Let me tell you, you are not behind! And even if you are, as I was at the beginning of the semester, there is time to catch up, write a complete thesis, present said thesis, and write your blog posts at the end of it all. So, take a breath, then read and process these next steps that will outline my advice for how to get through each part of this class.
1. Finding a thesis topic
I came into the class with no idea for a thesis topic, no advisor, and a lot of anxiety about not having either already figured out. The first thing to know is that a thesis is not a long essay. This is what Professor Baggetta told me about my first proposed topic. This is important to know in finding a good topic. You will be creating a research question and then will be writing a research paper on your study. This is amazing because it narrows your scope to one particular passion of yours. Seek out topics of your past favorite classes or topics you wished to learn more about in your studies and find one to write about! If you need to narrow your topic anymore, narrowing your study to a certain geographical area could help you.
2. Searching for an advisor
This can be a difficult process. It took about a month for me to find my advisor. My advice to you is to find three people (I searched through the O’Neill faculty and the College of Arts and Sciences faculty pages) that you are interested in working with and email all of them giving an overview of yourself, your interests, your potential thesis topic, and asking them to meet and discuss the topic. Do this when you start the class and set up meetings for the second week of class. If there is no luck with your first round of emails, do not worry. There is time. Repeat the process until you find a match!
3. Coordinating with your advisor
Yay, you found an advisor! Now, immediately email your advisor and ask to set up a meeting for every other week. Do this right after you have a confirmed advisor and do not forget or push this off. A thesis is so much better with an advisor’s insight. Meet during the designated times and always always integrate your advisor’s input. They are the one grading your thesis at the end of the semester. I would advise sending your advisor a draft of your thesis when you complete your literature review, when you complete your data & methodology section, when you complete your results and every time you make one of their suggested changes.
4. Writing your thesis
You will have enough time to write and edit your thesis. Everyone’s writing process is different. Do what is best for you! My advice would be to take the first week to find what data you want to use in your thesis. There is plenty of publicly accessible data out in the world. If you have trouble finding data, consult Professor Baggetta or your advisor! After finding the data, all you have to do is meet the deadlines. I would start writing each section as the class is being taught on it, so you get an early start and have time to write the section and take a second look at it later to edit. Give yourself extra time to write the literature review and to make the graphs perfect. The literature review is not difficult to write, but does require a lot of searching and readings, relating to your study. Additionally, the data & methodology and the results will flow out of you as that is your analysis, but you will need time to perfect the graphs you want. There will be peer reviews and group meetings imbedded in the process. Lean on your peers for support!
5. Creating your presentation
You will be creating a draft presentation and presenting it to the class a couple weeks before Thanksgiving break. This is a good time for feedback. Do your best with this presentation and try to get your figures completed by this time so that you can get the most out of your feedback. If you do not have the figures done by that time, do not worry! There is still time to clean up your figures, thesis, and presentation.
6. Turning in your thesis and presenting your presentation
This is the best part! You know this material better than anyone. Own it and do the best with it!
7. The after part
Celebrate all that you have accomplished! All of the stress is behind you, and you are one step closer to graduation! You are amazing. The next part is the grades coming in for the class. No matter what happens, know that you have made a difference and a contribution to academia, along with learning about your writing process along the way. Go you!
Claire Malone is a senior at Indiana University – Bloomington pursuing a dual degree in Informatics with a cognate in Environmental Management and Environmental & Sustainability Studies with a concentration in Environmental Ethics and Justice.
Leave a Reply