When I first joined the honors program and learned that I would one day have to write a thesis, I was absolutely terrified. It felt so unattainable at the time, as I knew nothing about conducting my own research. Yet now here I am with a completed thesis that I actually feel very proud of. Here’s my advice to you on how to navigate your way through this process. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too!
1. Is it feasible?
Your thesis needs to be something you can accomplish as an undergraduate student over the course of two semesters. If you’re like me and took the first class in the spring, you have the added bonus time of the summer to collect data. However, even with that extra time, I still felt the pressure of the time constraint of this project. If you are taking the first class in the fall and the second class in the spring you have even less time than I had. Choose your variables and the time frame of your data wisely so that you can properly analyze it and understand it. Also, if you are learning a new statistical analysis program for this project such as R or Stata, make sure you have enough time to experiment with data in the program before conducting your analysis so you can better understand how to interpret your results.
2. Communicate with your advisor! I promise you’re not bugging them.
I cannot stress the importance of meeting with your advisor enough. They are experts in the field you’re studying and they are one of your biggest supporters throughout this process. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions! If they don’t know the answers they can guide you to other professors or resources that can help you. Update them on your progress weekly and ask them to review your work early and often.
3. Get it done sooner rather than later.
If you fall victim to procrastination like I do, this point especially applies to you! This is not something you can complete at the last minute. I changed my analysis method a week before the due date and was working and reworking my discussion and conclusion right up until the day my manuscript was due. Don’t be like me. Get it done early. Just get words on paper. You can go back and edit later. Share your results with your advisors as soon as you get them so that they can help you interpret them and identify any errors you might have made.
4. Share your progress and ideas with your classmates.
Your classmates are all going through this together. If you feel stressed and overwhelmed, chances are they do too. Be honest with your writing groups about your progress and how you are feeling about your research. They are there to support you and can give you advice as well! You are not competing against your classmates so you shouldn’t compare your thesis to theirs. You are all studying very different topics and nobody knows your topic and thesis better than you do!
5. It’s ok to take breaks.
Make sure to take a day or two off where you don’t work on your thesis. I have found that stepping away from my thesis and coming back with fresh eyes actually leads to me being more productive in my next writing session. Don’t overwork yourself or burn yourself out because then you won’t be producing your best quality work. Also, celebrate your accomplishments. Celebrate when you finish your first draft and when you give your preliminary presentation! Allow yourself time to feel proud of what you have done before diving back in to edit and revise.
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