Congratulations! You are researching a topic that interests you that will potentially influence your future career. This is the most rewarding yet daunting accomplishment of your academic career, thus far! As you face your thesis head-on, you may feel overwhelmed by what lies ahead. Do not worry, these feelings are natural! How does one mitigate the mixed feeling of thesis writing without letting it consume life? Balance. Balance is key when conducting successful research among the other components of life. Here are some tips I used to maintain balance.
- Be Intentional
As I approached my thesis semester, I needed to be intentional with my actions. One, I was selective with the other courses I took. For example, I took a 13-week course to fulfill one of my requirements. I knew it would end early and free time towards the end of the semester (when the final manuscript submission and presentation take place). Since the end of the semester is crunch time, this new hole in my schedule was then dedicated to my thesis. Similarly, exercise was important to me. To make sure I did not lose sight of this priority, I took an asynchronous workout class where I documented workouts twice a week. I took a step back from one of my clubs to still be involved, but delegate more time to my research. Since a thesis is no small feat, I was very intentional with my schedule to properly delegate my time to my other priorities. Creating this balance not only made the time I gave my thesis meaningful, but it allowed me to fulfill my other commitments as well.
- Deadline Accountability
Your deadlines creep up fast! How do you keep up? While I had set times to write and deadlines within the course, the main “deadline” I had was weekly meetings with my advisor. Your advisor is a busy person! This means you need to have a consistent meeting with them. Your first course of action should be reaching out to your advisor to get on their schedule before life starts to pile up. Once we had a consistent meeting, I planned when to work on my research to make sure I accomplished the goals set for our next meeting. This was crucial for pacing myself and hitting marks.
- Communication
Even though it is understood that your thesis will be hard and challenging, it was also challenging to admit when I was struggling or confused. Remember that this feeling is normal and you are not alone. Lean on your other classmates and empathize with them throughout the writing and peer-review process. Utilize your professor and go to office hours. They are more than happy to provide an extra set of eyes to your project and help you create a consistent writing schedule. Lastly, know that your advisor is there to guide you. It may feel intimidating to admit struggles when they are an expert in the field you research, but it creates more transparency and an open line of communication. Once I made this realization, I became more direct with my communication, allowing me to get the most out of my thesis and research experience.
Sophia Hottois is a junior honors student studying at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She majors in Law and Public Policy with minors in Healthcare Management and Policy and Sports Marketing and Management. Sophia is a peer educator for the O’Neill Career Hub, a Statistics Tutor, and serves on the IU Student Government Supreme Court with the Office of Student Conduct.
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