Sweet thesis or thesis stress?

Sweet thesis or thesis stress?

My dear friend Eefje has her own company, called Sweet Thesis. With Sweet Thesis, she helps students with writing their thesis. From helping out with statistics to improving their writing style, you can get help from her! Today, she wrote something about the common misconceptions regarding writing a thesis and why they are wrong!

Are you looking for someone to help you out? Contact her on her website, Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook!

Thesis stress

Graduating is seen as a super intense period in life. Often people speak about ‘thesis stress’. This is mainly because it’s framed like something super difficult. In this blog I’ll explain why this stress is unnecessary, by discussing the most common misinterpretations about writing a thesis. I hope to reduce your thesis stress by changing your mindset, so you can actually enjoy this last period of your student life!  

“You have to write a thesis so university can stress you out one more time before you graduate”

First of all, let’s start with the main goal of writing a thesis. For almost every study, the thesis is the last part. It’s about doing your independent research to prove that you deserve your degree. Actually, the thesis is a way to test your knowledge about science which you gained in the previous years. If you succeed, you deserve the degree to be a scientist. Earlier you had to take exams to prove you deserve the degree. Now that’s a bit complicated in university, because everyone took different courses. So instead of seeing it as a super complicated closure of your studies, try to see it as a course in which everything you learned so far comes together.

“Writing a thesis requires a higher level than the courses I took before”

Secondly, the thesis is seen as super difficult. But it’s not (or should not be) that the level of your thesis is higher than the level of the previous courses. The intensity of the thesis period is mainly due by the fact that it requires a lot of responsibility and it’s way bigger than the courses you took before. So, your university does not ask you to suddenly be a full experienced scientist. You just prove that you understand science as it was taught in your studies.

“I have to develop new skills to write a thesis, because I’ve never done this before”

Next to that, students think that writing a thesis requires totally different skills that you developed so far. This is actually not the case, or should not be the case. The thesis doesn’t ask you to do things you’ve never done before. As mentioned above, it’s about combining everything you learned so far. So, for example, try to apply a statistic test you learned in the last year. And write about a topic which interested you earlier in your studies or you wrote about before.

“I have to write my thesis on my own and hope for the best”

Forth, students think they have to write the thesis on their own. Well, this is certainly not the case. Your supervisor’s job is to guide you through this last phase of your studies. In most cases, this supervisor is also the first assessor of your thesis. This means that you can ask feedback to find out what your supervisor (dis)likes in a thesis. Sometimes you’re even in a group with several students who have the same supervisor as you do. This means you can always ask help from fellow students! Lastly, there are a lot of companies which can provide you with feedback, help with statistics and check your writing style!

“The thesis is a lot of ECTS, so I can increase my average grade by working really hard on this thesis”

Students give themselves the pressure to get a super high grade on the thesis and see this as a way to improve their average grade. Personally, I do not think it works like that. In most cases, students get a grade which is about equal to their average grade on the courses they took before. As mentioned before, the thesis is a way to examine the knowledge you gained in your studies. Therefore, it’s not realistic to expect a way higher grade on your thesis. Related to this, it should be said that the feedback you get form your (external) supervisor, is intended to improve your thesis and not to make you graduate with honours. Therefore, your goal should be to have a grade which is as least equal to your average grade.

“I don’t know how to start, so I better wait until I know exactly what to write”

Lastly, students don’t really know what to do, so they don’t do it. This is a subtle form of procrastination. The fact is, you won’t know what to write until you start writing. As soon as you start writing, you can ask for feedback. And when you get feedback (from you supervisor, fellow students or a company), you know what to change for the better. Start writing, only in that way you can improve your thesis!

Conclusion

So, there is no reason to be afraid! You can do it! However, if you are still a little hesitant, you can always go to Sweet Thesis for help! How do you see your thesis? Let us know in the comments below!

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Lots of love,

Eefje and Lisa

Home » All posts » Sweet thesis or thesis stress?

Hi there! My name is Lisa and I am the author of Mind and Body Intertwined. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree in psychology. During my study, I found out how much the mind and the body are connected and it fascinated me, which is why I started my blog. Would you like to join me on this little corner of the world?

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Roni
4 years ago

I’m definitely guilty of stressing over it but you make some really true points x

Roni | myelevatedexistence.com

bournemouthgirl
4 years ago

Great post. I see a lot of people stressing and I know how difficult it can be. Believing in yourself is important.

Ellis James Designs
4 years ago

Glad these services exist for people who need it, but definitely don’t be afraid because you can do it, whoever you are working on a thesis!

glowsteady
4 years ago

This sounds like a great service, I’m sure so many people would find this helpful. Thankfully my course had a different style of final project so I never had to deal with the stress x

Sophie

lifestyleseason
4 years ago

Great post! Thank you for sharing this! I love the motivation at the end!

Boss Babe Chronicles
Boss Babe Chronicles
4 years ago

This is such good help! I’m sure it will benefit many people writing theirs!☺️

Lamara Travels
Lamara Travels
4 years ago

I wish I had this help when I wrote my thesis. Yes it’s stressful, but if you put the right amount of time and effort in to it you can get good results! I managed a 2.1 on my thesis which is better than I thought I could achieve! It’s a great feeling once you submit it as it’s definitely one of the best achievements you do at university… yes It’s very daunting, but all will work out

Elizabeth Hartley
4 years ago

I’m currently writing my dissertation for my masters and so many of these things feel like me, I just try to do small chunks as I go and slowly its all building up, it can be a very daunting experience!

The Queensights
4 years ago

Great post! Writing a thesis can be stressful but worth the sleepless nights lol. Just believe in your self that you can do it and you’ll get through it.