Ah. Thesis writing. It could either be the longest 6 months of your life or could tun out to be a pleasant experience. Its your choice at the end of the days. Having written mine couple of months earlier, I'd like to share some tips for my fellow juniors who are in delight (or pain) in writing theirs.
1. Choose a topic that is YOU! Think whether or not it will keep you worked up for 6 months or bore you to death. its not necessary to pick a finance, NGO, environment topic to simply sound smart if it doesn't interest you whatsoever.
3. Be good to your supervisor. I don't mean this to sound like you should be a kiss-ass (pardon me) but it is important to be in touch with him/her. Your supervisor will be helpful to you only if you are willing to help yourself. Remember, their job is to advice, not to write your thesis.
4. Do not delay. ever. being a procrastinator is one of the joys of life (who else would know better than myself?) but avoid delaying your work. Whatever can be done now, do it right this moment! Thesis-writing is a gamble, you never know what changes you need to do at the end, so the earlier, the better.
5. Keep a target and follow it. Whether its a daily, weekly or even monthly target, so be it. It helps you follow your own commitment. As for me, I had a daily target and it helped me BIG time.
6. Work in a group. even though thesis is an individual project, stick to people who is under the same "agony". There is nothing better than to have a friendly competition and motivating each other to help complete their targets. Have each other read someone else's work for inputs and ideas.
7. Dont forget to chill! Not delaying work doesnt mean you stay put on the laptop each and every weekend. Reward yourself a movie night or any other recreation whenever you find the need to relax.
8. Dont be shy to ask for help from your seniors. They are well-experienced and some of them may be more than happy to help you out.
9. Prepare and practice for your defense. No matter how good a speaker you are, the pressure is bound to get the best of you if you aren't well prepared. Know your slideshow, prepare your materials and be confident! do not be overly cocky, learn to accept your mistakes, and do not act if you do not understand a question, your examiners are way ahead in the education field and THEY WILL KNOW if you are bluffing.
10. Do not stress (i did not follow this well). But honestly, if you keep calm, you will be able to work faster, better and prove better results. In my case, all i needed was some ginger tea.
Hope these tips will help all of you for your thesis. If you would like to add, be my guest. For those uninformed, I am an Undergraduate Alumni of Binus International. My thesis was titled "Factors Affecting The Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsements Advertisements". My 6 months were topsy-turvy. some months were good and some were filled with lots of coffee and all-nighters. If only i had followed the above tips better, I'd have better stress management :) and, oh, if you're curious, i scored an A- for my thesis. Good enough but could have been a little better. good luck to all of you *hugs*
