Writing a thesis can be extremely daunting – especially as an undergrad. At the beginning of my thesis-writing journey, I felt completely overwhelmed with the task ahead. Looking back, there are several things I wish I would have done differently to make the whole experience much smoother. While I don’t have a time machine to fix all my mistakes, I can offer some advice to help you along as you embark on your journey. Here are four tips I wish I had known before jumping into my thesis, and I hope they can help you along with yours.
1.) Choose Your Thesis Advisor Wisely
While you might think it’s the hours of research, the daily writing, or your data analysis that’s the most critical part of your thesis (and don’t get me wrong, those are very important), it’s who you choose as your advisor. My friends and my thesis-writing experiences were largely impacted by who we had as our advisors.
When choosing your advisor, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself what you want from this experience. If that’s doing some hardcore research, then choose an advisor who will set high expectations and push you to invest more of yourself and time into your thesis. If you want to take on the reigns of your thesis-writing experience, choose an advisor who will allow you to come to them as questions arise. It’s essential to have a discussion with any potential advisor and set expectations for how you want to go about writing your thesis and how they will help you get there. If your expectations don’t align, don’t be afraid to keep on searching.
2.) Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
For many Honors students, we have very high expectations of ourselves, which may lead us to suffer alone when we need help. When it comes to writing your thesis, trying to do it all on your own is almost impossible. There are many wonderful professors and Ph.D. students at IU who are more than happy to help you when you need it, don’t be afraid to ask them for it.
3.) Don’t Worry About Writing a Publishable Paper
In the midst of writing your thesis, it’s easy to compare your paper with the many academic papers you have read for your research. While you want to do your best, the purpose of the Honors Program isn’t to produce a fully publishable paper. The purpose is to let you get a taste of what academic writing and research is like. While your paper may not be publishable, it still has value. Remember that you’re doing something that most undergrads won’t get to do, and you should feel proud of all of the work you have poured into it.
4.) It’s Okay to Feel Overwhelmed
Writing a thesis is a huge task, and it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed with all the work that goes into it. When I was writing my thesis, there were many times when I felt like I was not equipped to do all of the work necessary to complete my thesis on time, and I didn’t know how to make everything come together. If you feel like you’re drowning, you’re not alone. Writing a thesis requires you to lean on the people around you and never be ashamed to take a moment and ask for support. Your friends likely feel the same way, so don’t hesitate to reach out to them when you need a helping hand.
Lydia Evanson is a senior at Indiana University studying Law and Public Policy at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Lydia is currently the student director of the IU Books and Beyond Project and is passionate about increasing equal access to education and improving conditions for foster youth. Next year, she plans to continue her education at IU Maurer School of Law.
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