THE ISSUE: Writing an honors thesis or conducting undergraduate research is a rewarding and challenging experience. However, it is not something that all students choose to do, and nor should they. Because undergraduate research is not one size fits all, editorial board members present arguments for and against it.
Read Nathan D’Ambrosio’s counterpoint.
“Huh, what does that mean?”
I have found myself asking this question several times recently when talking to friends who are finishing up their honors theses or have been working with a professor doing undergraduate research.
During my four years here, those students are far and away the most engaged that I have ever seen students in their studies. I would describe these students as passionate, articulate, perhaps even as experts — they could have fooled me.
At many liberal arts colleges all students are required to write an honors thesis, and I can now see why. Studying a topic that you are genuinely interested in is much more fulfilling than cramming for a class required for your general education.
It is easy and common to think that school work, especially a thesis, would get in the way of fully enjoying one’s senior year, but the memories and knowledge gained from pursuing an interesting topic will last much longer than any wild night on Franklin Street.
An honors thesis gives a student the opportunity to learn about a topic that he or she may not have been able to take a course on. It could also allow a student to continue learning in greater depth about a topic covered in a favorite course.
Beginning an honors thesis does not mean that you have to complete it. But the process of finding a potentially viable idea forces you to learn and is valuable even if you don’t continue on with the thesis.
