it shows passion for research and the ability to engage with the scientific method. Showing passion in something, and not just checking the boxes, can be valuable when applying to medical school. A thesis is also a way to stand out and show uniqueness.

Well, this is what I think also personally but i am just confused by the general perception of it by the majority on sdn.

Can anyone else also comment on this?

 

[queenoftheclouds]

It's value benefits the individual more than the application, imo. Doing a thesis presents a segway for the adcom to ask you about the significance of your research. You can talk about your research regardless of doing a thesis or not. Completing a thesis would just prepare you to talk about your research in a way that shows you know what you did.

I decided to do a senior thesis despite everyone telling me it wasn't worth much to do one. I wholeheartedly agree that I don't think it helped my med school apps much, but I did challenge myself and grow as a person and it's a learning experience that I felt was worth my time. If you're not in it to truly learn, I wouldn't bother with doing one.

 

[jqueb29]

I would very much disagree. My senior honors thesis definitely helped me out when applying. It's certainly not enough to make up for a sub-par application overall, but it was undeniably beneficial to my app.

 

[gyngyn]

If it helped you, it helped your application.
Don't do it because you think we will like you better, though.
I can't recall a single time I've heard anyone mention a senior thesis in discussing a candidate.

 

[yoyoyoyoyolee]

Don't do it because you think we will like you better, though.
I can't recall a single time I've heard anyone mention a senior thesis in discussing a candidate.

This is what I see on sdn (Thank you by the way for your input)

 

[aldol16]

If you're applying to a top research school, a research thesis will distinguish you but not nearly as much as a peer-reviewed publication would. Top schools that have a focus on research like to see that a student has productive research experiences (if research is what you're trying to emphasize on your application). Completion of a thesis is validation of having a directed project and is an academic record of your productivity during your time. This sets you apart from students who "researched" and basically cleaned glassware or prepared buffers around the lab. It's even better when your thesis is only a stepping stone towards a publication and you can articulate that when you talk about your research - it's kind of an in-between where you're writing up your intellectual contributions to the field with the ultimate aim of publishing your results but your project isn't entirely finished yet. That's what I view the purpose of an undergraduate thesis as.