Congratulations on starting the process of writing your thesis! The work that you are going to do over the next semester or two semesters isn’t going to be easy but it will be worth it. Here is some of my advice for you:
It will get done. Take the whole process step by step. Try not to look too far ahead because you will get overwhelmed. Just work on the small individual steps that you need to do to make progress. Your professors and advisor will make sure you are on the right track and working at a good pace. All you need to do is make sure you are writing and moving forward in your thesis. Everything else will fall into place.
Try not to procrastinate too much, you will regret it. The work you are doing seems like a lot (and it is) but the more you put it off the more stressed you will be. On a similar note, stick to the writing schedule you made. It is so easy to skip a scheduled writing block because you have other work to do, but doing this will only make sure you are writing on the weekends. Even though the due dates might seem far away, they come up fast. The longer you wait to do the work, the more anxiety and stress endusing the whole process will have.
Remember to take time for yourself. Writing your thesis can easily become something that is always on your mind. It can easily take over your life, especially when you are coming up on deadlines. Remember to take time away from your computer, breathe, and know that you can only do so much. At the end of the day, you are writing a thesis. The world will not end because your thesis isn’t perfect.
Overall, the biggest piece of advice I have for you is to do what you can now. As much as you want to, don’t put off the work, try to stay on top of it. The more you do early, the easier everything will be and the more of an enjoyable time you will have throughout the entire process.
Dayna Cohn is a senior Law and Public Policy student in the O’Neill Honors Program. Her advisor was Professor Susan Siena.
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