just thesis things
all the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in-between, that I've learned from the painstaking pursuit of completing my master's thesis
Every time someone would come up to me and ask me how I did it, I usually have nothing straightforward and perfect thing to say. I just let out a heavy sigh of relief and tell them, you know what? We’ll talk about that the next time I gather my thoughts perfectly in one sentence. Because how do I tell them? Just bleed your brains out sitting in front of a computer writing about 2000 words for a whole day and you’re good? Nah, that’s not it. I wouldn’t say so, it was a lot harder than that.
When you’re writing your thesis, consider it your life’s work. The moment you begin, that’s when your life suddenly comes to a halt— your time becomes limited, you take rainchecks a lot more than you used to, or you go oscillating from being a happy accomplished graduate student when hitting marks one day to going full-on sad millennial the next. It won’t take just a day— it would take weeks, months, and even years to complete. In my case, it felt like a whole decade of my life sucked right out of me. It surely had its highs and a lot of lows.
If you’re someone wishing to pursue graduate school in any field or is someone completing your research at this point, let me tell you a few of the things I learned while finishing my own.
Choose a research topic that you actually LIKE.
This may sound too common but you won’t be able to write anything remarkable if you hate what you’re writing about. Consider a topic that you like but also are challenged by. Decide on something that you think will also contribute to the community you belong in. I think most researchers go off-course because they just do it for the heck of it but aren’t neck-deep into their study. If you’re going to spend years studying it, at least it’s something you want to do.
Be organized.
I can’t stress enough how chaos won’t do you any good in the entire writing process. Organizing your ideas and references in a system that you find works best for you will truly help you work seamlessly to complete it in the long run. I found an application that stores all my references and notes in one go to be very accessible and helpful and it made my writing process tolerable, in my opinion. You can go old-school, use spreadsheets if you want, or have an app that you think suits your workflow well, is something to be consider.
Accept that you are NOT perfect.
Academic writing is a different tier of writing. You think you know enough but once you get comments from your mentor back, it spirals you downhill. It makes you question just how good enough you are and it’s something I had to learn and unlearn for so many years. Admit it, we aren’t perfect, and being teachable is always the best thing to be, moving forward.
Learn from your mentor.
Mentors are there for a reason: their presence is to guide you and lead you to make better academic decisions. Luckily for me, I’ve learned so much from my mentor. She knows how to acknowledge my accomplishments while also making sure I keep myself grounded. One thing I am truly thankful for is having a mentor who has guided me from day one and has helped me turn my goals into reality. Take the time to learn from them, to listen to them, and thank them as well for the journey you both shared.
Take rotting days when you can.
When I say rotting days, I mean just don’t do anything at all. Rot in bed, rot in front of the TV, rot on the couch eating ice cream. If you think you’ve reached your daily limit from working on your paper, sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all. Don’t feel guilty for it because having those rotting days is quite a luxury.
Have a support system.
Nothing feels more isolating than completing your thesis. You are its sole author and it may feel like on many days, you have nobody to turn to. I’ve felt that way for many years just because I was afraid of asking for help from people. Luckily I have friends, my family, and even colleagues who have helped me carry my loads/ I seriously wouldn’t know if I would’ve survived any of this without them. Surrounding yourself with the right people who will not only trail behind you but also support you every step of the way, will hold you together for a long journey ahead.
Be ready financially.
Completing your thesis will not only hurt your brain but also your pocket. Not any single financial advice has prepared me for the many fees I have to pay for this phase in graduate school but knowing now, you’ve got to prepare yourself for the blow. Writing your thesis won’t be fancy and it’s a price you will have to pay.
Keep the faith.
I wish I was proud to say that I am an island but nope, I am not. If there is one thing that this academic journey has taught me is that it only ever humbled me to my core. I’ve learned to hold on to my faith as an anchor for the many times I thought I wanted to stop. I could have stopped but I prayed to God every single day, in tears, to let me go on. And He sure did sustain me through it all. I cannot believe I have made it but miracles work magic every day. God is truly good.
Completing my master’s thesis wasn’t as comfortable as I anticipated it to be. There are days when I’ll be in front of a compute for hours on end looking crusty, leave my desk to cry on the bed and hide from everyone else, or there are days I’ll just have to take a pause and call it a day because I need it to. One thing is for certain, it isn’t for the weak of heart. It takes courage, commitment, and a whole lot of patience to make it through. If I can do it, so can you.