So you want to write a thesis, huh? Congratulations. By the time you graduate, you will emerge exhausted but victorious with a finely bound tome under your arm, your name embossed on it in gold letters, ready to show off your first independent academic publication.
Independent to the outside world, perhaps, but you will know how indebted you are to the many people who will arrive to help you along the way, like your family, friends, seniors, anonymous survey participants, and most importantly, your thesis advisor.
Let’s map this journey out from the beginning.
INTRODUCTION
The vacation preceding your first of three semesters as a thesis student is usually when applications open, so keep the dates in mind. Professors assess and accept their students through different processes. Some may require you to fill out web forms with essays, while others might ask you to come in for an interview. Several of them do both. Quite a few professors only accept students who have taken their courses prior to applying for the Advanced Seminar (or Zemi, as it’s called in Japan) where you will write your thesis, so be sure to register for a class or two beforehand to judge if the professor’s teaching style works for you. Remember, you’ll be seeing a lot of each other.
Now is a good time to get your transcripts together, brush up your CV or resume, and perhaps prepare a cover letter. Have a tentative thesis idea ready to pitch, as many students are immediately asked what they plan to research. Ask questions regarding the professor’s expectations and feel free to request information about their methodology, to confirm if the seminar is a right fit for you.
SEMESTER 1
Rejoice! You’ve been accepted! Joining your class, do remind yourself that you will be spending a good part of the next 2 years with the people you meet on day one, so making a good first impression is vital. Playing on your phone, talking during class, sleeping, etc. are generally seen as much worse in an Advanced Seminar than they are in your normal lectures. It’s also polite to email your professors if you find yourself unable to come to class, as Advanced Seminars are usually small in number and your absence might mean the professor will have to change some things around.
The first semester, as my professor told us, is for brainstorming ideas, presenting possible thesis premises, understanding one’s interests and of course, trashing an idea or two in favor of a better one. The most writing that gets done at this stage is probably a Table of Contents or several pages of an introduction in order to help the professor understand what kind of topics you plan to pursue.
For example, my first thesis topic was about the effects that viewing images associated with death could have on viewers using social media. I gave 3-4 presentations and wrote about 5 pages that my classmates looked over and favorably commented on…but I began to realize that the topic wasn’t working for me, since after all, one can’t interview dead people. When I spoke to my professor, he encouraged me to change my topic without regret and I finally decided to analyze the impacts of the Internet on doctor-patient relationships, which turned out to yield much better data from a research perspective. By this time, several of my classmates had done the same. Our first awkward research topics matured over the break to become somewhat academic.
SEMESTER 2
Back in class after a vacation, our professor informed us that it was time to begin writing and set down a schedule for us. Remember that every Advanced Seminar is different and the professors will have unique goals and limits based on their specialization. My professor informed us that he expected each of his students to write about ten pages a month and that the average page count for a thesis in his class was 78. While there is a minimum word-count of 8,000 words in order to graduate, some teachers may set 12,000 or even 15,000 as their class minimum.
Using my Table of Contents as an outline, I dived into writing and decided to leave the editing for later. Every few weeks or so, I’d present my progress to my class and they would share their feedback. After implementing the changes and editing a section in full, I’d email my professor and send my draft. We’d discuss the work during a private consultation and at this time, I would tell my professor the kind of assistance I required in order to convey interviews and surveys. Thanks to his help, I found a professional to interview for my thesis and received an introduction to several notable case studies that I could then research and use to my illustrate my theories. Aspects of my writing such as my formatting were also corrected at this time. Apart from writing my first two chapters which showcase my research topic and add some background context, I also prepared interview questions and an online survey to share later. When my classmates presented their work, I was sure to share my thoughts as well and did my best to answer any questions they asked. The seniors of our class also gave presentations since they were nearing their graduation and showed us how their finished theses were turning out. We would go through the files and ask questions about details such as sourcing images and adding appendices to the work. Be sure to speak to your seniors and ask them for advice.
SEMESTER 3
Having stuck to the advice of writing 10-pages-per-month even through summer vacation, I arrived back in class with a decent amount of work done and my professor informed me that I would be able to work through the rest of my thesis without any pressure. I was also conducting my interviews and gathering answers for my survey at this time (read: begging everyone I knew to answer and then share the link with everyone they knew).
Many Zemi professors often arrange optional outings or even trips for the class to get to know each other better. Since we were a small group, we went out for dinner a few times. It’s good to see your classmates off-campus and discuss something other than your thesis. The bonds formed during an Advanced Seminar usually last a lifetime and many professors are still in touch with their former students. Since writing a thesis is an important step in preparing for higher studies or a career, our professor was interested to know our plans after college and in many cases, knew an old student or two we could reach out to for more information or guidance.
CONCLUSION
I’m still halfway through my third and final semester as an official thesis writing student and expect to submit my completed final draft in less than two months. The thesis writing journey has been an amazing opportunity for me to play around in the world of academia and better understand my research interests. It demonstrates my commitment towards a field of specialization. Finally, working under the supervision of a dedicated expert means getting the mentoring I need in order to become a better student and working professional.
If you’re unsure of whether to apply for an Advanced Seminar or not during your time at Waseda, I hope this article helps you make your final decision.