How to write a thesis and defend it like a pro
A guide from a girl who didn’t believe she could do it.
happy to have you here my beloved study community and thank you for all your thoughtful wishes on my thesis defence 🤎today I’ll try to share with you all my tips & tricks on how I got there.
productivity tips:
1. start early ✍🏻
as soon as your professor announces your topic or you choose it, it is time to start before there is still not so much resistance. trust me, you’ll feel on top knowing that it’s you who did it first.
2. don’t be afraid to ask for help 🎓
do you think you’re stupid for asking? if I thought so I’d be getting my answers from tarot cards. but seriously, your mentor is the one who is supposed to be doing their job. of course try to do it in moderation, but ask questions because it is your success.
3. consistency ≠ quality 📄
you know how they talk about this annoying one all the time but really this is so important. you have to establish a clear goal, for me it was writing 3 pages per day. sometimes I didn’t feel like doing it so I wrote 2 or even one, but I showed up and tried my best with what I could write. you might write one page one day and the next one you’ll get the spark and finish the chapter.
4. set clear goals. 🙇🏻♀️
this one is fully connected with previous because this is 50% of your success. not having a routine with this task won’t lead you anywhere. let’s say you’re morning person so you wake up and do your best at 7 am consistently until 10 and you’re done for the day (or opposite if you’re a night owl). as James Clear says, it’s tiny changes but remarkable results.
5. make it enjoyable 🍫
you know this feeling when you finish something hard and you feel so much better. this is what they call hard work dopamine release, because you’ve worked for it.
but there’s a way how you can actually enjoy your thesis writing:
1. buy scented aesthetic seasoned candles 🕯️
2. always keep your study area clean 🫧
3. be a coffee or a tea queen/king ☕️ & 🍵
4. study beats / dark academia music (but keep it undistracting)
5. watch study tik-toks or study motivation movies like Gilmore Girls.
6. reward yourself but in moderation 💐
youtube channel recommendations:
💞 Unjaded Jade (her video: How to Write Your Dissertation)
💞 Dr Amina Yonis (she’s honestly an amazing woman who breaks down writing with AI, thesis components, resources that you can use & so much more)
💞 Merve (long study session videos with breaks + livestreams without music)
💞 ASMR Weekly (study in a Hogwarts ambience with a different time options, truly magical space)
a personal tip: watch study vlogs from people getting their ish together, it will keep you going when you will start to slack off (Yoora Jung, Phedra Dee, daiz and others)
writing tips ✍🏻
1. please cite your resources straightaway.
don’t repeat my mistakes and don’t spend time searching for what you didn’t save.
2. create a separate folder for your bachelor’s thesis resources.
this is a smart move so your documents aren’t over the place.
3. deep rewriting.
after you’ve done some reading you can come up with your own thoughts on topic that your previous paragraph is built on, that’s what they call your original work.
4. check for plagiarism and correct it.
there are many available resources on the Internet. many universities use Turnitin from UniCheck. some universities give access for personal student use, some check the work when it’s done.
before submitting it, which was really stressful for me, I used my.plag.com.ua for checking my work and I’ve got small percentage still didn’t change it up, but I do recommend it to you if you have more than 20 percent to have a positive feedback.
thesis defence day 📄
1. make a visually appealing presentation.
it is supposed to help you, not stress you out. of course you shouldn’t add all the text that you have, but simply add the most important information.
2. write your speech text in advance.
3. rehearse your performance (at least twice but don’t overdo it)
4. ask yourself questions (simply send your topic to ChatGPT and ask to write questions for your thesis). It helped me gradually because some questions were asked at the real defence.
5. when answering questions, be confident.
this is where you will prove your subject mastery but even if you don’t know the answer - don’t show it, start from afar. some people on interviews use the same technique, but they never tell the truth while their opponent is still satisfied with answer. I actually believe it works like that.
☕️🫧 remember: you’re more capable than you think. your worth isn’t based on your achievements. it is simply about trying your best with what you have. make the journey enjoyable!
