For the last five years, I have been an undergraduate student at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. Finally, I am about to graduate with my Honors Bachelor of Forensic Science. But there’s one more thing I still have to do.
Over the last 10 months, I have been working alongside my program head to set up and execute a study about vertebrate scavengers and how they interact with pig carcasses in the southern Ontario environment, as well as write a research paper to support the study findings. I know, I know — it’s not an area of study that’s for everyone, but trust me, it’s important research. After hours of writing, revising, researching, extracting data, and revising more to complete such an extensive paper, there is just one more task standing in the way of my completed degree: I need to defend my thesis.
In my program at the University of Windsor, defending your undergraduate thesis is just as important as the presentation and execution of it, and it makes up part of the final grade of the course. On presentation day, everyone in the class shares in a 10-minute seminar on what their study is about, the results, its importance, and the future directions of their project, followed by time to ask and answer questions. It’s an opportunity to prove you understand every aspect of your study and to share it with others. I have gone through a roller coaster of highs and lows to create this presentation, and I’m as close to ready as I’ll ever be. So, here goes.
6:30 A.M.: Wake Up & Get Ready
Usually, I am the kind of person who hits the snooze button again and again until I’m running late. But today, my nerves prevented me from sleeping any longer. Although I stayed up way too late revising my presentation, I was awake and ready to begin the day bright and early. Thank goodness I packed everything up and set my clothes out the night before or else I would have spent my morning second-guessing what I was going to wear and bring.
7:30 A.M.: Breakfast & Practice
My presentation time was supposed to be at 12:34 p.m., and I knew if I didn’t eat breakfast that I wouldn’t eat anything until after I presented. So, I had a meal that was satiating enough, and I paired it with a serving of last-minute practicing.
8:45 A.M.: Head Out the Door
I made sure to leave the house knowing I’d have ample time to get to campus, just in case there was a detour I’d need to take or I’d somehow get lost. It’s presentation day, you never know! Before I left, I couldn’t help but check out my outfit one last time. I looked great, I felt great, I was ready.
9:20 A.M.: Opening Remarks
Of course I made it to campus with almost 20 minutes to spare. That gave me more than enough time to get to the building, find a seat, and even talk with some of my friends before we began. The course professors gave a brief introduction and explanation of how the day would run, before everyone broke out into two different groups. I had to move to the next room over as that was where I’d be presenting. It’s a smaller room, so I was not complaining.
9:30 A.M.: Presentations
Presentations began as soon as everyone settled. One by one, classmates would go up, present their study, answer questions, and the cycle repeated. The presentations were all from biomed students, and they were extremely impressive. It wasn’t until partway through that I was able to relax a bit and realized this seemed to just be one large sharing session, and there was nothing to be stressed over. I had spent the last half a year sharing my thesis study with anyone who would listen, so why would today be any different?
10:50 A.M.: Break
Once the first group of presentations finished, we got the chance to take a break, get some coffee, and stretch our legs. This is where I made the mistake of opening and drinking a Celsius. I thought the extra caffeine would help me stay dialed in and confident, but that’s not exactly what ended up happening.
11:10 A.M.: More Presentations
As soon as the break was over, the presentations resumed. It was during this section that the forensic students began to present.
12:25 P.M.: Last-Minute Nerves
This is where my caffeine plan failed me. As I watched the clock tick by, and became five minutes away… four away… three away from presenting, the nerves came back at full force. I attempted to reason with myself, “You know what you’re doing. It’ll be fine.” But that did not help. Before the next person began, I had to step out and collect my thoughts. Coincidentally, this was the same time that my friends arrived, so I was able to do a mini pep talk with them to bring me back down to Earth.
12:45 P.M.: Time to Present
As soon as the person before me got their last round of applause, I knew this was it. As I made my way to the front of the room, I had no thoughts running through my head. I wasn’t nervous, excited, or confident. I felt nothing. Once I was introduced by the MC, it was as if something inside me clicked. I went through my presentation as if I didn’t just panic in the hallway. I must admit it was fun to talk about my study like it was small talk while everyone took in what I was presenting.
When I reached the end of the presentation, it felt good to see so many hands shoot up with people ready to ask questions. Looking back, I realize I ended up going over time due to the amount of questions I answered. After hearing the round of applause, I practically floated back to my seat. It was over; I had defended my thesis.
1:00 P.M.: Remainder of Presentations
The last of the presentations were so easy to follow along with, and that’s definitely because I no longer had anything to worry about. As soon as the last presentation finished, there was an audible sigh relief from everyone in the room. It was over, we had finished presenting. The course professors did a quick awards ceremony highlighting their favourite presentations, followed by some closing remarks.
3:00 P.M.: Go Home & Celebrate
I walked out of the building feeling practically weightless. This was the very last thing I had to complete before graduation. I ended up spending the rest of my day hanging out with my boyfriend, but knowing that I had nothing else to do as a college student was the biggest reward of all.