Don’t panic – this is how you survive (and thrive) in your thesis

Hello there future thesis writers! The culmination of the honors program is upon you – the dreaded research thesis. Not to worry, the process isn’t all that bad and will teach you so many valuable skills you can apply in future jobs, grad school, or day-to-day organization! I’m giving you my top three pieces of advice for surviving – and thriving – in your honors thesis process.

1. Start your data collection early.

Whether you’re using someone else’s data or collecting your own, the most important piece of advice I can offer is to start the data collection process as early as possible. You will want as much time as you can to sort through what is important and relevant to your study. If you’re planning to utilize survey data (as was my case), getting an early start will reduce so much stress later in the process. When your data collection is reliant on someone else providing information, you want to give people as much time to finish responses.

2. Stick to your writing schedule.

Making a writing schedule may seem redundant, after all you’re spending an entire year coming up with and writing your thesis. But as we all know, collegiate life has a way of becoming crazy busy when you least expect it. Even if you don’t have any grand ideas or revolutionary thoughts to put down, just taking the time to get some ideas on paper will be more helpful than you could imagine.

3. Utilize your peers!

Venting to my classmates and members of my writing group was absolutely invaluable. The thesis writing process can be really stressful at times, and it can seem like you’re alone with whatever issue you’re facing. Don’t freak out, I can guarantee your peers are feeling the same way and reaching out to each other for help can make stressful times much less isolating. And as a bonus, you might just make some new friends along the way (shoutout to my writing group!)

Overall, this process will teach you so much about how to expand your own interests into tangible research and expose you to so many interesting topics through your peers. Remember to embrace the craziness and remember that your thesis ideas are creative, interesting, and just a fraction of your potential!