So… you’re finally a junior. After about a year or two, you’ll be done with college and out in the real world. However, there’s still one *major* hurdle you must go through before graduating, and that is your final thesis paper. Most schools require their students to start working on them during the first semester of junior year to give them enough time to research, write, and revise their papers. A thesis paper, ICYDK, is a culmination of what you’ve learned throughout your studies and it’s required by most degree programs to see what students have picked up in their college years and what they can contribute to their respective fields of study.
READ MORE: LIST: Thesis Writing Tips I Wish I Knew in College
Though a thesis may seem daunting, you too can ~overcome the fears~ that come with it. To help you prepare for it, we’ve listed seven helpful tips to prepare for your upcoming thesis term:
Make a rough schedule for thesis-writing days
As your thesis will be an *important* requirement needed to graduate college, you have to be prepared to devote a lot of time to researching and writing. You can make a rough schedule of which days or hours you can allocate for thesis writing. You don’t have to schedule long hours—you can spare at least one to two hours per day. That way, you’ll be making progress for your thesis consistently while still juggling your other commitments.Â
Find potential thesis groupmates
Researching and writing for a thesis is a lot of work which is why it’s good to have group mates you can rely on and easily ~vibe~ with. If you have some friends who share similar ideas, perhaps you can ask them to be your thesis groupmates. Working alongside your peers would definitely make it easier for you to get along work-wise. However, if you don’t know anyone in your class, you should try to take initiative to find group mates you can trust for this major task.
Prepare in advance your thesis topics
Don’t wait for your professor to announce that you should prepare some thesis topics. At the start of the term or even before the new semester, make sure you have some topics listed in your notebook or even just in your head. Try adding some notes and descriptions to each topic so your professor has a clearer picture of what you plan to write about. It’ll be easier for you and your group mates to get started once you have some topics that just need revisions and approval from your professor.Â
Bookmark important resource websites
As mentioned earlier, your thesis will need a lot of research to back up what you write. In order to not spend too much time searching for websites that have research references, you can bookmark important resource websites ahead of writing. Doing this will allow you to simply look up related literature on the resource site instead of having to spend hours looking through multiple search results on Google. You can make a folder in your web browser and bookmark all your websites there so you can go back to each piece of literature at any time.Â
Make folders to organize your thesis files
Speaking of folders, being organized for your thesis is really important. You’ll need to know which websites you can go back to for particular research literature and what folders separate your unrevised thesis drafts from revised ones. Segregating your thesis files will help you *immensely* in finding what you need and keeping track of your thesis progress. You can have a library or Google drive folder that houses all your thesis documents, a bookmark folder for your resources, and a tracker list of people you plan to tap for your research.Â
Brush up on your citation skills
Citation is a *huge* part of thesis writing because a lot of the things you’ll write will be based on other people’s research. You *can’t* simply insert links at the end of your research to indicate that some of the information you’ve written is from other researchers. This is where learning how to cite comes in. There’s a proper academic way to cite your sources within the content you write for your thesis. Make sure to check in with your thesis adviser on what they require for your paper. You can also check out websites like Scribbr, Purdue Owl, and Easy Bib that will help you do it—all you have to do is plug in the info!
Ask for thesis advice from people you know
Finally, you should ask for thesis advice from people you know. Have an ate or kuya who graduated college? Or do you know some upperclassmen in your course? You can definitely approach them to ask for advice on handling and writing a thesis. You can even ask your parents or relatives about their experiences with their thesis so you know what to expect and look out for when it’s your turn to work on it.Â
From The Candy Bulletin Community
