I've always loved writing - it's actually one of the main reasons I started my blog. It was supposed to be a way for me to both talk about the things I'm interested and invested in and practice and share my writing.
Because of that, writing in any shape or form has always come relatively easy to me, even when it was mandatory writing I had to do for classes.
To a lot of other people, however, pieces that will be critically judged and then graded, work that will hugely affect their finals grade - such as term papers or even a thesis - are absolute nemesises.
I myself have to write something I can only compare to a shorter version of a thesis in order to be allowed to even take my final exams before graduation, so I've been experiencing the refusal and de-motivation almost everyone in my year has been struggling with first hand.
And because so many people struggle with writing important papers, I thought I might share some of the best tips on how to write an amazing term paper or thesis!
1. Choose a topic that interests you/ you're invested in.
My first piece of advice is actually pretty obvious, but still needs to be said.
Sometimes you might think that picking a certain topic for your paper might impress your teacher/professor, leading to a better grade - however, if you don't feel any form of conection to or compassion for what you're writing about, it'll definitely show in the quality of you work!
It's always a good idea to go with a topic you're genuienly interested in and won't get tired of working with after a couple of weeks as you'll be spending quite a lot of time with it.
2. Do research bit by bit so you won't feel overwhelmed.
In my eyes, the act of writing your paper is actually the easiest part of your entire working process.
What, to me, can often be insanely endlesss and tiring is spending hours and hours doing research - working your way through an everlasting list of books, trying ten different variations of the same key words to get as many results from Google as possible, doing interviews or handing out questionaires.
Please don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks that while it can be really interesting, it's often nothing but god-awful.
What to keep in mind here is that while you'll eventually have to do all of this research, it's a good idea to divide it up into small portions - read a chapter or two one day, then another one the next day and so on.
By starting your research a little early and keeping it to bearable amounts at all times, you're much less likely to be overwhelmed by the stack of books awaiting you - because let's be real, getting through five big books, and I mean rellay big, thinking around 500-700 pages each - of immigrant policies in around three weeks while studying and working wasn't going to work quite as well as I had imagined.
Time management is key - which brings me to my next point.
3. Stop procastinating.
I know that even the thought of starting a big project like this can be insanely off-putting to begin with, but as I already mentioned - the more you procastinate and the later you start, the more work is going to pile up on your desk - and it will eventually end up drowning you.
Even when the deadline is not in the near future - mine, for example, is in early November and I started working on my paper at the beginning of the year - it's always best to create some sort of working schedule to keep you organized and on track.
It's important to keep these things in mind: Are all the books/other sources I need available at all times, or do I have to get them at specific times? Will I have to hand in any early drafts? By which point in time do I want to be done with research and start writing? How much time will I need for fine-tuning after I've finished my paper?
I like to keep a to-do or goal list related to my paper and tick aims/tasks off as I go - seeing them disappear of the list shows me the progress I've already made and thus motivates me to keep working on.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
While you'll be working mostly by yourself when it comes to these big projects, it's important to know that you're not on your own at all.
For one, there will always be other students working on their term paper/thesis at the exact same point in time you are, so taking some time to talk to them about their progress, their feelings and their struggles can really help you - and even the others - a lot.
The group of people in my year whose topics are themed around Mexico and the United States - just like mine is - exchanges about the progress made every now and then, and it's amazing how we often come up to possible solutions for other people's sturggles when they seem to be stuck - and how others help us out as well.
And then there's always your teacher or professor - it's fairly easy to be intimidated by them, but most of the teachers I've come across have always wanted the best for their students, which means that they will be happy to help you out with any questions that might come up while you're working on your paper.
Don't be embarassed to ask them for advice - they might come up with ideas you never would've thought of. Coming back to my own paper - I told my teacher that I had absolutely no clue whatsoever about a possible introduction for my paper, and by discussing it with her we came up with the most amazing idea ever - and I never would've been able to incorporate it into my work if I hadn't had the courage to admit that I needed help.
On the other hand, they might point out mistakes you've been making and thus saving you from losing points when handing in a flawed piece of work - you can really just win something from cooperating with your teachers.
Do you have any advice when it comes to writing a term paper or thesis?
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