Thesis 101: Condensed version
In my experience, there is always someone somewhere starting their thesis, or struggling to the thesis finish line, or stuck in that middle part where it’s hard work without the reward. If you are just getting started on your thesis (or another big project) and you feel a bit lost and overwhelmed: fear not, I have your back. I created a list of tips that I found useful while writing my MSc thesis (psychology).
Let me know if this was helpful and if you want more. I originally wanted to post a whole series of tips on different stages of the thesis process, so consider this the drastically condensed version of that.
Find a lab that works on a topic that interests you and with a team that you feel comfortable with.
Make sure you know where to go with questions and get to know the structure.
Set up your goals from the beginning and make a planning.
The best thing you can do at the beginning of your thesis is figure out what you want, what your university requires, and how the project works.
Create a list of all the steps you need to take to finish your thesis and divide them over the time (months, weeks?) that you have until the deadline.
At the very beginning, discuss this schedule with your supervisor.
Create in-between deadlines, with your supervisor and also with yourself.
At the beginning of each month, write down what you should do each week.
At the beginning of each week, write down what you should do each day.
Make a list of things you need to do each day, preferably the night before, so you can start right when you sit down.
You could even calendar block if that’s your cup of tea.
Here’s an example from a psychology graduate (me):
Literature search/brain storm
Research question, hypotheses
Summarizing results into proposal
Learn how to analyze data
Execute plan (e.g., data collection)
Revision, feedback, revision, feedback, revision!
Every week (or at whatever interval you prefer), sit down for 20 minutes and reflect on your progress. Ask yourself:
What did not go as planned?
What can I do to improve next week?
What is on my to do list for the next week? What’s my focus? Are there things on the long run that I need to start working on?
Reflection keeps you on track but also allows you to think about what you learned in the process.
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