So. . .you’ve decided to write a thesis. First of all congratulations, because this program is a great opportunity to work with dedicated students like yourself and learn so much about the research process. The time commitment can feel overwhelming sometimes, but when you think about it over the course of two semesters, it is very manageable and extremely rewarding in the end. Buckle in as I tell you my top 5 things I wish I knew right from the start of the program, including using a survey as my main point of research. Moral of the story: O’Neill has an endless supply of resources available to students and within those resources are even more connections to professionals and outside sources from the school. Good luck as you go through the journey.
Do your work. Your first semester of the two thesis courses will lay the groundwork for your entire project. What you do now, will make writing much easier in the future. Even when it may seem like small assignments along the way, take your time to complete them well and thoroughly to save yourself time as you finalize those drafts in your actual thesis. A bulk of what you write and complete in V491 can be edited, copied, and pasted in your thesis in 499. Don’t slack off in the beginning because it can set you back later on.
Changing topics is totally okay. I changed my topic in the last month of V491. If this happens, you must be prepared mentally to redo all of the assignments for your new topic and include them in the proposal. It is very do-able. If you are changing your topic, make sure you are passionate about it. It is much easier to write when you are interested in the topic and truly want to learn more about the research area. I’ll admit its a big commitment deciding on a topic, so make sure you communicate with the faculty at O’Neill and talk through it with many of them. There are experts in just about every topic at O’Neill. Be confident in your decision to change but also trust your gut if you want to stick with your first choice.
It’s a lot of writing. Six-thousand to 10,000 words is intimidating, but you are very capable of writing this amount. These classes are built to assist you in the writing process and lead you along the way. Some may suggest building a writing schedule. This is a great way to set deadlines for yourself and not procrastinate. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t stick exactly to your schedule, but procrastination is not the way to go on this paper because there is plenty of time to write everything without it being overwhelming. Spread your work out evenly and use what you wrote in V491 to finalize your thesis.
O’Neill has so many resources. I would not be where I am without the faculty, connections, and professionals from this school. You can talk to professors in and outside of O’Neill. I would recommend that you talk to at least seven by the end of first semester. Talking through your ideas for the project, gaining opinions, sources, and widening your network will be helpful and lead to resources that you would be unlikely to find on your own. For example, I reached out to a professor who then connected me to a Gen-Z running for city council in Indianapolis. He gave me access to the bulk of my background data for my project. You never know where a conversation may lead.
Surveying! There are a lot of different populations on campus to be polled from. With 40,000 students, there are lots of people around you who may be interested in your topic and want to help out. It is hard to pitch the idea of taking a survey to students, but be proud of your thesis project and they will be more likely to take it. Your passion for your topic goes a long way which can lead to more volunteers and more professors that feel inclined to share it with their class. I presented it to my current classes, sent it to my past professors, sent it to student organizations, handed out flyers in line for basketball games, and you can even hang flyers around campus. Make it easy for students and make it appealing. Pull on these resources available to you because that includes your peers around you! It is very possible to get a lot of respondents!
Kate Burnett is a junior in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs majoring in environmental management. She will be starting her first year of O’Neill’s Master’s program in Public Affairs in the fall.
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