O O Ø O O O O
Master
Things I learned while writing a thesis.
- No matter how long you ignore it, your thesis still won’t go away. Your funding, however, will.
- Chapter quotes make a chapter look finished, even if it is not.
- Including a few easy-to-spot typos early on the thesis means your examining committee won’t have to read too far. They like this. You like this. Everybody wins.
- If you ask your supervisor a question (say, to make it look like you actually researched something for your weekly justify-your-existence session), actually listen to the answer. This will save you grief in your thesis defense.
- Don’t try watching The Shining for inspiration
- If you’ve ever used the phrase “begs the question,” you have used it wrong.
- No, tea does not contain more caffeine than coffee. Yes, Red Bull does.
- There is not enough caffeine in the world to get you through. Occasionally, you will need to resort to liquor.
- Laptops fail. Occasionally, they will take your thesis along with them. Deal. Cry. Move along.
- You can never have enough backups.
- Start in the middle. Beginnings are overrated, and extremely hard to write.
- Relax. It’s just a Master’s Thesis. The hard one comes next.
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2004
PD DCXXXVI