The senior thesis is a terrifying yet rewarding experience that teaches many things. Over the last three years, CARI has taught you many technical and theoretical skills that you can use to develop your senior capstone. Sure, the thesis may be daunting. You may not have any clue what topic you want to research. But you must be dedicated and willing to put in the time and effort to accomplish the task, and it’ll be worth it in the end! Here are five of my suggestions to having a better start on your thesis:
Seek out an advisor early.
Trust me, this will save you a lot from a lot of anxiety in the future. Establish a relationship with a professor early on and ask them if they would be willing to work with you. This will depend on how quickly you identify your thesis topic, or at least the subject area that you are interested in studying. Find someone who will give you feedback and steer you in the proper direction.
Don’t underestimate the quantitative analysis.
This was my biggest issue. For those of you working with data, it takes a really, really, really, really long time to get your data to where you need it to be. This process took just as long as writing my thesis because I tried to get my dataset perfect for analysis. Just be cautious, make sure you allocate enough time for this part, and ask for help. Which, brings me to my next advice…
Ask for help.
Part of this writing process includes relying on other people’s experience. Rely on your peers and their thoughts during this process. They are going through this too. Your advisor and other professors are always more than willing to discuss your topic with you and will point you in the right direction. Finally, use your friends, family, classmates, roommates, pets, whoever you can, to edit your paper and look it over! This will go such a long way, and having fresh eyes examine your piece will make it better in the end.
Try to not cram in as much writing time as possible
This is easier said than done, I know. But I promise it will be rewarding if you stick to your plans. If you spread out your writing across many days and weeks, it will not take as long trying to flesh everything out. Set aside a little time every day (or every other day) to devote towards your thesis.
Edit and read in small chunks
Once you have a first draft completed, first off, congrats! But, don’t overwhelm yourself throughout the editing process. Take little chunks of your piece here and there and scrutinize them individually. It’s important to remember to read the entire paper for cohesion at the end, but don’t pile all your editing into one day.
I promise, this will all be worth it in the end! Stick to a plan of attack, seek out help, use these tips, and you will be able to make it. You’ve come this far; you can certainly achieve this! It’s not as daunting as it seems but remember to take it seriously. It’s important to end your academic career on a strong and positive note. From all the CARI students before you to you, you’ve got this!
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