Would you do a senior thesis? Forum

[AnnafutureJDstudent]

I am in my junior year of undergrad. I am majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. I have a 3.8 GPA, Hopefully it will be a 3.9 when I graduate. I have started the process of doing an honors thesis because I thought it would be a good way to get decent letters of rec, however I just don't know if it's worth it because it's so time-consuming and I would rather focus on keeping up my GPA. I have to do an internship as part of my major my last semester I was also an activity Cordinator at a retirement facility for a semester. I am part of the Golden Key honor Society which only accept s people in the top 15% of the class. So, I have pretty decent's softs. Any advice?

[yomisterd]

I am in my junior year of undergrad. I am majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. I have a 3.8 GPA, Hopefully it will be a 3.9 when I graduate. I have started the process of doing nothing because I thought it would be a good way to get decent letters of rec, however I just don't know if it's worth it because it's so time-consuming and I would rather focus on keeping up my GPA. I have to do an internship as part of my major my last semester I was also an activity Cordinator at a retirement facility for a semester. I am part of the Golden Key honor Society which only accept s people in the top 15% of the class. So, I have pretty decent's softs. Any advice?

Why do you want to go to law school? I feel like getting some work experience in social work/related public service field would be way more valuable as a soft than a thesis. Unless you are bent on academia, in which case maybe two theses. Actually, write a fucking book for that.

[CanadianWolf]

For law school admissions & scholarships, one's LSAT score is the most important factor with one's undergraduate GPA a distant second. A senior thesis should be a labor of love; if this was so in your case, then you wouldn't be seeking advice on the internet.

[AnnafutureJDstudent]

I am in my junior year of undergrad. I am majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. I have a 3.8 GPA, Hopefully it will be a 3.9 when I graduate. I have started the process of doing nothing because I thought it would be a good way to get decent letters of rec, however I just don't know if it's worth it because it's so time-consuming and I would rather focus on keeping up my GPA. I have to do an internship as part of my major my last semester I was also an activity Cordinator at a retirement facility for a semester. I am part of the Golden Key honor Society which only accept s people in the top 15% of the class. So, I have pretty decent's softs. Any advice?

Why do you want to go to law school? I feel like getting some work experience in social work/related public service field would be way more valuable as a soft than a thesis. Unless you are bent on academia, in which case maybe two theses. Actually, write a fucking book for that.

I know it's the cliche answer, But I want to help people. I have cerebral palsy. I really want to work with people who have disabilities through the means of medical malpractice cases or advocacy rights issues. I believe I can be empathetic to all sorts of situations

[eleemosynary2]

Agree with above comment that the commitment far outweighs any weight it would have in law school admissions. I did refer to it in my essays and interviews (actually still got asked about it by the 1L employer where I will be this summer), so it's a nice thing to talk about, but I think another substantive activity could stand in its place. I also found it to be a really enjoyable way to connect with a professor, which I hadn't done a good job of up to that point.

That said, only do it if you have something you're really interested in exploring academically, because even then it can be a slog.

[cinephile]

Write the thesis. You're only a junior and made decide later that what you really want is a phd in psych. This will be more useful for other avenues.

[worldtraveler]

I am in my junior year of undergrad. I am majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. I have a 3.8 GPA, Hopefully it will be a 3.9 when I graduate. I have started the process of doing an honors thesis because I thought it would be a good way to get decent letters of rec, however I just don't know if it's worth it because it's so time-consuming and I would rather focus on keeping up my GPA. I have to do an internship as part of my major my last semester I was also an activity Cordinator at a retirement facility for a semester. I am part of the Golden Key honor Society which only accept s people in the top 15% of the class. So, I have pretty decent's softs. Any advice?

Those are actually average to poor softs.

[yomisterd]

I am in my junior year of undergrad. I am majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. I have a 3.8 GPA, Hopefully it will be a 3.9 when I graduate. I have started the process of doing nothing because I thought it would be a good way to get decent letters of rec, however I just don't know if it's worth it because it's so time-consuming and I would rather focus on keeping up my GPA. I have to do an internship as part of my major my last semester I was also an activity Cordinator at a retirement facility for a semester. I am part of the Golden Key honor Society which only accept s people in the top 15% of the class. So, I have pretty decent's softs. Any advice?

