The O’Neill honors program has been a fantastic way to develop my academic career here at Indiana University. I’ve had the opportunity to join special sections of IU courses, and meet people who are like me. I’ve also enjoyed the various events that O’Neill SPEA has put on over my four years here. However, I completely forgot about the honors thesis until it came up suddenly during my senior year. Here are a couple of things I would have loved to know before I started the thesis writing process:
Choosing a Topic
As a Management BSPA with a minor in music and a certificate in business foundations, my ultimate job goal was to “work with people” once I graduated. I still don’t know what sector/industry I want to work in, and this made thinking of a research topic extremely difficult, as I have no specific career direction. What helped me the most was simply thinking about articles and news posts I found interest in throughout the years.
It is imperative that you choose a thesis topic that interests you. That is the only requirement. To put in hours of research into a topic, it’s important to be invested and extremely interested in your topic, and you are the only person who knows what you are interested in. Look at your search history, scroll through YouTube and think about classes and projects you have enjoyed. Chances are, a professor here at IU has probably done similar research, and although my topic changed at least three times, I eventually found one that I enjoyed researching immensely.
Finding an Advisor
Your advisor is one of your most valuable assets in the thesis writing process. The first piece of advice seems obvious but it’s important: Reach out as quickly as possible. Many professors are extremely busy and may take a while to get back to you. I was lucky enough to find an advisor, and he was extremely helpful in adjusting my topic over the first few months.
The second piece of advice I can give is to look through previous advisors for previous theses. I found my advisor simply by looking for a similar thesis topic and seeing who the advisor was for that. It was extremely useful to have an advisor with the knowledge and experience of helping previous thesis writers, and that proved useful throughout the entire process.
Writing is Tough
Another piece of advice you didn’t need! The writing process seems extremely grueling and painful when you first look at it. I’m the type of writer that likes to bang out a six-page essay in two hours, but that’s not how a thesis works. Create a schedule, make a routine, work in increments, and you’ll be surprised how quickly your thoughts come together.
My professor loved to use the phrase “word vomit,” and that resonated with me throughout the writing process. Sometimes, I would sit down for about an hour and write four pages of random thoughts. The words barely formed sentences, but these writing periods allowed me to edit what was in my brain and turn it into professional writing. You can always go back and edit, and utilize your friends, family, and classmates to look through your writing as well.
Have Fun
Writing a thesis was one of the toughest, yet most rewarding academic experiences I have had throughout my college career. I went from having no specific interests to creating an entire survey and thesis on a topic people enjoyed learning about. It was a much simpler process than I expected, and it does not need to be as stressful as you make it. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the process!
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