Thesis vs. nonthesis track. Help please!

[absinthexfaery]

I'm having issues. =/ (cross posted in gradstudents )

I'm in the MA English program at Clemson and we have an option of doing a thesis or nonthesis track.  Now the thesis track only involves taking 8 classes which seems shoddy to me, because you can be finished after a year but then have to hang around for orals and thesis dense.

I concentrate in creative

Comments

[67threnody]

I don't know which is the better choice, but it sounds like you're leaning toward the nonthesis option as the one that would be a better fit for you.

If you have an idea of what Ph.D. programs you might be considering, maybe check and see what they say, whether any of them specify that they expect a thesis. I'd think that having strong writing samples plus a solid performance in course work would be plenty.

I don't see any advantage to doing a thesis, other than that you have to take fewer courses. And I don't see that as an advantage.

[tisiphone]

Why are you asking us? You already know the answer to this.

[absinthexfaery]

Actually, I do not know the answer, which is why I am asking. With all the contradictory responses I've gotten from students in degrees, students who have graduated and gone on to PhDs and professors, I am still looking for more answers.

And, this community is for advice as well as other things, and my question deals with what I should do before applying to a program.

[tisiphone]

I'm not trying to be snarky or mean, I'm honestly asking. The information you've provided make it pretty clear that, given what you know (which none of us can really contradict, we don't even know what program you're talking about) and your personal career goals and academic interests, you appear to know that you should do the non-thesis option. In fact, you haven't identified one reason you might want to do the thesis option. Now, someone could pop up and say "I didn't do a thesis and they left a horse head in my bed!" but would this be relevant for you? Probably not really. So, it's OK to just go with what you and your advisor have identified as being the best option for you.

[bluefireangel]

There are some people in my English PhD program who did an MA thesis, and others who did comprehensive exams instead. I did a thesis, and frankly, I think I would have gotten more out of taking more seminars. And as your professor said, a good seminar paper makes far more sense as a writing sample than a thesis excerpt anyway, since you can present an argument in its entirety. It sounds like you have good reasons for wanting to do the nonthesis track--follow your instincts.