Throughout most of my four years at Indiana University, I considered myself a bad writer. Any assignment that required more than three pages seemed impossible for me to complete on time. However, I could not get out of writing, especially as a Law and Public Policy major. I had a tough time deciding if being part of the Honors Program would be beneficial for me during my last year at Indiana University and specifically the O’Neill school. I talked to a lot of professionals and advisors about the stress I was having, and the one constant advice I was given was, “If you’re only worried about the length of the project, just go ahead and commit to it, you’ll be surprised!” Interestingly, I completed my honors thesis and was surprised. I am not saying that I am the best writer today, but I was able to complete a 26-page research paper that I can talk about for the rest of my life. I did not magically complete it, it took a lot of procrastination, hard work, dedication, and coaching. If I can do this, I promise you can too! Here is my advice to you all:
- START EARLY: I know most people completing the honors thesis are seniors, and after four years of hard work, you are BURNT OUT. I get it, but you must keep pushing! One way you can complete this project is to start early and work on something every day. You are encouraged at the beginning of the year to have a writing schedule; this was my best friend throughout the semester. I promise you do not want to wait until spring break to start working on this. You will feel so much better about yourself if you do not have much to do during and after spring break because everything from there until graduation quickly picks up. Take two hours out of your day to work on your thesis and hold yourself accountable.
- BUILD A SUPPORT SYSTEM: It takes a village! This statement matters for this project. Writing a thesis is stressful and takes a lot out of you. You need to have people that will not only hold you accountable but will also take you away from your computer when you need it. Have people doing the same thing as you and your friends open to going out. My thesis group and my friends in general held it down for me, and I could not have done it without them.
- ASK FOR HELP: you cannot do this alone; do not even try. Writing a thesis consists of a lot of different parts, you will need help from your professor, classmates, and advisor! Getting help does not mean you are not smart; it means that you want to do well, and you do not know everything. At the beginning of the year, I was so nervous to ask for help because everyone was so smart and seemed so put together. I quickly learned that if I wanted to finish the semester successfully, I needed help. You will find a lot of people who are willing and ready to help you, all you need to do is ask.
- GET YOUR ADVISOR EARLY: having an advisor determines if you are going to do well on this thesis. Do not wait until the last minute to get your advisor, send out emails as soon as you start your semester. Your advisor is the backbone of the project, they will guide you to get the results you want and support you throughout the whole project. Make sure you let whoever agrees to be your advisor know the requirements early on. You do not want someone who only agrees to help you but does not help in any way! set a weekly or bi-weekly meet-up with them, and every time you decide to meet, make sure you bring some type of progress with you. Also, do not ask someone to be your advisor just because you are close with them somehow, ask whoever you believe is going to help you and have some experience on the topic.
I know this project might seem impossible right now, but I promise you can do it! You got this! And remember, you are not alone!
Haoulia Barry is a Senior at Indiana University Majoring in Law and Public Policy and double minoring in French and Media Persuasion. She hopes to attend law school in the future with a focus on international law.
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