Managing the Thesis Process

It was very hard in the beginning to come up with a topic for my thesis. I had numerous topics in mind that I wanted to write about. I was torn on which topic and direction that I should go in. I chose my topic, and my thesis adviser, Mark Esposito, approved it. This means that I could then move forward with the research and writing component.

However, the challenge for me was how to write a thesis? How should I structure my findings? Which titles to include? How do I find enough academic resources? Should I use a primary data, a secondary data, or a mix between them? I was totally lost. For me, this was the first time to face a situation like this. In Egypt, where I did my undergrad degree, the education system structure is different than the American or European system. At my university, we were required to attend lectures and read the instructed material for each course as given by each professor or course instructor. At the end we attend an exam, which consists of some questions to test our understanding for the course. So for me, reading the course material and carefully studying it, will be more than enough to get the job done.

I am in the final part of the thesis process, and I am very proud of how far I have come! Once I started structuring my paper, and after many discussions with Dr. Esposito and the ISM Academic staff, the whole process was very manageable and felt similar to doing any normal research project that I did in my previous seminars at ISM (only on a much larger scale).

If you take anything from this blog entry, it would be to make sure that you truly enjoy your thesis topic. If you chose a topic that you like, you will be enjoying your research the knowledge you gain with every word you consume. On the other hand, if you chose a topic that looks academically and professionally advancing but you don't like it, you will be bored and you will hate every minute of the process. Don't rush into choosing a topic. Take your time! Ask your peers, professors, and professional connections for advice and feedback along the way.

Good luck!