by Theresa Tran
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For the longest time, the UHP Thesis Project SCARED me. How do I choose a topic? How much work will I have to do? How many years of my life will I lose stressing about it?? That project was the big final boss looming over me, ready to swallow me whole.
Thus began my quest of gathering info about the thesis project in order to take it on. I asked my classmates who were working on their thesis project for advice and they agreed it was time-consuming and research-intensive, no beating around the bush. 50 pages. That is the average length of a thesis paper, which can vary depending on if you’re doing a literature review or conducting your own research (which also takes time). At that point I was reconsidering my life choices, but they reeled me back in, saying that the thesis project is still manageable and is rewarding, since you get to choose a topic you’re passionate about, have a chance to work with your faculty, and will have your hard work displayed at the Honors Symposium at the end. They emphasized that I had to be willing to put the work in, and well, I decided I wanted to take on the challenge.
Fast forward to Spring 2024, I enrolled in UHP 496 (the first thesis class you have to take), albeit late because I was struggling to find a topic and faculty advisor (that’s another story), but the Honors advisors and my UHP 496 instructor, Dr. Perez, were really supportive and I eventually figured everything out, thankfully. Safe to say, the beginnings of your thesis project will be messy, confusing, and daunting, but our Honors staff are there for you every step of the way. So, to end things off, I want to share some advice I got from a wise Honors advisor, Fabiola Mendoza, so that those who are looking to do the thesis project can prepare. I asked Fabiola what her Top 3 tips were and this is what she responded:
1. Start Course Planning Ahead of Time.
See when your expected graduation date is and plan to take UHP 496 your junior year or second-to-last semester (this is important to note if you’re planning to graduate early). Start thinking about your thesis topic and faculty advisor at least a semester before you enroll in UHP 496.
2. Talk to Honors Advisors/Go to Info Sessions.
Questions? Make an appointment with an Honors advisor, check your email for Honors announcements, or follow csulb_honors on Instagram to check out upcoming thesis workshops, where they go over the process of planning for your thesis.
3. Make Connections with Faculty.
For students who aren’t yet taking UHP 496- in junior year- start making connections with your faculty, let them get to know you, and see if they have availability for mentorship and being your faculty advisor.
With that, I bid you good luck on your future endeavors! Know that you are not alone; we will all figure out this scary project together. Take a deep breath, everything will be okay. :)
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