Completing a senior thesis

[oliviamaraj]

Right now I am pursuing three undergraduate degrees in criminology, psychology and political science. One of the professors I work with is a legal psychologist and wants me to try and do a senior thesis. Would completing a senior thesis in the field of legal psychology help with law school admissions? I currently have a 3.67 GPA and still have two more years of undergrad to complete (to get my GPA higher). Is it worth it to put in all that work? Would it make me more of a competitive applicant? In other words, would the great amount of effort to do a senior thesis really affect my application when applying for law school?

Thank you in advance for the advice!

[Dave Killoran]

Right now I am pursuing three undergraduate degrees in criminology, psychology and political science. One of the professors I work with is a legal psychologist and wants me to try and do a senior thesis. Would completing a senior thesis in the field of legal psychology help with law school admissions? I currently have a 3.67 GPA and still have two more years of undergrad to complete (to get my GPA higher). Is it worth it to put in all that work? Would it make me more of a competitive applicant? In other words, would the great amount of effort to do a senior thesis really affect my application when applying for law school?

Thank you in advance for the advice!

Hi Olivia,

Thanks for the message! This is a tough one and there's not really a concrete body of evidence that points to a clear answer here. One thing comes to mind however:

• For this professor, will doing the thesis likely seal up an outstanding letter of recommendation? Because if so, that alone would probably make it worth it. It's often through close working relationship like these that great LORs are born, and if you feel that type of relationship will result from the thesis, it's a very strong positive.

Now, will the thesis itself make a big difference? No, but again, schools understand that it is a lot of work, so you get a nebulous sort of credit from doing one.

Also, if it's not completed and not on your academic record when you apply, make sure you note it on your resume.

Thanks!