Before I start rambling, I have to warn you: I’m fully writing this article as a way of procrastinating the act of actually choosing my own capstone topic, and I’m writing this to ensure that I’m going about choosing one in the right way, of course.
So, what even is a Senior Capstone?! My understanding is that it’s sort of like a way to finish out your major and it’s what earns you the fancy-shmancy degree. Depending on what you’re studying in college, you may or may not have to complete a Senior Thesis or Capstone project, and it’ll be something that looks different for everyone. Regardless, choosing a topic or area of study can feel so daunting. Especially since (at least I know it’s this way for us LMU Communication Studies majors) you have to spend so much time working with your topic of choice. An entire semester to be exact!
At this point in the semester, I’m supposed to officially decide on my topic and begin my research…but it’s been such a struggle to actually come up with ideas that I think are “good enough.” So to motivate myself, I wanted to jot down a few tips that might be able to fuel my inspiration levels just a little.
I think getting these down in writing will finally help me settle on what to research! And hopefully, it’ll be able to help at least one other person who may be struggling with their Capstone, too.
- Choose something you actually WANT to study
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This one may seem obvious, but it’s so important to choose a topic that you actually want to learn more about! Whether you’re familiar with it or not, the process of researching and writing is not something that can be done in a day. So pick something interesting to study so that you’ll actually be able to look forward to working on your project.
- Ask for help
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I know, I know. I probably should have already done more of this myself since I’m so stuck, but I promise I will this week! I know asking for help from my professor and peers will greatly benefit me. Asking for help and guidance could even potentially expand my research pool and subject knowledge which would definitely be an added bonus.
- Plan and Proofread!
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I myself am not a huge fan of really getting in-depth in the outlining and planning part of writing a research paper, but, for a project that’s going to be as long as this one, I think it’ll actually be super important. The same goes for proofreading! Take time on the front end and back end to really make sure that you’re writing a paper that you can be proud of when presenting it to your class. I also feel like the planning step will be helpful in ensuring that you’ve chosen a good topic — because if you have enough to plan, you’ll have enough to research.
At the end of the day, just enjoy the journey of your capstone as much as you can! From what I’ve heard, it’s actually supposed to be FUN. It’s the culmination of all our college knowledge after all, so we really should enjoy ourselves and feel proud that we’ve come so far. & yippee for that soon-to-be degree!