Writing the Thesis

It’s hard to believe that almost an entire year at ISM has come to an end! All my courses in Paris are over, and soon my ISM classmates and I will be embarking on two weeks of classes in New York City. This year has been such an incredible experience, and I am sure New York will be as well. But now, with classes ending soon, it’s time to think about my thesis. As IMBA students, we get another year to find a topic, research for it, write our thesis and present a draft to ISM. And then (probably) multiple revisions from there. It can feel like an intimidating process for many students; it certainly does for me!

When I first thought of coming to ISM, I spoke to an alumni student. One of the first things he told me was, “don’t wait to write the thesis; it takes a lot longer than you think.” And this is something I have taken to heart. But, as with most ISM students, it can feel difficult to get started when your schedule is extremely busy. I know for myself, I am starting a new job in August and moving back to Paris in September. Between seeing family and friends, working, and finishing up other papers, it can feel overwhelming to spend time on a thesis! One of the best pieces of advice I received from a friend, who was also writing her thesis, compared it to having a part-time job. She had to schedule time every week to work on her thesis, and if it wasn’t scheduled like an appointment, it would not get done. This is advice I plan to utilize myself while I work on my thesis!

The other part that gets many students bogged down with their writing is coming up with an idea that speaks to them. I knew I wanted to have my thesis be focused on mental health, but while in classes all year at ISM, you start to formulate different ideas and opinions on what you want to write about. And having gained so much more knowledge, it brings about other ideas that you had never considered before. I’m still passionate about mental health and how it relates to the business world, but now I am confident I will be able to write a better thesis having completed my classes at ISM.