Undergraduate Senior Thesis- Worth it?
I wanted to ask about senior theses on the undergraduate level.
On an intellectual/personal level, I am kind of torn. I have a difficult courseload next year for my major (Math/Econ) but I do think writing a thesis could be a pretty cool experience overall. I guess what could help sway my decision is its influence on a resume/prestige.
I have a good summer internship lined up (I am a rising senior) and wanted to know if writing a thesis would help with b-school opportunities or just generally making my resume look better. And if so, to what extent (as compared to work experience, GPA, GMAT, etc.)
I go to a top LAC (not a target), and have a GPA a little above a 3.5 (which I fully expect to rise after this semester). I also would like to be silly and enjoy my senior year to some degree which I feel like the combo of my schedule and thesis would not allow for.
Thank you.
I'm a current senior and the only thing I am still working on right now is my thesis and I really regret it. At my school you need a thesis to graduate with honors which is why I'm doing one (in math). I know that in my recruiting experience the thesis did not change anything at all. I have a strong resume (above 3.8 gpa) besides the thesis though. In contrast, a friend of mine with a lower gpa who is going into energy-focused consulting got a tremendous boost in his interviews by talking about his thesis (business major thesis on exxon).
I'm interested in hearing what others have to say about this, also how much does Summa/Magna Cum Laude help? But if I could go back to a year ago and not do a thesis I would in a heartbeat. I've totally lost interest in it and wish I had the time for other things. IMO if you're going to legitimately enjoy a thesis do it but don't do it just for a resume boost (unless you're thinking grad school down the line, not an MBA). Again, I'm just a year from where you are now so take it with a grain of salt. Also, I hate LaTex now.
No one gives a shit unless you get some reward or something. No one cares if you summa or 3.8. It's just a GPA, get some work experience instead.
Unless there's a chance that you want to get a PhD in the future, don't do it. B-schools certainly don't care, nor will companies care. The only thing it'll do is to make your senior spring miserable. I certainly would not be writing one if I didn't have to.
Seems like a lot of jumping through hoops. If you already go to a LAC, you probably know how to crank out some good essays. Unless you want to get a non-professional masters degree or a doctorate, it's a waste of time. Those skills you develop won't be useful at all in finance.
Undergrad Senior Honors Thesis? (Originally Posted: 12/20/2010)
I am currently a Senior at a top 10 undergraduate university, and starting next year will be working as an analyst at a BB. I will probably either a.) work for 2 years then try to go to B-school, b.) work for 2 years followed by a few years in another industry (PE, etc.) then try to go to business school, or c.) just not end up going to business school at all. I have pretty a good GPA (approx. 3.7 - probably Cum Laude) and have not yet taken the GMAT (I'm taking it in April) but I did comparatively well on the SAT etc. so hopefully if I study enough I will score well.
I have a very specific question - I am considering writing a senior honors thesis, which would allow me to graduate with distinction (same thing as honors) in Economics. I am wondering if the benefits outweigh the costs as far as B-school admissions are concerned.
It would certainly mean a great deal of added stress and work (especially considering I already have a job) which I would prefer to avoid. However, if business schools view this kind of thing as a possible "difference-maker" in choosing candidates, I would certainly consider putting in the time. Do you think that top business schools will see a senior thesis as extra proof that I am hard-working and intellectually motivated, or will it really not make much of a difference in 2-5 years from now? Other than the the recognition of receiving "distinction" I don't think I would get a whole lot of personal satisfaction out of the process, so MBA admissions' view of senior theses in general is a critical factor in my decision. Any comments are welcome.
Thanks!
double-check to see if writing a senior thesis has any bearing on the latin honors you receive. It looks like you may pushing on magna but then again this stuff is very school specific and honestly I have no idea how big a deal it is long-term
It does not - Latin honors are totally GPA-based (I am close to Magna, but not sure if I will get it). Honors theses are awarded distinction in the major.
If you have Magna then I wouldn't worry about it. On the other hand, if you don't think you'll make it, then I would strongly consider doing the thesis
Relevant undergrad thesis...useful for recruiting? (Originally Posted: 04/08/2013)
I'm currently an undergrad at a top UK uni, interning at GS/MS/JPM in IBD this summer. Long term I'm interested in joining a long/short fund, especially a special situations focused fund.
I have the opportunity to do an "undergraduate thesis" (10,000 words) next year, in a subject of my choice, in place of one of my finals papers. I wondered whether, were I to do a thesis with respect to the drivers of outperformance in special situations, this would be valuable for recruiting. I'm interested for the purposes of my own investments, and because I find it an interesting topic, but a good thesis takes a hell of a lot of work so I'm interested to hear whether it would also help with recruiting--otherwise I might be able to spend my time more valuably elsewhere. A review of the relevant literature suggests there's not really any agreement over the important factors and no one (at least no one who has published) has really attempted to survey the evidence.
I'm no expert. But if you are actually interested in special situations, isn't getting the opportunity to write a thesis on it like a chance to hash out your strategies for academic credit? Your prof will be able to question and challenge your theories and assumptions.
It's definitely a valuable opportunity to evaluate my own investment strategy. But keeping in mind a thesis will take significantly longer overall than learning for an exam, what I am trying to determine is whether it is more valuable overall than the other things I could spend that additional time doing.
Right now my impression is that it would be worthwhile, as it would enable me to have a far more well-grounded rationale for my investment theses, which would help both in my personal investments and, I'd presume, in hf interviews when they come around. Just wondered if any of the HF guys around here could comment on how they'd look on this in an applicant.
Edit: To be specific, the thesis topic I'm interested in pursuing is looking at what the drivers of spin-off outperformance are. There are a lot of stats out there on the outperformance of the market index by spin-offs, and there are a few papers suggesting possible reasons for this, but none have compared different possible reasons and run the regressions to determine which appear to be most important.
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