On research credentials, again.

[soviette_kitsch]

I'm going to be finishing my B.A. in History (among other things) this Spring. At my university, all history majors don't complete a thesis, but instead complete two capstone research seminars culminating in a 20+ page paper each as well as a core research methods class with a similarly hefty research component. (Faculty have told me that they

Comments

[soviette_kitsch]

Yeah. I'm having a hard time finding a comfortable position between "having a modest CV because if you don't at this level you are probably full of yourself" and "showing that I have done a lot of research." I will be presenting at a conference, but it's specifically an undergraduate conference. Honestly, I just think it looks kind of foolish listed on its own. A lot of people recommend talking about coursework on your CV, but I also think that's kind of ridiculous-looking. Almost everyone I've talked to said that you're expected to put your honors/senior thesis on your CV, if you have one. I'm sure that's not a bad idea, I'm just trying to figure out a way to demonstrate that this work was more along those lines than just a really long paper I wrote.

A lot of people in my department here say that we should put our methods classes on our resumes or our CVs. I, again, am skeptical. I think a lot of it has to do with my program's pride in its undergraduate research development, but also, like: doesn't every history major on the planet have to take a heavy methods course? It just seems like it could read as amateurish.

To be honest, I know I need to worry a lot less about whether my CV looks "amateurish." I am amateurish, and they will know that. It's the SOP and the letters that matter more. I have to constantly remind myself of this.

[coaldustcanary]

Honestly, I tend to side-eye the people who put their undergrad honors thesis on their CVs, too, though I have seen it quite frequently. The reason is that the quality and tenor of an undergrad honors thesis varies a lot more than a Master's thesis, in my experience. I know people who have produced an undergrad thesis in the range of 75 pages of incredible research and IRB-approved experiment analysis, and I know people who have produced an undergrad thesis which was essentially a glorified pet-project essay with a page length south of 20 with a few citations thrown in. Prove that you can do research not by listing a research project but by sending a competent writing sample along that shows your chops. That's what they'll care about, not a line on a CV.

[brittdreams]

I disagree with this. It's impossible to send in an entire thesis generally, so you need to note to the adcomm in some way that what you're sending is part of a larger project. One line on a CV at this stage, and that is removed once the person is in graduate school, is not a problem.

OP, I would list the capstone course papers since they're generally done in more detail and with more supervision than an undergraduate class paper. I had a similar thing when I applied to grad school and listed it. No one looked askance at it since I was demonstrating to them that I could come up with an idea, conduct research, and make an argument and that I had experience doing so. That said, those lines came off my CV pretty quickly.