On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Honors Council and the Honors Guides for Peer Success (GPS) hosted “Thesis Night,” which tackled the requirements for the thesis necessary to graduate in the Honors program. The Honors event was held at the University of Connecticut’s Rowe Center for Undergraduate Education and drew an audience of over two dozen students.
Honors GPS member and eighth-semester health management major Yana Tartakovskiy began with an overview of what the Honors thesis entails. She said it could take a variety of forms, including an academic paper, poster display of a research project or a creative project like a published book, among other things. She stressed that the requirements are intentionally loose to allow creativity, as long as it is a “unique contribution to your field” that connects to your major.
Afterwards, Honors GPS member and eighth-semester history and secondary education major Aidan Karpicz went over the benefits of the thesis project. He explained that, while the workload is heavy, it should be a rewarding and enjoyable challenge. He brought up the various skills and knowledge gained that can be used in careers down the line. He also mentioned that it can be a helpful addition to a resume or for graduate school applications.
Next, Honors GPS member and eight-semester political science and music major Alex Wynne gave an overview of the thesis timeline. She said the process begins by determining an interest area and finding a potential advisor for assistance. Once a student has a thesis supervisor, they should narrow their interest, being as specific as possible. Then, they can develop a plan, and the work begins.
Wynne then gave a breakdown of what the thesis work might look like for each year. She recommended that freshman and sophomore students make connections with faculty, get involved with research, attend research frontiers and start thinking of potential advisors. She said that, while your Honors advisor can be your thesis supervisor, that does not have to be the case.
Wynne explained that a preliminary plan of study, where students outline their thesis plan, is due in the fall of junior year. She recommended having a thesis supervisor and topic chosen by the fall of junior year, or spring at the latest. She said it is best to get started on a specific outline or research by spring of junior year.
Wynne finished by going into the final steps as a senior. Students take a three-credit Honors course dedicated to working on the thesis in the fall. During the year, students have regular meetings with their thesis supervisor and Honors advisor, start the written component while working on other elements of the thesis and fill out a final plan of study in the spring.
Wynne said the project is generally due before finals week in the spring, though the deadline may vary based on your major and thesis supervisor. In addition, there are research frontiers in the fall or spring you can apply to showcase your project. Once submitted, the project is published and available to review on the UConn Honors website.
Next, Honors Council member and eighth-semester chemistry major Lisa Liang went over some resources to help Honors students navigate the thesis project. She brought up their assigned Honors advisor as a good starting point. She said the thesis supervisor should be someone knowledgeable that you can work well with.
Liang said that throughout the process, it is a good idea to connect with students and faculty. She also brought up some additional resources like the Homer Babbidge Library for research assistance and the UConn Writing Center for help with writing the thesis.
After the presentation, the presenters gave students the time to answer questions about the thesis process and went into specific things they learned from their own experience.
Wynne is working on a thesis about the role of music as a political tool in the civil rights movement. She will finish her thesis this month.
“The hardest thing is definitely balancing the amount of time it takes with my coursework, this job and doing other stuff on campus,” said Wynne. “I did have a professor who told me that if I didn’t hate my thesis at some point, I probably didn’t do enough work.”
Akshat Viswanath, a second-semester physiology and neurobiology student on the pre-med track has already reached out to professors to begin research and hopes to start this semester. He wants to focus his thesis in the psychological sciences area, and the presentation assured him that it would fit the thesis requirements.
“It was nice to hear that as long as the thesis is in a related major, it will work out,” said Viswanath. “It removes a lot of stress for down the road.”
The Honors GPS Team have an in-person office in room 117 of the John Buckley Residence Hall. At least one staff member is available on Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to discuss the Honors thesis and other Honors graduation requirements.