Grad school is hard. Especially being an engineer. You have classes, you have research, and at some point in time you have to write a thesis. But those last two can be very difficult if everyone isn’t on the same page. That’s what happened to me. And although through the long haul I will be able to graduate, there’s some things I wish I had known that I’d like to share to potentially help those following in my footsteps.
Your Advisor
This person needs to be the yin to your yang. You may not always see eye to eye, but the both of you need to work well together. If you’re looking for an advisor, treat it like an interview. Ask about their stats: how many grad students have they had, how many they have graduated, how many of them have published in high profile journals (if that’s of interest to you), how they as an advisor operates, and how that works for you. Your advisor should serve as an academic mentor. If you’re independent and can handle a more relaxed advisor or if you’re a self aware slacker and need a drill sergeant that’s all fine and dandy. But make sure that you find someone who will ultimately make you successful in your degree process.
Your Committee
SHOULD NOT BE FORMED AT THE LAST MINUTE! And no one told me this. Picking 2-3 professors other than your advisor to help guide you along in your research. These are the people who will ultimately evaluate you during your defense and either accept or deny your thesis. They can also provide a unique perspective of thinking about your research if they have some knowledge of the field themselves.
Your Peers
DEFINITELY need to be on the same page as you. This may be harder if the people you’re working with have a different advisor than yours but be sure to work very closely with them. If not, work with your advisor or their advisor and PUSH to make sure that you get what you need from them when you need it from them. There is nothing more frustrating than your stuff being held up and potentially (ultimately in my case) hindered due to the lack of attention from external but necessary parties.
Your Thesis
Should be knocking on the door of 70-80 pages WITHOUT table of contents and references. Page 1 starts with your introduction. Therefore be mindful of how thorough your background information needs to be and how important it is to gain as much data as you can to include in your thesis. Start as early as possible, even if it is just the background information. I don’t care how much a great writer you think, claim, say you are, you DO NOT want to wait until the last minute to begin writing. Ideally your thesis will be completed before you defend. IN FACT, it’s some universities’ policy that your thesis be completed before you defend so be mindful of the administrative rules and regulations at your university and plan accordingly.
Your Defense
An oral presentation of your paper. So with proper practice this is a simple plug and chug matter. BE PREPARED FOR THE BEAST IN THE ROOM. Aka the jerk, the know-it-all, the person who is there who is intentionally trying to trip you up for once reason or another. This person will probably be an external party (the bitter part of allowing your thesis to be public) with some knowledge on some part of your research. If your defense is public, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS or anyone else who can be supportive. Talk to them about planting possible questions so that they can help you SHINE. They also will serve as a “ground” when being faced with tough questions or the beast in the room. It brings some comfort to know that there is SOMEONE in the room that is just screaming and rooting for you to knock this out the park.
Your World Isn’t Over
So in my specific case, I had a really laid back advisor – too laid back. I formed a committee 2 weeks before I defended. My paper was in no type of shape before I defended. And as great of a writer I thought I was and slaved to get my paper in shape, ultimately my committee rejected it. Just a bit too short and not enough data included (or provided to me in this case). If I wanted to get my M.S. I would’ve had to pay to be a student during the summer to write. Ultimately I threw my hands up at the situation and opted for the M.E. route with my “thesis” then counting as my project. So essentially I was an ABT: All But Thesis. This is the Masters or Thesis equivalent of the “All But Dissertation” which is typically more common in Humanities Ph.D programs. But this wasn’t the end of the world. I initially worked hard to get my M.S. because I KNEW I was going into a Ph.D program. At the time I had no idea that I was going to leave UVA or even switch my primary focus out of Electrical Engineering, so I felt that by continuing with my M.S. plan would make me a better candidate for matriculating into a Ph.D program. However, what I learned was that being in a Ph.D program isn’t only about proving that you can do research. It’s also about being able to formulate your own ideas to being the process of finding answers to unanswered questions. And if you find yourself in the situation I was in, please note that getting an M.E. is not the “second hand” or “subpar” version of an M.S. In fact, it might even give you a nice GPA boost (you know if you still care about that stuff!).