If you are reading this blog, chances are you are considering writing an honors thesis as a part of your undergraduate studies. Let me begin by encouraging you to go for it even if you do not feel qualified. The point of the program is to teach you how to do the work, not to test you on your ability to complete it. The professors you will work with throughout the process are great mentors who will guide you through to the end. You only need to be willing to take the first step. There are a few tips I can offer you as you begin:
- Write early, write often. The biggest asset in your possession is time. Professor Baggetta had us create a writing schedule, and by doing the same you will be set up for success. By starting to write before you feel ready, you will be ahead of schedule.
- Do not take on too much. One of the biggest challenges I faced was balancing my time between my thesis and another large research project. To avoid unnecessary stress, I urge you to look for ways to lighten up your course load for the semester and look for ways to maximize your efficiency. A great way to do this is to take as few extra classes as possible to still be on track for on-time graduation and to use either the summer or a semester gap to complete your data analysis.
- Utilize your network. If at any point you get stuck, reach out to your network of advisors, professors, and peers for help. There will be points that come up where you do not know what to do next, and these people will be the ones who can help you break through those plateaus faster.
Preparing an honors thesis is a marathon, not a sprint. This process is almost certainly guaranteed to be the most academically challenging season of your undergraduate experience, but this should not stop you from pursuing it. The connections made, lessons learned, and challenges overcome are all worth the effort. In this process, you will be challenged to complete a process few undergraduates undergo in a timeframe that will feel too short no matter when you begin. I do not say this to dissuade you; rather, I hope to prepare you for the reality of the undertaking. The process of writing an undergraduate thesis will be the most rewarding part of your academic career to this point and will serve as a launching pad. Even if you decide you do not want to pursue research for your career, the lessons learned in communicating both written and spoken ideas will be invaluable as you go on to your next steps.
Braden Chapman is a senior at Indiana University Bloomington receiving his Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and his Bachelor of Arts from the College of Arts & Sciences. Braden is majoring in Law and Public Policy and History. After graduating he hopes to spend a year working on political depolarization with BridgeUSA before pursuing a law degree.
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