Why do you want to go to law school? I feel like getting some work experience in social work/related public service field would be way more valuable as a soft than a thesis. Unless you are bent on academia, in which case maybe two theses. Actually, write a fucking book for that.

I know it's the cliche answer, But I want to help people. I have cerebral palsy. I really want to work with people who have disabilities through the means of medical malpractice cases or advocacy rights issues. I believe I can be empathetic to all sorts of situations

Not the cliche answer. If you are passionate about that, you should try to show that in activities (internships, work experience, relevant thesis). I think that your disability combined with your passion would make for a compelling admissions narrative regardless of the thesis. Study for the LSAT, maybe get another summer internship/semester work experience with disabilities organizations, and enjoy the T14. With your current GPA, obtaining these undergrad opportunities should not be impossible.

[cron1834]

I am in my junior year of undergrad. I am majoring in social work and minoring in psychology. I have a 3.8 GPA, Hopefully it will be a 3.9 when I graduate. I have started the process of doing an honors thesis because I thought it would be a good way to get decent letters of rec, however I just don't know if it's worth it because it's so time-consuming and I would rather focus on keeping up my GPA. I have to do an internship as part of my major my last semester I was also an activity Cordinator at a retirement facility for a semester. I am part of the Golden Key honor Society which only accept s people in the top 15% of the class. So, I have pretty decent's softs. Any advice?

Those are actually average to poor softs.

SO, this is definitely in the poor-soft category ... BUT the o.p. later drops that she has CP. Not many people with CP are this academically productive. It's a definite game-changer in personal and diversity statements.

[AnnafutureJDstudent]

I wouldn't think various honor society's , clubs and volunteering are poor, average, definitely not a Rhodes scholar. I'm really looking forward ro that internship next summer. I would like to go to a tier one school, but I know I can't because I can't just up and go because of my disability, so FSU is literally my only option

[heythatslife]

It would be a shame to limit yourself to FSU given the excellent GPA you have. Try to get a good score on the LSAT, and apply to a bunch of T14 schools. You might be surprised to find schools willing to go the extra mile to accommodate your needs.

And regarding the senior thesis, I agree with what was said above. It's going to have a minimal impact on law school admissions, so if you do it it should be because YOU want to, and not because you think it will improve your chances.

[cinephile]

I wouldn't think various honor society's , clubs and volunteering are poor, average, definitely not a Rhodes scholar. I'm really looking forward ro that internship next summer. I would like to go to a tier one school, but I know I can't because I can't just up and go because of my disability, so FSU is literally my only option

There are plenty of people who've worked beforehand, or volunteered with the Peace Corps, and developed themselves personally and professionally beyond college. These are about half of your classmates, so comparing yourself against them will end up with you coming up short.

Also, I agree that you'd be limiting yourself with FSU. If you can't go to at the very least the best school in your state, you're limiting your ability to get a paying legal job. If you want to work in an advocacy organization in a non-JD-required capacity, you can probably go straight into that after college. But if you want a JD-required position, try for the best school possible.

[californiauser]

I chose to study for the LSAT instead of doing a senior thesis. Haven't regretted it one bit. I'd do it if it's something you're passionate about, otherwise study for the LSAT or do something else productive.

[AnnafutureJDstudent]

I may want to go into family/criminal law as well. I wouldn't make people with disabilities my main focus, but it's very important to me.

[AnnafutureJDstudent]

I Might be able to work it out and go to a good school, who knows? it's still early yet.

[McAvoy]

I really enjoyed writing my thesis, and it was a great way to bond with a professor I really admired. Is it going to help you in LS admissions? Probably not, but I think it's worthwhile experience, at any rate, and if you could see yourself eventually considering grad school, it will certainly be helpful.

Also, as someone with average-ish softs, for the three schools that I interviewed with, discussion of my thesis dominated the conversation (in a very good way).

I was always planning to take a gap year, though. If I was going KJD, there is no way I would have had time to put serious effort into the LSAT.

[jbagelboy]

Thesis is a huge time suck and a large personal commitment. It wouldn't matter much for law admissions, but employers (yes even legal employers) are usually impressed by them - Im asked about my senior thesis (written several years ago back in college) in nearly every interview. It's a good icebreaker and obviously an area you can appear knowledgeable in and speak to with confidence.

It can be rewarding if you find a topic you are passionate about. For us, a thesis was required, so it wasn't a choice. If it had been? I don't know, tough call - with hindsight, Im glad I wrote one.