Growing up, I always loved sports. Whether it was soccer, volleyball, or tennis, I always wanted to be out playing on the field. But what I loved most about sports was the routine, structure, and discipline it took to push through when things got hard. Now, after completing my thesis, I see how these traits and skills carried me through each stage of the writing process. Writing your thesis is a grueling, overwhelming process that spans nearly a quarter of your time at IU. There’s no instant feedback like a game or a tennis match has. The success is from continued and consistent efforts, not small bursts.
My biggest takeaway? You can’t cram a thesis. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and building a structure around that helped me stay focused and finish strong.
1. Pre-Season
In sports, you can’t go without preparing and training all year long. The same goes for your thesis. Utilize V491 as the pre-season to your “final thesis season”. The resources and activities that guide you to choosing a topic you are interested in, passionate about, and that is achievable are necessary for a successful time in V499. I advise you to set up a rough schedule with yourself even before you begin writing your thesis proposal, and really ensure that you have all of your ducks in a row. For me, this was three checkpoints throughout the V491 semester: a topic, an advisor, and some data. The last thing you want to worry about is whether or not there is even accessible data on the topic you’re interested in. I used my Google Calendar to set clear days that I wanted to have my data selected by and times that I was going to focus solely on reading literature around my topic. You’ll hear this piece of advice over and over again, but it really does set you up for success.
2. Mid-Season Training Cycle
The three months in the middle of your V499 semester might feel like an eternity. And honestly, even then, it is not long enough. Consistency and balance throughout the writing process are key. Setting up a weekly to bi-weekly meeting with your advisor allows you to have a consistent check-in to make sure you stay on track. I was extremely lucky to have an advisor who was not only knowledgeable in the field but also accessible to me at all times. We set one specific time to meet every other week, which worked well to establish goals and checklist items that I needed to have done ahead of time before we met. From there, I was also able to build time into my schedule and routine to work on different aspects of the thesis and check in with myself each Sunday to set specific deadlines.
3. Injury Prevention
One of my biggest regrets throughout the thesis process was not taking advantage of all of the resources available to me. I can’t tell you how many hours and days I spent trying to navigate Stata, build a working dataset, or even understand the meaning behind my data. But, I refused to take the help offered to me from the TAs, library resources, and previous V499 students. I stretched myself thin and found myself in a deep hole as the final deadlines approached. Take advantage of all that the honors program has to offer and prevent yourself from being in that same situation. You never realize what you have until it’s gone.
4. Game Day
The time has come. The big game, the event everyone has been waiting for: your final manuscript. I would be naive if I did not admit to you that I was stressed beyond measure before submitting my final draft. But that is normal, and you’re going to feel it too. This thesis is not the end of the world, but rather the beginning of your research journey. So celebrate your victories, enjoy your final days as a part of the O’Neill Honors community, and brag all about your thesis – you’ve earned it!
Chelsie Lindauer is a senior honors student at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs studying Policy Analysis. After graduating, she will continue her education at the O’Neill School earning her Master’s of Public Affairs with concentrations in Nonprofit Management and Information Systems.
Leave a Reply